Povilas Lukšys | |
|---|---|
 Povilas Lukšys on a stamp celebrating de jure recognition of Lithuania by other countries in 1922 | |
| Born | 21 June 1886 Kazokai, Russian Empire |
| Died | 8 January 1919 (aged 32) Taučiūnai, Lithuania |
| Allegiance | Imperial Russian Army Lithuanian Army |
| Awards | Order of the Cross of Vytis |
Povilas Lukšys (21 August 1886 – 8 February 1919) was the first Lithuanian Army soldier who died for the independence of Lithuania in the Lithuanian Wars of Independence.[1]
Biography
Lukšys was born in Kazokai in the present-day Panevėžys District Municipality. During World War I, Lukšys served in the Imperial Russian Army. When the Lithuanian army began to be recreated as Lithuania regained its independence, Lukšys organized a group of volunteers. He was an officer of the Kėdainiai defence squad, the commander of the field guard as well as the deputy head of the reconnaissance squad.[1] In the Kėdainiai county, Lukšys was involved in battles against Soviet Russian units that were attacking in the direction of Kaunas.[1]
Lukšys died on 8 February 1919 while carrying out a reconnaissance mission near the village of Taučiūnai, where a fierce shootout took place. Lukšys was buried in the Kėdainiai cemetery. Later, other volunteers who died for Lithuanian independence were also buried there.
Commemoration
At the place of Lukšys' death, a monument was built in 1929 according to the plans of the architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis.[1] The one-hectare plot of land where the monument is built was donated by Marijonas Vendziagolskis, the owner of Taučiūnai Manor (who bought it from a farmer and later donated it "for public use").
The monument consisted of three 9-metre (30 ft) long concrete terraces and a three-walled pyramid built on them. The monument reached 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) in height. Its shape symbolized the triangular sign of the volunteers and the three terraces represented the three colors of the national flag of Lithuania.[2] The granite pyramid itself represented eternity. A staircase was installed in the middle of the lower terrace, and the Vytis cross with oak branches and the inscription was carved on the front plane of the pyramid: "On 9 February 1919 volunteer soldier Povilas Lukšys died here in battles with the Russian Red Army – the first victim of Lithuania's Independence".[2]
The monument stood in Taučiūnai until 1962, when it was demolished by order of the Kėdainiai Communist Party Committee,[1] the plot was plowed and planted with beets. In 1989, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Povilas Lukšys' death, a wooden cross was erected in this place. On 16 February 1993, the monument was rebuilt.[1] The monument was also consecrated.
A monument to Lukšys was also built in the garden of the Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas.
Awards
- Order of the Cross of Vytis, First Class (1923, awarded posthumously).[1]
Sources
Bibliography
- Mockienė, Jurgita (24 January 2023) [2018]. "Povilas Lukšys". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- Staliūnas, Darius (2001). "Žuvusiųjų karių kultas tarpukario Lietuvoje" (PDF). Lietuvių Atgimimo istorijos studijos (in Lithuanian). 17. ISSN 1392-0391.