Vilnius installs five new commemorative plaques for historic figures

Vilnius city council installed five new commemorative plaques honoring individuals who contributed to Lithuania's freedom, culture and humanitarian legacy. The plaques recognize independence‑act signatory and lawyer Kazimieras Motieka, resistance fighter and political prisoner Antanas Terleckas, poet Alfonsas Nykas‑Niliūnas, anti‑Soviet activist Jadviga Bieliauskiene, and the Jurk family (Danielas and Marija) who sheltered Jews during World War II. Each plaque is placed at a location linked to the honouree – Gynėjų g. 4 for Motieka and Terleckas, J. Savickio g. 13 for Nykas‑Niliūnas, Poškos g. 26 for the Jurk family, and Antakalnio g. 43 for Bieliauskiene – and includes a QR code directing to the “Vilnius DNR” portal with further historical information.

The initiative was proposed by the Historical Memory Commission of the Vilnius City Council and approved by the council. Kamilė Gogelienė, chair of the commission, said the plaques “help preserve the living memory of the city and remind people of those whose work contributed to Lithuania's liberty, culture and human values.”