Politinės galios simboliai Vilniaus viešojoje erdvėje 1895–1953 metais ; Symbols of political power in Vilnius public spaces in 1895-1953

Abstract

The history of political marking of the Vilnius city centre in the end of the 19th century – first half of the 20th century is reconstructed and analysed in the doctoral thesis. The research focuses on material markers (urban reorganizations of the city centre, construction of monuments and buildings of ideological significance), symbolic markers (competitions for projects of material markers, demonstration of national and / or state symbols, change of toponyms and functions of buildings, occasional texts) and rituals (mass events and their visual complements) realised or only designed by nine political regimes. The aim of the thesis is to analyse modern practices of symbolic marking which were based on political ideology and which were applied during the period of 1895–1953 in the public spaces of central Vilnius, and to disclose their causes, character and change. The research is based on theories of nationalism, memory and identity. Social art history is the methodology applied for examination of specific cases of political marking – political, social, cultural and economic context of their emergence is analysed, their target audience is identified, a relation of a commissioner and an executor is discussed. The method of comparative analysis is applied when juxtaposing the strategies of urban public space marking that were applied by different political regimes in the same space, i.e., Vilnius. The controversy around contemporary Vilnius commemoration signs encouraged to turn back to the beginnings of the development of modern political symbols in the city.