Vytautas Landsbergis Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Vytautas Landsbergis
Official portrait, 2014

Chairman of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas
In office 11 March 1990 – 25 November 1992
Preceded by	Post created Antanas Smetona (in 1940, last legal President)
Succeeded by	Algirdas Brazauskas (as the Speaker of the Seimas and acting President of Lithuania)
Speaker of the Seimas
In office 25 November 1996 – 19 October 2000
Preceded by	Česlovas Juršėnas
Succeeded by	Artūras Paulauskas
Chairman of the Homeland Union
In office 1 May 1993 – 24 May 2003
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	Andrius Kubilius
Member of the European Parliament for Lithuania
In office 28 April 2003 – 30 June 2014

Personal details
Born	(1932-10-18) 18 October 1932 (age 92) Kaunas, Lithuania
Political party	Sąjūdis (1988–1993) Homeland Union (1993–present)
Spouse	Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė
Alma mater	Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (1955)
Awards	Star of Lithuanian Diplomacy (2017)
Signature

Vytautas Landsbergis (born 18 October 1932) is a Lithuanian politician. He was the first leader of Lithuania after it declared independence from the Soviet Union. He served as the Speaker of the Reconstituent Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) from 1990 to 1992. Later, he was a Member of the European Parliament.

Landsbergis has written 20 books about different topics. These include a biography of the famous artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, as well as books on politics and music. He is also a founding member of the Prague Declaration.

Early Life and Education
Family Life
Political Journey
Discussion on Banning Symbols
Awards and Recognitions
Honorary Degrees
See also

Early Life and Education

Vytautas Landsbergis was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. His father, Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, was an architect. His mother, Dr. Ona Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė, was an eye doctor. During World War II, his mother helped hide Jewish children from danger. For her brave actions, she was honored as "Righteous Among the Nations."

In 1952, Landsbergis showed his talent in chess, placing third in the Lithuanian chess championship. He studied music and graduated from the Lithuanian Conservatory of Music in 1955. This school is now called the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He later became a professor there in 1978. He also taught at the Vilnius Pedagogical University until 1990.

Family Life

Landsbergis was married to Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė, who passed away in 2020. She was a well-known Lithuanian pianist and a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater.

His daughters, Jūratė and Birutė, are also musicians. His son, Vytautas, is a famous Lithuanian writer and film director. His grandson, Gabrielius Landsbergis, born in 1982, is also a politician. He is currently the leader of a political party and the Foreign Minister of Lithuania.

Political Journey

Vytautas Landsbergis speaking at a rally in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1989.

Vytautas Landsbergis (in the middle) on 11 March 1990, after Lithuania declared its independence.

Landsbergis started his political career in 1988. He was one of the people who started Sąjūdis, a movement that wanted Lithuania to be independent. In 1989, he was elected to the Soviet Union's parliament.

After Sąjūdis won the elections in 1990, Landsbergis became the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania. On March 11, 1990, he led the parliament session where Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Lithuania was the first Soviet Republic to do this. Landsbergis was the highest leader of the state and the Speaker of the Parliament until November 1992.

The Soviet Union tried to stop Lithuania's independence by blocking trade in 1990. But this did not work, and other Soviet Republics soon declared their independence too. Landsbergis also played a key role during the difficult events in January 1991. During this time, the Lithuanian independence movement faced Soviet armed forces.

In 1993, Landsbergis helped create a new political party called the Homeland Union. This party won a big victory in the 1996 elections. Landsbergis then served as the Speaker of the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) from 1996 to 2000. He also ran for president in 1997 but did not win.

From 2004 to 2014, Landsbergis was elected by Lithuanian voters to be a Member of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Discussion on Banning Symbols

Landsbergis with his wife during the inauguration of President Dalia Grybauskaitė in 2009.

In 2005, Landsbergis suggested that symbols of Communism should be banned in the European Union, just like Nazi symbols. He wrote a letter to the European Commissioner for Justice, saying that both Communist and Nazi dictatorships were responsible for many deaths. The Commissioner was interested in this idea.

However, this proposal caused a lot of discussion, especially in Italy. Some political groups were very upset by the idea. The Russian Parliament also disagreed with the proposal.

In the end, the European Commission decided not to ban any symbols. There was no agreement on which symbols should be banned, and some worried it would limit freedom of expression.

Landsbergis is a strong critic of Russia's influence on the Baltic states. He often speaks out about Russia's actions in the media and in the European Parliament. He believes Russia might try to control Lithuania and other Baltic States. Landsbergis also actively asks Russia to pay for the damage caused during the time of Soviet occupation.