The 180th Anniversary of the Birth of Vincentas Montvila
This year marks the 180th anniversary of the birth of Vincentas Montvila. On 11 September 1846 (Julian calendar), Vincentas Montvila was born at the Mitėniškiai estate. He was the brother of the prominent philanthropist Juozapas Montvila and a distinguished figure in his own right. At the end of the 19th century, he was one of Lithuania’s most prominent pomologists and plant breeders. In 1875, at the Vaivadiškiai estate, V. Montvila established one of the finest nurseries in Lithuania. It cultivated and sold fruit trees that had been tested under local climatic conditions, many of them of local origin.
V. Montvila was actively involved in the activities of the Warsaw Horticultural Society. He was also one of the founders of the Vilnius Horticultural Society and served as its long-standing head. His name also holds a place in the history of Lithuanian horticulture: V. Montvila introduced a new apple variety, which was later named “Montvilinis” after him.
As part of the “Montvilinės” project, funded by the Kėdainiai District Municipality, the Pagiriai Branch of the Šėta Cultural Centre organised an educational trip to Vilnius on 13 August. During the visit, members of the Pagiriai community visited the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, toured the archival repositories and learned about documents held there relating to Vincentas Montvila and his family. They also visited the Franciscan Monastery, a site associated with the charitable activities of Vincentas’s brother Juozapas Montvila and his significant contribution to the life of Vilnius.
On 20 September, the event “Montvilinės” will take place in the town of Pagiriai to commemorate the 180th anniversary of Vincentas Montvila’s birth. The programme will feature interesting lectures on the noble Monvila family and Vincentas Montvila, traditional local fruit tree varieties and their preservation, Montvila’s horticultural legacy, as well as historic Lithuanian gardens and gardeners.
We invite you to attend the event, learn more about Vincentas Montvila and discover the history of the Pagiriai region.
Event programme:
https://www.setoskultura.lt/renginiai/montvilines/
