| Abstract [eng] |
MA thesis “The Return of Vilnius University’s Historic Collections (1956–1959)” discusses the process of repatriation of Vilnius University’s historic collections, initiated by Professor L. Vladimirov in 1956–1959, and evaluates the significance of this process in the context of relocation of cultural heritage in the 20th and 21st centuries. The subject of the thesis is exceptional in that it is a reconstruction of a process that has very few equivalents in the cultural history of Lithuania. The purpose of this MA thesis was to draw a systematic and comprehensive reconstructed picture of the process of repatriation of Vilnius University’s collections and to reveal and evaluate its significance to Lithuanian culture. The research was based on published and unpublished material. In order to achieve the said purpose, the following tasks were set: 1) systematize historiographic sources on the relocation of Vilnius University library’s collections to Russia; 2) present an analysis of the origins and reasons of the process initiated by L. Vladimirov; 3) analyze published and unpublished sources on the return of Vilnius University’s collections from Moscow, Kiev, Lvov, and Harkov; 4) evaluate the significance of L. Vladimirov’s effort in the context of relocation of printed heritage in the 20th and 21st centuries. The following research methods were used to accomplish the tasks: 1) historical; 2) interpretative; 3) empirical analysis. Historical method was applied in order to present a general reconstruction of the process of repatriation of Vilnius University’s collections, while empirical analysis helped to reveal cultural phenomena and their significance. After the reconstruction of the process of repatriation and based on data collected from archival documents and published sources, it was estimated that, according to published sources, in 1956-1959, 12609 old books were returned to Vilnius University’s library. However, unpublished sources give a figure of 12518 old books. Since there was no possibility to verify data on books returned from USSR’s Academy of Sciences in Leningrad in 1959, these books were not included in the total number of returned items. The following conclusions were drawn: the process initiated by L. Vladimirov was a unique and unprecedented event that deserves all due respect; L. Vladimirov’s success lay in his deep knowledge of old books in general and Vilnius University’s collections in particular, his personal characteristics, his position in the Communist Party, and his Russian surname. Also, the research of Vilnius University library’s archives revealed that not all old books were returned to Vilnius University. Some of them are still deposited in other countries, therefore further research is desirable. Furthermore, the history of relocation of world’s cultural heritage does not provide with any other example when such a large quantity of movable cultural valuables were returned to its original owner. |
