History of the House of Signatories

The house of the Signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania is a historical and architectural monument, where the Act on the Restoration of Independence of Lithuania was signed on February 16, 1918.

The house currently marked No.26, situated in Pilies Street, Vilnius, was first mentioned in written sources in the Royal Privilege of April 18, 1645 granted to the Burgomaster of Vilnius and exempting him from the duty to accommodate guests. At the end of the 17^th – 18^th centuries, various owners of the house were mentioned. After the fires raging in Vilnius in 1748 and 1749, the house was rebuilt, and the third floor was added. Until 1789, the building was in possession of the church. Subsequently, the building was given to seculars and housed a goldsmith’s workshop, a shop offering a wide range of goods, and an inn. During the second half of the 19^th century, the house was purchased by Karl and Jozefa Sztral.

At the end of the 19^th century, the building was reconstructed in a Neo-Renaissance style with an enclosed courtyard according to the project made by architect Alexiey Polozov. Following the death of his father, third category merchant Kazimierz Sztral inherited the house. The daughters of Kazimierz Sztral managed the building until the nationalization in 1940. In the building, a cafe was opened and apartments were rented to artisans, merchants, and teachers. In September 1914, the apartment on the third floor was rented by the Lithuanian Society to Aid War Victims. In these very premises, the Council of the Lithuanian State gathered for a historical meeting and signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918. Following the occupation of Vilnius by Poland, the Lithuanian Society of Charity, which took over the activities of the Lithuanian Society to Aid War Victims, was established in the apartment. In 1928, pedagogue, cultural and public figure Povilas Karazija settled in the apartment. Teacher at the Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium Antanas Krutulys, who played a significant role in the culture of Vilnius region, moved to the apartment in 1931. Future historian of culture and museologist Vincas Zilenas, who studied at Vilnius University at that time, also lived temporarily in the premises on the third floor of the building. After the World War II, the room where the Act of Independence of Lithuania had been signed was transformed into a one-room flat.

In 1992, the first Vilnius City Council of restored independent Lithuania adopted a decision to establish the House of Signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania in this building. In 1998, the Municipality of Vilnius assigned the building to the Ministry of Culture. In 2003, the House of Signatories became a branch of the National Museum of Lithuania. Various events related to the history of the statehood of Lithuania are held in the hall of the House of Signatories.