16th-century Renaissance music plays in the background.

The sculpture Martynas Mažvydas tells the story of the first Lithuanian book.

At first glance, the piece resembles a human torso. Sculptor Algirdas Bosas chose this form to portray the Lutheran pastor Martynas Mažvydas, who wrote the very first printed book in  Lithuanian in the mid-16th century. At the timehe was not living in Lithuania, but in what was then known as Prussia.

Carved into the front of the torso are the man’s head and hands. The hands encircle a book, holding it close.

Most striking are the legs, frozen in the position of a leap. They are the most dynamic element of the work, infusing the sculpture with dramatic tension.

The pastor’s leap symbolisses the union of Lithuania Minor (Prussian Lithuania) and Lithuania Proper. For centuries, Prussian Lithuanians printed Lithuanian books and carried them across the border into Lithuania.