Let’s meet. Vilhelmas Vilius Storosta. Actually, you might not recognise me – I am Vydūnas. Philosopher, writer, playwright, composer, conductor, teacher.

In 1868 he was born in Jonaičiai, Šilutė county, then, I remember, in the Kingdom of Prussia. I grew up in a flock of 10 brothers and sisters, I studied at the seminary in Ragaine; When I finally turned 21, I started teaching in Kintai, near the Curonian Lagoon. I arrived already seriously ill, and everyone around me said I wouldn’t make it. I walked a lot in the pine forests along the coast, I breathed, and I didn’t even eat meat. At that time, remember, it was a strange thing for a Lithuanian to live without meat, but I had a very strong desire to get well. And I healed I took off in the spring of 1892; I was accompanied by a lady who was a kind hostess and nurse throughout this time – Claura Fulhaz, and I decided to marry her. After crossing the Queen Louise Bridge, I found myself in Tilžė, where I taught French and English for 20 years; I thought, as a Lithuanian, I would have to be of the noblest humanity – I read scripture, religious tales of non-Christian nations, enrolled in lectures on culture, history, nature, and art. Educated at the Universities of Greifswald, Halle, Leipzig and Berlin.

To our delight, in the 20th century; At the beginning, the Lithuanian people were in the midst of a real workday – they began to create their own government, to build their lives independently. German hatred rose up, most of all against me in 1934; took away my book about Germans and Lithuanians. I believed I was able to live as the meaning of life dictated, and then, sitting in a locked room, I relived it all over again. I felt like 1000 wolves were howling around me. I felt very cold at the beginning of the Second Great War, that darkness had engulfed the whole Lithuanian nation and almost the whole of mankind. After I was expelled from Tilžė, I was taken to Detmold in Germany, and I cannot deny that I was received with honour – I felt at home. On the way to one of my last lectures, I caught a bad cold, and in 1953 I had a bad cold; Goodbye. Ah… and here I am since autumn 2019. It is symbolic that the ribbon was cut on the Day of Science and Knowledge – pupils from all over the city came to see the picture;

Now, after the storms have died down, I sometimes take a leisurely walk barefoot on the still green banks of the stream of my memories. When I see young people coming around the corner, members of the Klaipėda Queen Louise Youth Centre, I remember the boys’ gymnasium that used to be there, named after Queen Louise. When the little ones of Klaipėda refresh their feet in the water on hot summer days, I look at them from this podium and think how bright the future of Lithuania is growing up. I know that we will all follow the paths that Destiny has laid out for the Lithuanian nation; They lead visibly upwards into the light of humanity.

I, Vilhelmas Storosta – Vydūnas, say goodbye with the deepest respect.