The Lithuanian government has approved a plan for marking 2024 as the year of the Lozoraitis family of diplomats, featuring a classical music concert at the Pantheon in Rome, a documentary film, and a commemoration program in the United States.
According to the plan, the concert at the Pantheon will feature a special program by the Vilnius String Quartet to commemorate the life and work of the Lozoraitis family in Italy and the Vatican. The plan also calls for organizing an exhibition, entitled Villa Lituania, at Rome’s Museo della Civilta, and running an information campaign, including a video film and a series of lectures at Italian universities, targeting the Italian media, the academic, political and business communities, and the general public.
A documentary film is planned about the Lozoraitis family, featuring testimonials from witnesses from Lithuania, the US and Italy. The film will be screened at events held at Lithuanian diplomatic missions, the Italian parliament, during lectures at Italian universities, and on Lithuanian and Italian television.
Lithuania will also organize events in the US to present the history of the Lozoraitis family, which reflects the history of Lithuania, to the political, academic, business and cultural communities, young people, and the general public. The program of events in Lithuania includes a Vilnius Festival concert dedicated to Stasys Lozoraitis Jr., to be hosted by the National Philharmonic Society.
The Lithuanian parliament has designated 2024 as the Year of the Diplomats Lozoraitis to mark the anniversaries of three prominent diplomats of the same family: Stasys Lozoraitis Sr., a Lithuanian foreign minister of the interwar period, Stasys Lozoraitis Jr., Lithuania’s diplomatic representative in Washington, D.C., and Kazys Lozoraitis, Lithuania’s ambassador to the Holy See.
An authority on the history of the Lozoraitis family, Professor Petraitytė-Briedienė published a book in Lithuanian about Lozoraitis’ diplomatic work in 2015: Gyvenimas – Lietuva. Daniela ir Stasys Lozoraičiai (“Life – Lithuania. Daniela and Stasys Lozoraitis”). Professor Petraitytė-Briedienė researched her book in Italy and the USA. It is richly illustrated with photographs, including those from family archives.
Stasys and Daniela Lozoraitis are probably one of the most prominent couples in the recent history of Lithuania. Stasys Lozoraitis dedicated his entire life to keeping the hope of Lithuanian independence alive. His life as a diplomat in exile during the nearly 50 years of Soviet occupation, and as a candidate during the first post-Soviet presidential election, have made him a legend in modern Lithuanian history.
