Columns of Gediminas

The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminas (Lithuanian: Gediminaičių stulpai, lit. 'Pillars of the Gediminids'; Belarusian: Калюмны, romanized: Kaliumny, 'Columns') are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and its historical coats of arms. They were used in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, initially as a rulers' personal insignia, a state symbol, and later as a part of heraldic signs of leading aristocracy.

Columns of Gediminas Gediminids' Pillars
Armiger	Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania, Sąjūdis
Adopted	It is certain that since 1397, the Gediminids' Pillars were Vytautas the Great's coat of arms.

Appearance

The symbol appears in the following form: Horizontal line at bottom, vertical lines extend up at both ends. The square at the middle of the horizontal line is about half as tall as the vertical lines. Another vertical line rises from the top center of the square, giving an overall appearance that is close to a trident. This form is the one usually seen in modern times, often drawn on walls and fences as protest against the Soviet occupation of Lithuania.

It is notable that the ancient pre-Christian symbols of Lithuania did not follow the same strict rules of heraldry as their Western counterparts. Thus this symbol was used in or and argent, usually on the field gules, and was depicted in various shapes on flags, banners and shields.

Some Belarusian historians claim that the Columns directly go back to the symbol of the Rurikids, which was the trident.

Name

The name "Columns of Gediminas" was given in the 19th century by historian Teodor Narbutt, who supposed that the symbol was Gediminas' insignia. The more exact name of the symbol is the Pillars of Gediminids, since there is no direct evidence of its connection with Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas.

History

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

According to the historical and archaeological evidence, the Columns were used by Grand Duke of Lithuania and Duke of Trakai Kęstutis. They appear on the Lithuanian coins issued by him. The symbol was also used by Vytautas as his personal insignia since 1397 and appeared on his seal and coins. It was suggested by historian Edmundas Antanas Rimša, who analyzed the ancient coins, that the Columns of the Gediminids symbolizes the Gates of the Trakai Peninsula Castle. According to the accounts of Jan Długosz, it was derived from a symbol or brand used to mark horses and other property. The Columns were adopted by descendants of Kęstutis as their family symbol, equivalent to a coat of arms. Another user of the Columns of Gediminas was Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund Kęstutaitis. At first, the Columns signified the family of Kęstutis, in contrast to the Vytis which was used by Algirdas' descendants. Later on, as a symbol of a ruling dynasty, it was adopted by Jagiellons and the two symbols became state symbols of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Columns of Gediminas remained in use over the following centuries.

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  Reconstructed 14-15th Century armor of the Lithuanian Leičiai with dented shields decorated with the Columns of Gediminas.
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  Grand Duke Vytautas the Great coin of the Principality of Smolensk (minted in 1399–1401) with the Columns of the Gediminids and the Ruthenian lion or leopard.
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  Denarius of Vytautas, XV century
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  Reconstruction of Vytautas' flag at the Battle of Grunwald
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  Columns of Gediminas as drawn in an armorial by a Portuguese herald in the Council of Constance in 1416
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  Coat of arms of Trakai Voivodeship with standing warrior and the Columns of Gediminas from the Codex Bergshammar, dating to ~1435.
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  "Vytis" in the coat of arms Codex Bergshamar, circa 1440
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  From Łaski's Statute. 1506.
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  Columns of Gediminas, painted by John of Głogów in 1514.
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  The Columns of Gediminas as an icon in Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae Liber IX-XI by Ioannes Dlugossius, 1572. Page fragment.
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  Columns of Gediminas from Marcin Bielski's book Kronika Polska, 1597.
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  Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) with Columns of Gediminas, painted in the 15th century Wernigerode Armorial. Attributed to Vytautas the Great.
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  Vytis (Waykimas) with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephen Báthory in the 16th century.
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  "Seal of Polotsk" on the big seal of Ivan the Terrible. 16th century
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  Coin of Sigismund II Augustus
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  Seal of King and Grand Duke Augustus III, 1738
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  Columns of Gediminas, 1601-1700
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  From the genealogy of the princes Radziwill, 1742
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  Great Lithuanian seal of Stanisław August Poniatowski, 1764
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  Columns from the Castle Church in Kodno (Poland), 1885
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  Engraving of Pillars of Gediminas on a stone on Rambynas hill

In the Interwar Republic of Lithuania

During the period between World War I and World War II they were used by the Lithuanian Republic as a major state symbol, e. g. on Litas coins, monuments and military equipment. The Columns of Gediminas are featured on the Lithuanian Presidential Award Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, which was started in 1928.

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  Flag of the Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Creators Volunteers Union (1918–1920).
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  Lithuanian coin of 5 cents with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas, 1925.
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  Lithuania 100 litas 1928
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  Banknote (reverse) of 2 Lithuanian litas with the Columns of Gediminas, 16 November 1922 edition.
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  An arc decorated with the Columns of the Gediminids during the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of 10th anniversary of Independence of Lithuania in Rokiškis (1931)
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  A Lithuanian scout Liudas Tarabilda with a model of the Gediminas Tower (a campaign of the Union for the Liberation of Vilnius) in the yard of his school in Anykščiai (1932)
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  Old Bank of Lithuania building with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, created in 1927.
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  Ministry of Finance of Lithuania with portraits of Antanas Smetona, Vytautas the Great, Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, 1930.
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  Mauser rifles of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1924.
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  Browning Hi-Power of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1935.
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  Flag of Lithuanian Sailing Union (1935-1940)
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  Lithuanian Art Museum in Radviliškis 1938.
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  Lithuanian cadets near a War School in Kaunas, 1938.
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  Lithuanian armoured car type Landsverk with Columns of Gediminas 1933.
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  Lithuanian Landsverk armored vehicles in the Lithuanian army 1935.
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  Lithuanian Vickers 4-ton tanks marked with Columns of Gediminas head to Vilnius 1939.
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  Residents of Vilnius greet Lithuanian tanks decorated with Columns of Gediminas in the Cathedral Square in Vilnius in 1939

In the Soviet Union

After the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, the symbol was officially banned. During the Singing Revolution of the late 80s, it became the iconic sign of the reform movement Sąjūdis.

Modern usage in Lithuania

The Columns of Gediminas appears in the coat of arms of Seimas and in the emblems of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Land Force, Air Force, Navy, Military Police, National Defence Volunteer Forces and Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion. The Columns of Gediminas are also featured in the coat of arms of Old Trakai, Trakai District Municipality and Šimkaičiai. The symbol is also used on many monuments throughout the country.

• Use of the Columns of Gediminas in modern Lithuania
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  Coat of arms of the Seimas of Lithuania
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  Coat of arms of Old Trakai.
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  Coat of arms of Trakai District Municipality
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  Coat of arms of Šimkaičiai
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  Presidential seal of Lithuania
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  Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
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  Columns of Gediminas in the yellow room at Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius.
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  Monument to Vincas Kudirka in Vilnius is topped by Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument to Zygmunt Sierakowski and Kastus Kalinowski with Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument to Vytautas the Great in Kernavė with Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument with the Columns of Gediminas, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Independence of Lithuania in Plungė.
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  Monument with the Columns of Gediminas, dedicated to the Lithuanian Wars of Independence in Joniškis.
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  The Three Giants (Trys Milžinai) symbol in Kaunas.
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  Simonas Daukantas Bridge in Kaunas with the Columns of the Gediminas on top.
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  Grand Duke Kęstutis monument with Columns of Gediminas in Prienai.
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  Monument with Columns of Gediminas in the Cemetery of Lithuanian soldiers in Kupiškis.
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  Monument ot Lithuanian Independence with Columns of Gediminas in Senoji Varėna.
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  Gymnasium of Vytautas the Great in Klaipėda with Columns of Gediminas on its roof.

• Use of the Columns of Gediminas in modern Lithuanian Army
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  By the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
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  By the Lithuanian Land Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Air Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Naval Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Military Police.
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  By the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
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  By the Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, reverse side.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Military Police.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
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  Columns of Gediminas are widely used on Lithuanian military vehicles.

The official logo of the EuroBasket 2011, which took place in Lithuania, is composed of the Columns overlaid on a basketball board.

The Columns of Gediminas with post horn are also the official logo of the Lithuanian postal company — Lietuvos paštas. The company uses the columns on its official stamps.

A combination of the Columns of Gediminas and the Menorah are used by the Litvak community as a symbol meant to identify Lithuanian Jews with content expressing the history of the Jews in Lithuania.

Usage in Belarus

The coat of arms of Brahin is a pall reversed:
1. The symbol of Prince Izyaslav of Polotsk, Gules, on an argent field;
2. Columns of Gediminas, Argent on a gules field;
3. Coat of arms of Kaributas, Or, on a azure field.

In modern Belarus, the columns of Gediminas, alongside the Pahonia, are occasionally used as a symbol of national pride.

The columns of Gediminas are in the coat of arms of Brahin in southeastern Belarus.

The symbol is featured on the monument to the Grand Duke Gediminas in Lida. which was unveiled in 2019.

Usage in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast adopted an archaic form of the Vytis (Pohonia) on the second quarter, with the Columns of Gediminas on knight's shield.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, the Pahonia Regiment was formed as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, which used the Columns of Gediminas on their emblem.

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  Coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast
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  White-red-white flag with Columns of Gediminas in the form of a trident of the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine, which is also used by the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment
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  The Columns of Gediminas on the emblem of the Pahonia Regiment
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  Emblem of the 1st separate amphibious assault company "Belarus"

In art

The Columns of Gediminas are displayed at Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko. The Columns of Gediminas are also displayed at Baptism of Lithuania by Władysław Ciesielski and Funeral of Gediminas by Kazimierz Alchimowicz.

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  The columns of Gediminas are displayed on the flag to the left of Vytautas the Great
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  The columns of Gediminas are displayed on the banner to the top right.
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  The columns of Gediminas can be seen on the banner within the forest.

See also

• Coat of arms of Lithuania
• Gediminas' Tower
• House of Gediminas
• Polish heraldry
• Symbols of the Rurikids
• Tamga

Sources

• Valstybė. Iliustruota Lietuvos enciklopedija
• "Gediminas' Columns". Encyclopedia Lituanica II: 293. (1970–1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCCN 74–114275.