Creation Tautiška giesmė

kudirka’s portrait 500 lithuanian litas banknote issued in 2000



monument tautiška giesmė

at time when poem lietuva, tėvyne mūsų written, lithuania part of russian empire. kudirka, medical student @ university of warsaw, writing columnist newspaper varpas (the bell). in varpas columns, kudirka urged lithuanians take pride in heritage, discussed problems russian government causing lithuanian population, , denounced wished work tsarist autocracy. in course of writing varpas, wrote down thoughts on lithuania , should be, resulting in fifty-word poem lietuva, tėvynė mūsų ( lithuania, our homeland ).

the poem described heroic past of lithuania , exhorted people care land, care humanity, , live in honor. kudirka urged country become source of enlightenment , virtue. without melody, kudirka took time compose music before dying of tuberculosis. both melody , lyrics printed in varpas in september 1898. upon death in 1899, kudirka s tomb engraved second stanza of anthem (later destroyed authorities).