Gediminas, Liubartas, Svitrigaila...

The portrait art exhibition “Rulers and Prominent Figures of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania” will be held at the Art Museum of Lutsk, featuring works by Lithuanian artist Arturas Slapsys. It will mark the 585th anniversary of the Lutsk Congress of the European monarchs. In those days, the ancient Luchesk [older form of Lutsk’s name. – Ed.] was the winter capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while the city of Trakai was the summer grand ducal residence.

Grand Duke Vytautas reigned then, a descendant of Gediminas, the ruler who united Lithuania and Western Rus’, thus creating the great Lithuanian state, one of the strongest European powers of the age. The locals still call the Lutsk Castle Liubartas’s Castle, as this prince, also a descendant of Gediminas, was a forerunner of Vytautas, and made what was likely the greatest contribution to building this fortress, which has recently been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.

The local museum of arts is housed in the castle as well, located at the former house of the gentry. Its head Zoia Navrotska said that Slapsys’s exhibition would be a major culture event for Volyn, because his portraits reveal to the Volynians their land’s past, complement their knowledge of these issues. Somehow, Ukrainian artists do not pay much attention to this stratum of historical personalities, while Lithuanians, with whom we shared a state for centuries, explore our common history.

It is really interesting to see how Gediminas, Liubartas, Vytautas, Svitrigaila and other historical figures looked like, as they have left us tangible evidence of shared history as well. The opening of the exhibition will also see a show by the Lviv Minstrels ensemble, which will perform songs created when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was in existence.