A trip to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

On Monday the 23^rd of October, the European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR) arranged another trip to an interesting place in Vilnius. For this month’s trip, EVS volunteer Carmen Cara Lorente and trainees Cormac Flahive and Chiara Antonucci and the workers from the Foundation took a 1 hour guided tour around the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

As a part of the tour, they were given the opportunity to explore building which has been the heart of Lithuanian democracy since its independence in 1990. They were shown the current Plenary room in which sessions of Parliament are still held, rooms normally reserved for press usage, the historical Hall of the Act of 11 March where the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, and told the stories of the January events of 1991.

The Seimas is a highly important building in both the modern functioning of democracy and in the history of Lithuania. We were given an insight into the operation and the story of this beautiful building and had the opportunity to see historically significant items regarding Lithuania’s independence.

Once again, the EFHR has provided its trainees with an opportunity to experience one of Lithuania’s most historical buildings to develop their own understanding of the history and political operation of this country. The trainees feel that this has been a highly rewarding experience and they feel as though their development of understanding of the birth of Lithuania has improved immensely.

EFHR