“That House must stand on a hill; I will donate all my paintings to that House,”—Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė has attested to these words of M. K. Čiurlionis regarding the concept of the House of the Nation.

The idea for the House of the Nation was first proposed as early as 1907, and between 1911 and 1913, a plot of land was purchased in Vilnius—on what was then known as Baufalo Hill (now Tauro Hill)—using donations from the Lithuanian community to build it. Historical circumstances thwarted this plan, but more than a century later, the National Concert Hall—the House of the Nation—is now rising on this site.

But what history does Tauro Hill itself conceal?

Recently, the House of the Nation Foundation published Antanas Gudelis’s book *Vėlino Hill, Vėlinas, and the Cosmogony of Vilnius*, dedicated to the history of Tauro Hill and the evolution of its names. In a 1441 privilege granted by Casimir Jagiellon to the city of Vilnius, the hill is mentioned under the name *Czartowa góra*—Devil’s Hill. The book raises the question of whether this name could be linked to Vėlinas—one of the most important ancient Lithuanian gods—and whether a sacred site dedicated to him might have existed on what is now Tauro Hill.

This topic will be discussed by the book’s author, Antanas Gudelis; historian Kęstutis Gudmantas; ethnologist Prof. Libertas Klimka; mythologist Dr. Nijolė Laurinkienė; and archaeologist Dr. Vykintas Vaitkevičius.

Rokas Zubovas will perform works by M. K. Čiurlionis, and the ensemble “Kankleliai” will perform Lithuanian folk songs.

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EVENT INFORMATION

Date and time: September 22, 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Location: M. K. Čiurlionis House

Address: 11 Savičiaus St., Vilnius

Cost: Free

More information: HERE

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EVENT ORGANIZER

M. K. Čiurlionis House

Contact: mkc.namai@gmail.com / +370 646 53 503

Program

Discussion "That House Has to be on That Hill"

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