Katalikiška spauda Vakarų Lietuvoje: Martyno Mažvydo iki XXI a. pradžios
CATHOLIC PRESS IN WESTERN LITHUANIA FROM MARTYNAS MAŽVYDAS TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Summary/Abstract: The development of spiritual thought, as the essential element of culture, and its evolution, is a rival to the scientific literature, for instance, monographs, scientific journals, collections. Transmission of scientific knowledge to the society is an important and complicated process. Moreover, talking about the press of the West Lithuania, especially Catholic, it is possible to highlight several characteristics: Firstly, in analyzing the press of some region, there is a question – which press we should be talking about: a) press, printed in the region b) press about the region (press from foreign scholars) c) press by the scholars of the region, who published their works somewhere in the other region or country? These questions are not only interesting, but rather important for the investigation of the significance of the local cultural institutions, and the region’s historical, cultural, economic and geopolitical attraction. Such contribution is important also to the whole country. From such standpoints, West Lithuania is an extremely interesting place because of its specific features: there for a long period of time foreign countries have been ruling, as a result, the region was on the intersection of cultures and religions. Specific Lithuanian society – lietuvininkai was formed there, in the region called Lithuania Minor. Secondly, it is possible to notice a paradoxical situation: West Lithuania (Minor) that published the first Lithuanian book, and later had the biggest number of printing-houses in all the Great Duchy of Lithuanian, for several centuries did not have its own university or periodical press, which eventually was created much later. Thirdly, despite the importance of the West Lithuania to all the Lithuanian nation and independence in pre-war period, there the cultural issues had been discussed with great precaution. However, intelligent people of Kaunas had already started the idea about the establishment of a university in Klaipėda. As a result, the editor of the ‘XX century’ J. Grinius (1936) noticed the necessity of the formation of a university in the port-city. It was connected with the building of laboratory corps of Technology Department at Vytautas Magnus University. Even though the idea of a university was not accomplished, but two institutes – Trade and Financial Institute (President E. Galvanauskas) and Pedagogical Institute were established. It is worth mentioning, that this Institute started to publish the first pedagogical scientific articles. The fundamental influence for the birth of Christian (Catholic) press in West Lithuania had “Katekizmas” (The Catechism) in the Lithuanian language by Martynas Mažvydas, published at Karaliaučius University. Still there are many discussions about it – whether it was a Protestant or a Catholic publication? But such debates, seemingly, are worthless. Lithuanian Catholic press, even in poor condition, was rather active in Major Lithuania. It is impossible to forg

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