With the onset of the Soviet regime’s thaw, on June 3, 1988, a group of active citizens in Vilnius established the Lithuanian Sąjūdis Initiative Group, composed of 35 members. This marked the beginning of a nationwide awakening. Within just a few months, the Initiative Group managed to mobilize the entire country. The scale of the movement astonished observers with mass rallies attended by hundreds of thousands and unforgettable public actions — the most memorable of all being the Baltic Way.
The summer of 1988 marked the beginning of Sąjūdis in Molėtai region. On August 16, the district committee of Lithuanian Communist Party formed a working commission to consider proposals on restructuring, democracy and transparency — an attempt by local communists to retain control of the initiative. However, this step only accelerated the establishment of Sąjūdis structures in Molėtai. On August 27, during a methodological seminar for Lithuanian language and literature teachers, the first Sąjūdis Support Group was formed, joined by as many as 22 teachers of Lithuanian language. On the following day, during a district teachers’ conference, the first public protest action was held in the foyer of the House of Culture — against Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.
The first major rally organized by the district’s Sąjūdis initiative group took place on October 2, drawing several thousand participants. Hundreds gathered in the House of Culture to raise difficult questions about their lives, discuss local issues, and invite dialogue with representatives of the local authorities. Within six months, Sąjūdis Support Groups had been established in Alanta, Balninkai, Joniškis, Molėtai Land Reclamation Administration and both Molėtai Secondary Schools, with active support from parish priests. The Sąjūdis headquarters were set up on the second floor of the so-called “Red Brick” building, and “Sąjūdžio Žinios” (Sąjūdis News) information board was installed in the town.
For the first time in decades, the nation’s historic dates were commemorated again: February 16 (Independence Day) celebrations were revived, Language Festivals were organized, and the Day of Mourning and Hope was commemorated. The victims of the Armia Krajowa (the Polish Home Army) massacres and the Battle of Giedraičiai were remembered. Across the district, crosses and chapels were erected in memory of deportees and partisans; the remains of fallen partisans were reburied with honor; and monuments to independence, destroyed during the Soviet era, were restored in Balninkai, Joniškis, and Inturkė. Streets bearing Soviet names were also renamed.
In February 1991, a referendum was held on Lithuania’s independence. Over 86% of Molėtai residents supported the proposal for Lithuania to become an independent democratic republic, while 9.8% opposed it. Encouraging civic activity remained one of the main goals of the Sąjūdis Council.
The main goal of Sąjūdis — to restore Lithuania’s independence — was achieved. On January 12, 1994, the branch Council officially declared the end of its activities.
