Press release, 10 December 2012

Today, the logo of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, created by heraldic artist Arvydas Každailis, holder of the National Culture and Art Prize, was presented at the Gallery of the Seimas.

he logo was presented by Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs. “After 20 years of parliamentary debates on the subject, the Seimas will finally have its own distinctive logotype and become recognisable. This is especially important given that Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union next year and the parliamentary dimension will be one of the key aspects of the Presidency,” Kirkilas said.

During the event, Každailis, the author of the logo, officially received the first document with the new symbol of the Seimas: the letter of gratitude signed by Vydas Gedvilas, Speaker of the Seimas. The letter reads as follows: “I sincerely thank you for the creation of the logo of the Seimas and for your significant contribution to the design of national symbols.

Contemporary Lithuanian national heraldry is simply unimaginable without the historical coats of arms and flags you restored and the new ones you created. An impressive list of your works begins with the key national symbols: the coat of arms of Lithuania, the historical flag and the presidential flag. You have also designed the coats of arms and flags for Lithuania’s regions, counties, municipal centres, regional municipalities and towns.

Your works epitomise the image of the state shaped over the centuries. By telling the story of the country, its cities, towns and localities, your oeuvre raises both the national and international profile of Lithuania. Therefore, the Lithuanian heraldry, developed and consistently given substance to by consummate professionals like you, merits international acclaim.

Please accept my gratitude for your creative commitment and contribution to the development of our statehood and wishes of good health, strength and creative energy.”

The Seimas logo by Každailis combines three symbols: the Odeon, the national flag and the riding knight: a stylized version of the Lithuanian historical coat of arms.

According to the author, the Odeon served as the meeting place of the Senate and an amphitheatre in ancient Greece. As the plan of the Odeon is very similar to that of the Plenary Session Hall of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania; the symbol of the Odeon in the logo symbolizes the chamber where the nation’s representatives hold their debates. The historical riding knight in the logo symbolizes the retention of Lithuania’s statehood as a national objective. In democratic countries, the national parliament is elected by citizens and represents their interests; this idea gives substance to the colours of the national flag in the logo. “It is my wish that the logo enters the system of the national symbols,” Každailis said at the event.

Public Relations Unit