October 5th – Physical Education and Sports Day!
1918. After Lithuania regained its independence, there were concerns about the popularization of sports and physical education. An important step in this field is the establishment of the Lithuanian Sports Union in 1919. Soon, organizations of representatives of various sports began work on the promotion of sports and better physical health – leagues, unions, clubs, federations. From 1921 onwards, the organization of competitions and championships in different sports intensified. However, the formation of Lithuanian sports culture was most pronounced in the 4th decade of the XX century. In 1932, the Law on Physical Education was prepared and officially promulgated, and the first state sports institution in Lithuania – the Palace of Physical Education – was opened.
At this time, physical upbringing was also a concern in Lithuanian schools, where this discipline is equated with other subjects taught in its importance. The issues of children’s physical education have been written in the press, perhaps the most numerous in the magazine “Physical Upbringing” since 1931 and in the magazine “School of the Nation” published since 1933. In the first issue of the latter publication, President Antanas Smetona also wrote about the importance of physical education in children’s education: “In the past, the school was one-sided: taking care of the mind, it forgot about the body. Today, an equal right is also recognized for this second <…>. Physical education should be of no less concern to the Lithuanian school than to the culture of the spirit.” Eventually, sports and physical education became part of various regional school holidays, school camps were held in the summers, and gymnasium games were organized from 1935. In addition, in the 4th decade of the twentieth century, there was also a greater concern about the training of qualified teachers of physical education. For this purpose, physical education courses of several months were usually organized in different cities or towns of Lithuania (Palanga, Jurbarkas, Obeliai, Žeimelis, etc.), and in 1934 a higher physical education school was established – Higher physical education courses that prepared physical education and military training teachers.
We share photos stored in the collections of the Lithuanian Museum of Education, which capture the physical education lessons and exercises of lithuanian school students of the 4th decade of the XX century.
The information was prepared by Karolina Jociūtė, curator of museum activities at the Lithuanian Museum of Education.
