This year, the organizers invite everyone to focus on three words – “Remember. Understand. Preserve.”
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“Every year, there are fewer and fewer living witnesses of historical events, so it is increasingly important to preserve their stories and pass them on to future generations. This year’s commemoration pays special attention to recording, writing down, and preserving the memories of wolf children and their relatives,” the announcement states.
For this purpose, a new website dedicated to the history and memory of the wolf children will be presented during the event. It will not only allow people to learn about this historical experience but also to share family memories, testimonies, and other historical materials. The aim is to create a living memory space where individual and family stories become part of a preserved collective history.
“Time changes the memory of the wolf children – people who can personally tell about the hunger they experienced in childhood, their journey to Lithuania, and the life they built here are becoming fewer every year. Today, there are only 16 members of the ‘Edelweiss-Wolfskinder’ association left in Lithuania, so it is especially important to hear and record their stories today, to preserve personal testimonies, photographs, and other family-kept materials,” said the project initiator, historian Rūta Matimaitytė.
According to her, every preserved memory helps to better understand the experiences of the wolf children and ensures that their stories are passed on to future generations.
Wolf children are called the children of Lithuania Minor who were separated from their families or became orphans between 1944 and 1948. Some came to Lithuania starving alone, others were brought to Lithuania by Lithuanian farmers trading in the markets of the Königsberg region (mothers or relatives left the children with them), and sometimes women took them while begging. Most of these children worked on peasant farms.
Many wolf children born in 1940 and later who ended up in Lithuania were adopted; for those older children who were not adopted, forged documents with different names, birthplaces, and Lithuanian nationality were often obtained so they could find work.
In June 2024, the Seimas included September 14 as the Day of Remembrance for the Wolf Children in the Law on Commemorative Days.
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