17 of 18 · · Tirkšliai, Mažeikiai district
Tirkšliai: the school that bears his name
Juozas Vitkus grew up in Tirkšliai and finished primary school here. In 2013 the town’s school was named after him. Every year the students mark his birthday and look after the memorial stone in Ketūnai.
What happened here
Juozas Vitkus was born on 10 December 1901 in Ketūnai. His parents spent some time abroad trying to earn a living, and in 1909 the family returned to Tirkšliai. Here he finished primary school. At the end of 1918, when local government was being set up, he worked as clerk and secretary of the Tirkšliai district council and studied at the Mažeikiai commercial school. A memorial plaque was unveiled in 2006 by the house on J. Janonio Street where he lived as a child. The house has since been demolished, and the plaque is kept at the eldership office.
In 2013 the Tirkšliai secondary school was reorganised into a basic school and named after Juozas Vitkus-Kazimieraitis. The naming was initiated by the Mažeikiai branch of the Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners, led by Albertas Ruginis. Since 1 September 2023 the school has been a pro-gymnasium. According to its long-serving head Marius Vilimas, together with the name the community took on a duty to preserve the memory of their fellow countryman.
Every year around 10 December the school holds a commemoration, “Remembering Juozas Vitkus-Kazimieraitis”. Students talk about his life, sing partisan songs and perform folk dances, and young riflewomen greet guests with cornflowers. The young riflemen’s unit, led by Stasys Pauliukas, works with the engineering battalion named after Kazimieraitis and every year tends the memorial stone erected in Ketūnai in 2013. A commemoration of his 125th birth anniversary is planned here for the end of 2026.
“Our school community received not only this honourable name, but also a duty to preserve the memory of our fellow countryman.”
Head teacher M. Vilimas, 2016 (santarve.lt)
What you will see
- The school at Mokyklos g. 8 and the sign with its name.
- Birthday commemorations in December: students’ presentations, partisan songs, and displays about the commemoration of his memory in Tirkšliai and Ketūnai.
- Nearby – 01. Ketūnai, his birthplace with the memorial stone.
Sources (in Lithuanian)
- Tirkšliai Juozas Vitkus-Kazimieraitis Pro-gymnasium. History of the school (LT)
- V. Runkauskas. Tirkšliai residents mark the birthday of Juozas Vitkus-Kazimieraitis. Santarvė, 17 December 2016 (LT)
- V. Stankus. From Mažeikiai to the capital: the partisan’s memory does not fade. Telšių žinios, 2 October 2026 (LT)
Sources (in Lithuanian): the school website; Santarvė (2016); Telšių žinios (2026). Sources differ on the year of naming: the school gives 2013, “Telšių žinios” 2012. Photos: A. Zalanskaitė archive.