Until the 15th century, books were copied by monks. They were saved from monotonous work by an accidental invention by German blacksmith Johannes Gutenberg. In those days, it was believed that a mirror sewn into clothes absorbed holy light from religious objects and thus protected its owner. Johannes produced polished metal plates and, in order to automate the production process, he discovered the possibility of printing text with movable type pieces. In the 1440s, he presented his invention and printed his first book, a Latin textbook. Since then, printing presses have spread across Europe at lightning speed. Soon, they appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where religious struggles between Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants raged. The press helped the opposing camps to polemicise with their opponents publicly, to spread their ideas, to maintain order in their communities, and to codify the fundamentals of their faith. Over the centuries, the printing presses of Vilnius, like the city itself, have experienced wars, epidemics, deprivations, occupations, and various prohibitions. However, the printed word still has meaning and value today. The struggle for printing in Latin characters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries stirred up the conscious part of the Lithuanians and revived the nation for a new social and cultural life.
Along the route, we will not only pay tribute to the pioneers of the printed word but also recall the history of culture, religion and various social processes of the time.
