A postcard - the Theatre Square in Vilnius

In the 19th century, Vilnius, which – in effect of the 3rd Partition of Poland in 1795 – was incorporated into Russia, was an important centre of Polish culture, tradition and underground freedom movement. Secret organizations operated at the Vilnius University, their activists including Adam Mickiewicz, the leading poet of Polish Romanticism. Also Józef Piłsudski, founder of the Legions and one of the fathers of Polish independence regained in 1918 had strong ties with that city.