ENThe rebirth of Freemasonry in Lithuania took place in 1910 after an almost 100-year-long prohibition on the territory of tzarist Russia. On Jurgis Romas's initiative the Jedność lodge (Unity) arose, joining together representatives of all the nations living on the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. One of the most prominent figures of Masonry in Vilnius was Mykolas Römeris (18801945), a lawyer, scholar, Polish-Lithuanian politician and the head of the Lodge Lithuania (Litwa) which arose in the middle of 1911. The activity of the Masonic lodges was connected with the activities of the democrats krajowcy of Vilnius, whose leading ideologist was Römeris. The rapid development of Masonry in Lithuania (in 1914 there were 5 lodges) was stopped by the war and the occupation of Vilnius by the Germans. Many of the members of the lodges fled to Russia, and Römeris went to Galicia where he joined Polish legions in the summer of 1915.