The visit of Robert Baden-Povel, the founder of the scout movement, to Lithuania in 1933.

In 1933 August 17-18 A memorable event took place in the life of Lithuanian scouts - the founder and leader of the international scout movement, General Lord Robert Stephensons Smits Baden-Powell (English Lord Robert Baden-Powell, 1857–1941) visited the country.
R. Baden-Powell arrived in Lithuania on August 17. together with his wife (and world scout leader) Olave St. Clair, Lady Baden-Powell (English Olave St. Clair, Lady Baden-Powell, 1889-1977) and 650 English scout leaders and scout leaders. Boy Scouts traveled on the British ocean liner "Calgaric" on the route Rotterdam - Kiel Canal - Gdynia - Klaipėda - Klaipėda - Riga - Tallinn - Helsinki - Stockholm - Oslo - Pendland Firth - Oban. Since "Calgaric" could not enter the port of Klaipėda, the guests were brought to the shore by smaller ships.
On the occasion of R. Baden-Powell's visit to Palanga on August 14-18. a skirmish of Lithuanian scouts and scouts was organized, during which more than 1,700 people camped. The raid camp was thoughtfully laid out and beautifully decorated, with hundreds of tents, a hotel, a hospital, a commandant's office, a photo lab, a telephone switchboard, loudspeakers, a grandstand on the beach, several gates, and a communal table that could seat 1,500 people.
The guests arriving by car from Klaipėda to Palanga were greeted from both sides of the road by boy and girl scouts with the flags of Lithuania and the United Kingdom. Palanga Mayor Dr. Jonas Šliūpas (1861–1944) and members of the city board welcomed the guests at the gate of honor built in the resort. J. Šliūpas also presented R. Baden-Powell with an obelisk-shaped statue made of amber decorated with Lithuanian national symbols with the image of Vytautas the Great, and a bouquet of fresh flowers to the scout leader. After the presentation of souvenirs, the mayor of the resort invited R. Baden-Powell to open the street named after the general (formerly Pušyno), which was fixed by the scouts themselves with the help of the city board.
After the street opening ceremony, the founder of the scout movement, together with his wife and entourage, went to rest at the palace of Counts Tiškevičius, while other English scouts went to the flight camp. At 12 o'clock, both World Scout Chefs met with the President of the Republic of Lithuania (and Lithuanian Scout Chef) Antanas Smetona (1874–1944). After the meeting, the guests from the United Kingdom and the head of state came to the big scouting parade. On the beach, on both sides of the stage, scouts of different age groups lined up, fully prepared for the reception of the chefs. Honorable guests ascended to the tribune installed on the seashore, from which A. Smetona, R. Baden-Povel and O. Saint-Clair addressed the audience. R. Badenas-Povelis thanked the Lithuanian scouts for the magnificent reception and conveyed his best wishes. For his part, A. Smetona awarded the general with the Gediminas wolf order of the scouts, and the general's wife with the Lelija order of the scouts. After the awarding ceremony, the grand parade of the scouts started, attended by over 2,000 people.
After the big parade event, the guests toured the air force camp, were treated to Lithuanian snacks, and received various gifts. The three chefs left their autographs on a large stone, which was later brought to the pine forest and became a kind of monument to the airfield. The audience was entertained by a scout choir and a bagpipe orchestra, which performed Lithuanian folk songs.
The next day, the guests from abroad returned to the ship "Calgaric" and sailed to Riga. Their presence in Lithuania was constantly accompanied by ovation from the country's scouts, an effort to please their spiritual brothers. Judging by media reports, the reception of R. Baden-Powell in Lithuania was more impressive than in Latvia. According to the general's companion and tour leader Sir Percy Everett (English Sir Percy Everett, 1870-1952), "the visit to Lithuania was the most magical and interesting event during our stay in the Baltic countries".
Kit Keeper
Alexander Krivoshein