Vandeningoji Lietuva Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto profesoriaus hidrologo Stepono Kolupailos akimis
Watery Lithuania through the Eye of Steponas Kolupaila

Summary/Abstract: University, hydrologist, social activist, chairman of the Lithuanian Photographic Amateurs’ Union, and the patron of the Scouts. At the same time, he was a passionate nature lover, initiator and organiser of water-based tours around Lithuania. The aim of the article is to describe Prof. Kolupaila’s contribution to the history of photography and popularisation of water tourism in Lithuania, on the basis of both visual and written sources. The article is mainly based on the photo album compiled by the hydrologist and stored in the Vytautas Magnus War Museum, containing 1318 images taken between 1934 and 1935. These graphic sources emphasise Kolupaila’s actions in researching Lithuanian water bodies, mentoring young scouts, and encouraging them to learn about their homeland. Kolupaila’s photographic legacy depicts virtually the whole country of Lithuania in the mid-1940s, including cities, towns, and villages, as well as rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, bridges, water measurement stations, and other objects. Some of the locations photographed have since been considerably altered or destroyed; consequently, capturing them at the time is vital and relevant today. Kolupaila’s album of photographs is considered micro-history, since these visual sources illustrate the hydrologist’s actions in a short period of time, revealing the wider settings of ordinary life and cultural history at the time.

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