''Naujoji Romuva'' () was a weekly Catholic cultural and arts magazine which was published in Lithuania between 1931 and 1940. Its title was a reference to a Catholic association entitled Romuva. The magazine was one of the most significant publications in the country during its lifetime.

History and profile

''Naujoji Romuva'' was started as a weekly magazine in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

in 1931. was both the founder and editor of the magazine which targeted public figures, scholars, teachers, and artists. Soon after its start, the magazine became very popular. Its goal was to present a contemporary version of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

belief. However, its content was secular. It attempted to organize the right-wing intellectuals and to harmonize the relations between the Christian Democrats and the Lithuanian Nationalist Union. ''Naujoji Romuva'' featured not only articles but also rich visual materials to reinforce a conservative approach in Lithuanian art. In addition to the writings of the Lithuanian authors, the magazine covered translation of the works by

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and

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. Following the screening of the American pacifist film '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' in Lithuania, ''Naujoji Romuva'' published an interview with the German pacifist philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster who claimed that ''

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'', a 1925 pacifist film, was much better than ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' criticizing the latter's depiction of Germany. ''Naujoji Romuva'' sold 5,000 copies in 1933 and 10,000 copies in 1939. The headquarters of ''Naujoji Romuva'' was moved from Kaunas to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

in 1940. The magazine was closed by the Soviet authorities the same year shortly after the invasion of Lithuania. A quarterly magazine with the same title was established in Lithuania in the 1990s.

Contributors

The contributors of ''Naujoji Romuva'' included Vytautas Alantas, , Juozas Balčikonis, , Bernardas Brazdžionis, Bronė Buivydaitė, ,

Ernestas Galvanauskas Ernestas Galvanauskas (20 November 1882 – 24 July 1967) was a Lithuanian engineer, politician and one of the founders of the Peasant Union (which later merged with the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). He also served twice as Prime Min ...

, Juozas Grušas, Liudas Gira, Juozapas Albinas Herbačiauskas, , , , , Antanas Maceina,

Juozas Miltinis Juozas Miltinis (September 3, 1907 in Akmenė, Lithuania – July 13, 1994 in Panevėžys, Lithuania) was a Lithuanian theatre director, actor and founder of the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys. Miltinis has brought up a number of ac ...

, ,

Balys Sruoga Balys Sruoga (2 February 1896 – 16 October 1947) was a Lithuanian poet, playwright, critic, and literary theorist. He contributed to cultural journals from his early youth. His works were published by the liberal wing of the Lithuanian cultura ...

, Paulius Slavėnas, Matas Šalčius, Adolfas Šapoka, , Antanas Vienuolis,

Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, universi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naujoji Romuva 1931 establishments in Lithuania 1940 disestablishments in Lithuania Defunct magazines published in Lithuania Defunct Catholic magazines Defunct conservative magazines Defunct visual arts magazines Lithuanian-language magazines Magazines established in 1931 Magazines disestablished in 1940 Mass media in Kaunas Mass media in Vilnius Conservatism in Lithuania Weekly magazines