In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania According to the historical and archaeological evidence, the Columns were used by Grand Duke of Lithuania and
Duke of Trakai Kęstutis. They appear on the Lithuanian coins issued by him. The symbol was also used by
Vytautas as his personal insignia since 1397 and appeared on his seal and coins. It was suggested by historian
Edmundas Antanas Rimša, who analyzed the ancient coins, that the Columns of the Gediminids symbolizes the Gates of the
Trakai Peninsula Castle. According to the accounts of
Jan Długosz, it was derived from a symbol or
brand used to mark horses and other property. The Columns were adopted by descendants of
Kęstutis as their family symbol, equivalent to a coat of arms. Another user of the Columns of Gediminas was Grand Duke of Lithuania
Sigismund Kęstutaitis. At first, the Columns signified the family of Kęstutis, in contrast to the
Vytis which was used by
Algirdas' descendants. Later on, as a symbol of a ruling dynasty, it was adopted by
Jagiellons and the two symbols became state symbols of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Columns of Gediminas remained in use over the following centuries. File:Lithuanian soldiers (14 reconstruction) 4.jpg|Reconstructed 14-15th Century armor of the Lithuanian
Leičiai with dented shields decorated with the Columns of Gediminas. File:Vytautas coin of the Principality of Smolensk (vassal state of Lithuania) 2.jpg|Grand Duke Vytautas the Great coin of the
Principality of Smolensk (minted in 1399–1401) with the Columns of the Gediminids and the Ruthenian lion or leopard. File:Дынарый-Калюмны.png|Denarius of
Vytautas, XV century File:Alex K Grundwald flags 1410-02.svg|Reconstruction of Vytautas' flag at the
Battle of Grunwald File:Gedimino bokštai. Columns of Gediminas. 1416.jpg|Columns of Gediminas as drawn in an
armorial by a Portuguese herald in the
Council of Constance in 1416 File:Coat of arms of Trakai with standing warrior and the Columns of Gediminas, 1440.jpg|Coat of arms of
Trakai Voivodeship with standing warrior and the Columns of Gediminas from the Codex Bergshammar, dating to ~1435. File:Codex Bergshammar - GDL 1.png|"Vytis" in the coat of arms Codex Bergshamar, circa 1440 File:Alaksandar, Kalumny. Аляксандар, Калюмны (1506).jpg|From
Łaski's Statute. 1506. File:Columns of Gediminas, painted by John of Głogów in 1514.jpg|Columns of Gediminas, painted by
John of Głogów in 1514. File:Lithuanian State Symbol - The Columns of Gediminas (Gediminaičių stulpai) as icon in Annales by Ioannes Dlugossius, page fragment, 1572.png| The Columns of Gediminas as an icon in
Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae Liber IX-XI by Ioannes Dlugossius, 1572. Page fragment. File:Columns of Gediminas (Gedimino stulpai) from Marcin Bielski's book Kronika Polska, 1597.png|Columns of Gediminas from Marcin Bielski's book
Kronika Polska, 1597. File:Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) with Columns of Gediminas, 15th century.jpg|Coat of arms of Lithuania Vytis (Waykimas) with Columns of Gediminas, painted in the 15th century
Wernigerode Armorial. Attributed to Vytautas the Great. File:Vytis (Waykimas) with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of Steponas Batoras in the 16th century.jpg|Vytis (Waykimas) with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of the Grand Duke of Lithuania
Stephen Báthory in the 16th century. File:Coat of Arms of Polotsk (XVI c.).svg|"Seal of
Polotsk" on the big seal of
Ivan the Terrible. 16th century File:Czworak 1568 Wilno.jpg|Coin of
Sigismund II Augustus File:Aŭgust Sas, Pahonia. Аўгуст Сас, Пагоня (1738, 1883).jpg|Seal of King and Grand Duke
Augustus III, 1738 File:Columns of Gediminas, 1601-1700.jpg|Columns of Gediminas, 1601-1700 File:Kalumny. Калюмны (P. Böse, 1742).jpg|From the genealogy of the
princes Radziwill, 1742 File:Pieczec wielka litewska Stanislawa Augusta 1764.jpg|Great Lithuanian seal of
Stanisław August Poniatowski, 1764 File:Kodań, Kalumny-Pahonia. Кодань, Калюмны-Пагоня (V. Griaznov, 1885).jpg|Columns from the Castle Church in
Kodno (Poland), 1885 File:Lithuania Rambynas Gedimin columns.jpg|Engraving of Pillars of Gediminas on a stone on
Rambynas hill
In the Interwar Republic of Lithuania During the period between World War I and World War II they were used by the Lithuanian Republic as a major state symbol, e. g. on
Litas coins, monuments and military equipment. The Columns of Gediminas are featured on the Lithuanian Presidential Award
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, which was started in 1928. File:Lietuvos kariuomenės kūrėjų savanorių sąjungos vėliava (1918–1920).jpg|Flag of the
Šiauliai branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Creators Volunteers Union (1918–1920). File:Lithuanian coin of 5 cents with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas, 1925.jpg|Lithuanian coin of 5 cents with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas, 1925. File:LTU 100 Litu 1928 obv.jpg|Lithuania 100
litas 1928 File:Banknote (reverse) of 2 Lithuanian litas with the Columns of Gediminas, 16 November 1922 edition.jpg|Banknote (reverse) of 2 Lithuanian litas with the Columns of Gediminas, 16 November 1922 edition. File:Independence Monument in Rokiskis (1931).jpg|An arc decorated with the Columns of the Gediminids during the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of 10th anniversary of Independence of Lithuania in
Rokiškis (1931) File:Model of Gediminas Tower.jpeg|A Lithuanian scout Liudas Tarabilda with a model of the
Gediminas Tower (a campaign of the Union for the Liberation of Vilnius) in the yard of his school in
Anykščiai (1932) File:Lithuanian State Symbols - The Columns of Gediminas (Gediminaičių stulpai) and Vytis on the pediment of the Bank of Lithuania, Kaunas, Lithuania, 1927.jpg|Old Bank of Lithuania building with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, created in 1927. File:Ministry of Finance of Lithuania with Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, 1930.jpg|Ministry of Finance of Lithuania with portraits of Antanas Smetona, Vytautas the Great, Vytis (Waykimas) and the Columns of Gediminas in Kaunas, 1930. File:Lithuanian military history. Mauser rifles of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1924.jpg|
Mauser rifles of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1924. File:Lithuanian military history. Browning High Power of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1935.jpg|
Browning Hi-Power of the Lithuanian Army marked with Columns of Gediminas, 1935. File:Lietuvos Buriuotojų Sąjungos vėliava 1935-1940.jpg|Flag of Lithuanian Sailing Union (1935-1940) File:LIMIS-20000012567148-Lithuanian Art Museum.jpeg|Lithuanian Art Museum in
Radviliškis 1938. File:Lithuanian cadets near War school in Kaunas 1938.jpg|Lithuanian cadets near a
War School in Kaunas, 1938. File:Lithuanian L-181.jpg|Lithuanian armoured car type
Landsverk with Columns of Gediminas 1933. File:Lithuanian military history. Swedish Landsverk armored vehicles in the Lithuanian army, 1935.jpg|Lithuanian Landsverk armored vehicles in the Lithuanian army 1935. File:Lithuanian tanks heading to Lithuanian capital Vilnius in 1939.jpg|Lithuanian Vickers 4-ton tanks marked with Columns of Gediminas head to Vilnius 1939. File:Vilnius. Citizens of Vilnius greeting the Lithuanian army in the Cathedral Square, 1939 11 23.jpg|Residents of Vilnius greet Lithuanian tanks decorated with Columns of Gediminas in the
Cathedral Square in Vilnius in 1939.
In the Soviet Union After the annexation of Lithuania by the
Soviet Union, the symbol was officially banned. During the
Singing Revolution of the late 80s, it became the iconic sign of the reform movement
Sąjūdis. File:A rally in Lithuania commemorate and condemn the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, August 23, 1988, Vilnius, Vingis Park.jpg|An
Anti-Soviet rally in
Vingis Park of about 250,000 people in 1988. The Columns of the Gediminids are hanging above the stage. == Modern usage in Lithuania ==