Abstract
In 1857 four Czech Slavophiles Josef Šafařík, Václav Hanka, Karel Vladislav Zap and Ludvík Ritter of Rittersberg became proper members of the Vilnius Archaeological Commission. Intense contacts between Czech and Lithuanian environments then continued for approximately one decade.
The Vilnius Archaeological Commission along with the Museum of Antiquities were practically the only cultural and educational institutions active in Lithuania after Vilnius University had been closed down. The main aristocratic representatives of the Commission, who were in favour of local patriotism without major national connotations, liked the idea of cultural union of Southern and Central European Slavs and the notion of a mutual cultural mission.
The correspondence between its Czech members and Lithuanian representatives predominantly shows signs of Pan-Slavism. However, this pan-slavic movement was of a cultural nature and not of a political one, which was favored by the Russian government.