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LITHUANIA
Lithuania owes much to the rich cultural currents of central Europe: it once shared an empire with neighbouring Poland that stretched from the Baltic Sea almost to the Black Sea. Its capital Vilnius boasts a Baroque Old Town that is the largest in Eastern Europe and praised as the 'New Prague'.
Any country that gives pride of place to a memorial statue of singer Frank Zappa has got to be worth a visit. The Lithuanian people are regarded as much more outgoing and less organised than their Estonian and Latvian counterparts; you'll make many friends.
Rebellious, quirky and vibrant, Lithuania is Europe's best-kept secret. Vilnius is a strange capital, in an eccentric and quirky way. It's a small city with astonishing contrasts - eerie shadowy courtyards, eccentric artist community, disturbing history and a beautiful baroque old town. Lithuania's natural treasures - including the forests of the south, the magical Curonian Spit and Nemunas Delta on the coast - glitter. The Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai and the controversial Soviet sculpture park in southeastern Lithuania both vie for attention.
Location:
Lithuania lies in the eastern Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. In the north Lithuania borders with Latvia, in the east and south with Byelorussia, in the south-west with Poland and with the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.
Lithuania is a country at a crossroads. Such a location provides many communication conveniences but at the same time is fraught with serious dangers as far as the country's security is concerned. Lithuania is part of the economic region, known as the Baltic Republics, extending along the Eastern coast of the Baltic sea. Lithuania's area is 65.200 sq. km. Lithuania borders are on Latvia in the north (610 km of the border line), on Byelorussia in the east and south (720 km), and Poland (110 km) and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation (303 km) in the southwest. The total length of the mainland borders is 1747 km, with the sea coastline extending for another 99 km. From east to west the country stretches 373 km, and the distance from the southern end of the country to the northern one is 276 km.
History:
The first Lithuanian state was established by the Grand Duke Mindaugas in 1230. He converted to Christianity briefly and was crowned king of Lithuania in 1252.
The Grand Duke Gediminas, who reigned from 1316 to 1341, is credited with founding Vilnius at the confluence of Neris and Vilnia rivers - and a dynasty that united Lithuania and Poland from 1386 until 1795.
Lithuania reached its height under the Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, who ruled from 1392 to 1430.
Lithuania progressively entered European culture. At the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom was formally marged into a commonwealth headed by a monarch. In 1579, the region's oldest university, Vilnius University, was established by the Jesuits. It was one of the most important centers of the Counter-Reformation. The country now has six universities, academies and research institutes.
During the baroque era, a distinctly Lithuanian style was created. The superb interior of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, with its myriad stuccoed figures, was commissioned by a Lithuanian army commander in 1668.
The Lithuanian-Polish union came under threat from Prussia, Austria and Russia at the end of the 18th century. An uprising by the Lithuanian patriot Col. Jacob Jasinskis in 1794 was defeated, and most of Lithuania was annexed by Russia in 1795. The new rulers tried to Russify the country, closing Vilnius University and banning the publication of Lithuanian books in the Latin alphabet. In the late 1800s, brutal persecution and economic necessity forced thousands of Lithuanian to emigrate.
In the late 19th century, national culture revived with great strength, reaching its height in the mystical paintings and music of the great M.K. Ciurlionis was dead at 36 in 1911, but his magnificent work survives in Kaunas.
The Lithuanian state was reestablished in 1918 after the defeats of Russia and Germany in World War I. Trade and industry flourished. But beginning in 1919, following heavy fighting between Poland, Russia and Lithuania, Poland annexed Vilnius, forcing Lithuania to transfer its capital to Kaunas.
Lithuania was occupied by the Soviets in 1940 and then overrun by Nazi Germany in 1941. The republic was briefly re-established in the interval between the two calamities, which saw tens of thousands deported to Siberia and the near disappearance of the Jewich community in Hitler's "final solution". The Soviets returned in 1944.
Armed resistance against the Soviets continued for several years after World War II, but even after more than 50 years under the Soviets, Lithuanians retained the goal of independence. On March 11, 1990, the Republic was again proclaimed. Soviet intervention resulted in 14 unarmed civilians being killed at the TV tower in Vilnius. After the Moscow putsch collapsed, Lithuania won international recognition and was admitted to the United Nations on Sept. 17, 1991.
On Feb. 14, 1993, Lithuanians turned out to vote for Algirdas Brazauskas, making him the first directly elected president of Lithuania.
Climate and nature:
Nature has been generous to Lithuania. Although there are no mountains or great forests, the country's beauty lies in the diversity of its landscape. This is a place of rolling hills and gentle plains; of quietly flowing rivers and of lakes which reflect the blueness of the sky. The largest river, the Nemunas, gathers and carries the waters of many tributaries to the Baltic Sea, wherein lies Lithuania's famous "amber coast". Called the Curonian Spit, it is a sixty mile-long bank of sand dunes and pine trees which stretches from the southwest to the seaport of Klaipėda and encloses the vast Curonian Lagoon. For centuries, amber, Lithuania's precious harvest of the sea, has been washed onto these golden sands.
The climate of Lithuania is transitional between maritime and continental. In the 12-15 kilometers-wide coastal zone it is maritime, and in the Eastern part of the country it is continental. From the point of view of suitability for human health and economic activities the climate can be considered to be among the favourable ones. It is characterized by seasonal changes of temperature four times a year, by moderate heat in summer and by adequate humidity and a sufficient number of bright days. The negative features include long autumns and winters, and a relatively short vegetation period (169-202 days).
Holidays:
- Jan 1 New Year's Day
- Feb 16 Independence Day
- Mar 11 Restoration Day
- Mar 27 Easter
- Mar 28 Easter Monday
- May 1 Labour Day
- Jul 6 Statehood Day - Mindaugas Coronation
- Aug 15 Assumption Day
- Nov 1 All Saints' Day
- Dec 25 Christmas Day
- Dec 26 Boxing Day
Money:
Lithuania 's own currency, the litas, was reintroduced in 1993, pegged to the U.S. dollar. The 10-litas note carries the picture of two pioneers of Lithuanian aviation who flew the Atlantic in 1933. Also in 1993, the last Russian soldier left the country, and Lithuania became a member of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Places of interest:
1. Vilnius
2. Trakai
3. Kaunas
4. Klaipeda
5. Palanga
6. Neringa and Curonian Spit
Text:
http://neris.mii.lt/homepage/liet1-1.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/lithuania/
http://www.netogram.com/lith.htm
Images:
www.tourism.vilnius.lt
http://travelled.chat.ru/lietuva/20010430_2_22_palanga.jpg
