Lithuania

Continent

Europe

Best States to Visit

Vilnius County
Kaunas County
Klaipėda County
Šiauliai County
Panevėžys County

Best Cities to Visit

Vilnius
Kaunas
Klaipėda
Šiauliai
Kernavė

Size

65,300 KM²

Population

2,793,694

GDP

$107,000,000,000

Spending Budget

$233 - $1,333

Famous For

Medieval Vilnius
An Ancient Language
Lakes, Forests and National Parks
The Curonian Spit
Hill of Crosses
Pažaislis Monastery
Traditional Lithuanian Dishes

Best Time to Visit

January
June
July
August
September
October

History

As a result of the Great Retreat during World War I, Germany occupied the entire territory of Lithuania and Courland by the end of 1915. A new administrative entity, Ober Ost, was established. Lithuanians lost all political rights they had gained: personal freedom was restricted, and at the beginning, the Lithuanian press was banned.[71] However, the Lithuanian intelligentsia tried to take advantage of the existing geopolitical situation and began to look for opportunities to restore Lithuania's independence. On 18–22 September 1917, the Vilnius Conference elected the 20-member Council of Lithuania. The council adopted the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918 which proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The state of Lithuania which had been built within the framework of the Act lasted from 1918 until 1940. Lithuanian armoured train Gediminas 3, used in Lithuanian Wars of Independence and Lithuanian soldiers Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the first Provisional Constitution of Lithuania was adopted and the first government of Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras was organized. At the same time, the army and other state institutions began to be organized. Lithuania fought three wars of independence: against the Bolsheviks who proclaimed the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, against the Bermontians, and against Poland. As a result of the staged Żeligowski's Mutiny in October 1920, Poland took control of Vilnius Region and annexed it as Wilno Voivodeship in 1922. Lithuania continued to claim Vilnius as its de jure capital (the de facto, provisional capital being Kaunas) and relations with Poland remained particularly tense and hostile for the entire interwar period. In January 1923, Lithuania staged the Klaipėda Revolt and captured Klaipėda Region (Memel territory) which was detached from East Prussia by the Treaty of Versailles. The region became an autonomous region of Lithuania. Antanas Smetona was the first and last president of interbellum Lithuania (1919–1920, 1926–1940) On 15 May 1920, the first meeting of the democratically elected constituent assembly took place. The documents it adopted, i. e. the temporary (1920) and permanent (1922) constitutions of Lithuania, strove to regulate the life of the new state. Land, finance, and educational reforms started to be implemented. The currency of Lithuania, the Lithuanian litas, was introduced. The University of Lithuania was opened. All major public institutions had been established. As Lithuania began to gain stability, foreign countries started to recognize it. In 1921 Lithuania was admitted to the League of Nations. On 17 December 1926, a military coup d'état took place, resulting in the replacement of the democratically elected government with a conservative authoritarian government led by Antanas Smetona. Augustinas Voldemaras was appointed to form a government. The so-called authoritarian phase had begun strengthening the influence of one party, the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, in the country. In 1927, the Seimas was dissolved. A new constitution was adopted in 1928, which consolidated presidential powers. Gradually, opposition parties were banned, censorship was tightened, and the rights of national minorities were narrowed.

Present Day

On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence. On 20 April 1990, the Soviets imposed an economic blockade by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials (primarily oil) to Lithuania. Not only the domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although the blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence. Gradually, economic relations had been restored. However, tensions had peaked again in January 1991. At that time, attempts were made to carry out a coup using the Soviet Armed Forces, the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security (KGB). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the coup d'état would receive strong public support. On 13 January 1991, Soviet forces fired live rounds at unarmed independence supporters and crushed two of them with tanks, killing 13 in total. To this day, Russia refuses to extradite the criminals against humanity that are responsible. People from all over Lithuania flooded to Vilnius to defend their legitimately elected Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties of peaceful civilians and caused huge material loss. Not a single person who defended Lithuanian Parliament or other state institutions used a weapon, but the Soviet Army did. Soviet soldiers killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the January Events. Shortly after, on 11 February 1991, the Icelandic parliament voted to confirm that Iceland's 1922 recognition of Lithuanian independence was still in full effect, as it never formally recognized the Soviet Union's control over Lithuania, and that full diplomatic relations should be established as soon as possible. On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed seven Lithuanian bordr guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the Medininkai Massacre. On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations. On 25 October 1992, the citizens of Lithuania voted in a referendum to adopt the current constitution. On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, Algirdas Brazauskas became the first president after the restoration of independence of Lithuania. On 31 August 1993 the last units of the Soviet Army left the territory of Lithuania. On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since 29 March 2004, Lithuania has been part of the NATO. On 1 May 2004, it became a fully-fledged member of the European Union, and a member of the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007. On 1 January 2015, Lithuania joined the eurozone and adopted the European Union's single currency as the last of the Baltic states. On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined OECD. Dalia Grybauskaitė (2009–2019) was the first female President of Lithuania and the first president to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.

Future

The future EU had to preserve and extend the “Community method” on the principle of strong institutions that balance national interests and guarantee fair play for all Member States regardless of size. A reversion to inter-governmentalism would be wrong, said Mr Valionis, and ways had to be found to make the two methods compatible. The Convention’s job was to focus on sharing powers and responsibilities rather than giving them back, and the appropriate “operating mode” for the EU would depend on its “functional needs and objectives”. He added: “I am one of the strongest supporters of the ideas put forth by the Commission in its recent communication on the future of Europe.” The primary source of the Convention’s deliberations had to be the expectations of European citizens. Views on what the public wanted from the EU varied greatly, but their common wish was to see it prosper, and become “secure and influential.” EU policies such as the single market and single currency have generated ever-greater wealth, and further economic integration should continue to be the way forward. But the further evolution and expansion of the internal market requires solidarity – the kind of cohesion and structural policies that accelerated the growth of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Greece have to be repeated eastwards on a larger scale. This would be a sound investment, increasing the competitiveness of t he EU as a whole for the price of a “tiny fraction” of EU GDP. EU citizens needed a single European area of freedom, security and justice where they could feel safe from a variety of threats, including the so-called “new” threats, which were hard to cope with for any one country, and required a common institutional framework. Third pillar policies were particularly important for Lithuania’s geography, as two of its present frontiers would eventually become part of the EU’s external frontier. The capital, Vilnius, was only thirty kilometres from the future eastern border of the EU, and the country was looking for the responsibility for security to be shouldered by “all of the beneficiaries.” Lithuania was awaiting the Justice and Home Affairs Ministers’ response to the Commission’s initiative on common border management. The third pillar should be merged with the other pillars because of its importance and in the context of a growing European unity, and national sensitivities should be addressed by more, rather than less, cooperation, using open coordination as well as the Community approach. The EU needed a stronger global political influence and should seek a stronger global identity, while the second pillar should gradually evolve from intergovernmental co-operation into “a complex of Community policies.” Speaking with one voice was not enough, said Mr Valionis, to establish a “genuine” Union promoting common values and defending its interests. “It should be in every Member State’s interest that the European Union is respected in other countries, that we should feel proud when saying that we are its members.” The key was to have strong institutions that could manage the enlarged Union’s objectives and ability to act. One example of success was the strength of respect for the Union’s trade policies – managed by the Commission. This example should be followed in the projection of the Union’s external action.

Must Visit Places ------------

Vilnius

The historic capital of the Grand Duchy is a veritable treasure trove of medieval wonders and gorgeous Gothic come Russo-flavoured Baroque architecture. In the Old Town, cobbled roadways weave under the buttresses of the beautiful St Anne’s Church, over café-spattered plazas and under the soaring Gediminas Keep and Upper Castle citadel dating from the 13th century. Meanwhile, the new town’s blocks pulse with beer bars and sleepless rock clubs, and Europe’s boho district extraordinaire – the self-proclaimed Republic of Uzupis – beckons on the edge of town, a place of shabby-chic, graffiti-strewn streets and more drinking joints than you can shake a cepelinai potato dumpling at!

Kaunas

Jutting out over the confluences of the Nemunas and Neris rivers right in the heartlands of central Lithuania, the second-city of Kaunas proudly stakes its claim as the country’s alternative hub and partying capital. Thousands of students drive the nightlife, which bubbles up on the tree-shaded boulevard of Laisves Aleja and between the countless craft bars and underground drinkeries of the historic centre, while daytime means seeking out the crumbling bulwarks of the red-brick Kaunas Castle and wandering the enchanting cobblestone alleys of the Old Town – Kaunas’ prettiest district and the home of charming medieval merchant guilds and one gorgeous city hall.

Kernave

UNESCO-attested Kernave is steeped in a history and heritage that goes back further than many of the other towns in Lithuania. It’s hailed as one of the first ever medieval capitals of the Grand Duchy, and it’s thought that the golden age boom happened here in the 13th and 14th centuries, before the onslaught of the Teutonic Order came and razed the fortifications and keeps. Today, travelers who make their way to the archaeological reserves lining the meanders of the Neris River can spy out mounds (literally!) of relics, now clad in earth but concealing layer upon layer of bulwarks and burial sites, throne rooms and more, and tracing back to the late Palaeolithic Period no less!

Klaipeda

Erstwhile Memel was once one of the strongholds of Teutonic rule in the Baltic, later becoming a thriving port and trading town of the Duchy of Prussia, and then the northernmost city in the German Empire of the late 19th century. Today, Klaipeda bursts with relics of this 800-year-long history, all the while combining them with the more modern edge and nightlife scene expected of the touristic gateway to the Curonian Spit (Lithuania’s most famous coastal stretch). That means travelers can weave between curious sculptures and cobbled squares in the Old Town, hit Lithuanian taverns to sip the locally-brewed beer and case out the bulwarks of Klaipeda Castle all in the same day, and that’s not even mentioning the medieval docksides, the cannong-dotted Prussian bastions and the German-styled beer halls of the main square!

Neringa

A patchwork of verdant pine forests and flat grasslands, undulating dunes and sandy beaches that curves its way along the Baltic Coast where Lithuania arches towards its long-time Polish compadre in European history and the curious Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Neringa is one of the most coveted destinations in the country for sure. Encompassing the whole Lithuanian length of the Curonian Spit, the area offers prime biking and hiking, windsurfing and fishing on the waters of the Curonian Lagoon, the sun-kissed resort strips of Nida and the earthy cottages that makeup age-old towns like Pervalka. Then there’s Thomas Mann’s charming cottage to see, and the various artist workshops and galleries that sprouted here with the German exodus out of Konigsberg in the 1800s.

Palanga

Palanga has become a byword for summertime hedonism amongst Lithuanians right across the country, and today this one’s high-season electro and chart parties rage from June to August on the Jonas Basanavicius boulevard and amidst the countless bars and al fresco cocktail joints that line its fringes. The beach is another magnet during the dog days, offering perhaps Lithuania’s most accessible and sunbather-friendly stretch of golden Baltic sand. But it’s not all late nights and lazy afternoons in Palanga either. There’s the picturesque neo-Renaissances charm of the Tiskeviciai Palace to see too, along with the interesting Amber Museum, and the nature reserves of the Curonian Spit nearby!

Dzukija National Park

Lithuania’s largest national park covers a whopping 550 square kilometers of land, and makes its home on the edge of the Belarusian border in the extreme south-east of the country. It’s adorned with great swathes of pine forests and riparian wetlands, all of which come cut through by the meandering channels of the Nemunas River. Inland dunes are an interesting feature too, rising and dropping to sandy peaks and troughs and playing host to a kaleidoscope of different grasses and rock strata. Boardwalk treks delve deep into the woods for those donning the hiking boots, while mushrooms bloom in the undergrowth and traditional waxwork crafting abounds in the rural villages.

Trakai

Trakai is a fantastical fragmentation of islets and grassy hills, shimmering waters and rolling meadows. It makes its home just a little to the west of the capital at Vilnius and draws crowds of travelers and locals right throughout the year. Many come to wonder at the Lord of the Rings-style castle that forms the heart of the Trakai Historical National Park; a sprouting of red-brick keeps and turrets that mirrors perfectly against the lake waters all around. Others come for the summertime recreation that clusters around the banks of the trio of large lakes: Akmena, Galve, Skaistis.

Anyksciai

Sat midway between Kaunas and the Latvian border in the east, the indelibly green town of Anyksciai offers a natural getaway balanced with some truly handsome religious architecture. Check out the soaring Gothic spires of the red-brick Basilica of Apostle Evangelist St Matthew that dominate the banks of the meandering Sventoji here. With a history going back more than 500 years, this striking construction now touts the tallest church towers in all of Lithuania and some bright stained-glass works by the revered artist Anorte Mackelaite. After that, be sure to dust off the walking boots (if summer) or wax down the skis (if winter), because Anyksciai has also got the humble ski resort of Kalitos Kalnas and endless arrays of hiking trails on its peripheries.

Druskininkai

Moneyed, manicured Druskininkai is the prime spa town in all of Lithuania. It was famed as far back as the 1600s, under the Grand Duke Stanislaw August Poniatowski, and then rose to prominence in the 19th century with the patronage of one tsar Nicholas I of Russia no less. The city continues to go from strength to strength, and today its gilded mansions and spa facilities ooze with the chatter of well-to-do Muscovites and city livers. But mineral-packed waters and healing powers aside, the spot also hails in as the onetime home of Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (and there’s a fine museum chronicling the artist’s life), and the spot of the all-new Forest Museum – an immersive exhibition that takes visitors on a haunting journey through Lithuanian folklore and witchery.

Panevezys

Lithuania’s fifth-largest cityscape can be found sprawled out on the rolling floodplains of the Nevezis River, in the very heartlands of the country’s northern reaches. Once a royal charter town in the boom days of the Grand Duchy, the city was rumbled and rocked and razed with the Industrial Revolution and tumultuous European conflicts of the 20th century. That said, some remnants of the pre-war elegance do remain, whether in the ochre-hued facades and Russian Imperialist styles of the city cathedral, or the lines of aged cottages that occasionally pop up amidst the utilitarian blocks courtesy of Stalin et al.

Siauliai

Most people who flock to the post-industrial, onetime Soviet powerhouse city of Siauliai come in search of the legendary Hill of Crosses, which rises in a haunting array of crucifixes and effigies of Christ to the north of the town proper. However, linger just a little in this off-the-beaten-track center and you’ll discover an array of pretty tree-lined streets, a buzzing café culture, and a gorgeous local cathedral with eye-catching whitewashed faces and a spiked tower. Be sure to stroll the cobbles of Povilas Visinskis Square, too and flit in and out of the curious and quirky exhibitions on offer at the town’s Bicycle Museum and Radio and TV tech institutes.

Aukstaitija National Park

The first ever national park in Lithuania continues to turn heads with its beautiful backcountry patchwork of old growth pine forests and nigh on 30 individual lakes and river ways. Yes sir, Aukstaitija is a veritable outdoorsy gem of the country’s north-east, offering adventurous types a glimpse of the famed riparian wilds that roll all over this section of the Baltic. Deer stalk the woodland paths here, while rushes sway on the banks of colossal Lake Tauragnas. Meanwhile, ancient artifacts and rustic villages draw the attention of anthropologists (it’s thought this area has been inhabited for more than 11,000 years!), and there are haunting burial sites and timber churches to rival even the Viking mounds and staves of Scandinavia.

Plateliai

Standing right in the midst of another of Lithuania’s great natural jewels, Plateliai is the much-loved gateway to the Zemaitija National Park, which crowns the grassy Zemaiciu Highland region just a short way from the salt-washed coast of the Baltic Sea. The verdant and lush surroundings here make for great walking, and even host attractions like the Plokstine missile base left over by the Soviets – now home to the fascinating Cold War Museum. In the town of Plateliai itself, visitors can spy out one gorgeous timber church from the 1700s, or opt to leave the city streets for a jaunt along the banks of the eponymous lake, where grassy meadows and laid-back hotels but right up to the water’s edge.

Rumsiskes

Creaking windmills and faded wooden cottages clad in moss and sod mark out Rumsiskes from the ever encroaching districts of Kaunas that neighbour it. Unfortunately, the creation of a reservoir in the middle of the 20th century submerged great portions of the old town here, while efforts to preserve the centuries of history associated with the site gave rise to the largest open-air ethnography museum in the entire Baltic region: The Open-Air Museum of Lithuania. Travelers who make their way here today can expect re-enactment tours and traditional architecture aplenty, along with collections of historic furnishings, clothing, religious iconography and more.