Portal:Lithuania

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Lithuania (/ˌlɪθjuˈeɪniə/ ^ⓘ LITH-yoo-AYN-ee-ə; Lithuanian: Lietuva [lʲɪɛtʊˈvɐ]), officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublika [lʲɪɛtʊˈvoːs rʲɛsˈpʊblʲɪkɐ]), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It borders Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia to the southwest, with a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km² (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.86 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Lithuanians belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living members of the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, which is also the most widely spoken language of the branch.

For millennia, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time by Mindaugas, who formed the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. Subsequent expansion and consolidation resulted in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which by the 14th century was the largest country in Europe. In 1386, the Grand Duchy entered into a de facto personal union with the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The two realms were united into the bi-confederal Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, forming one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries gradually dismantled it between 1772 and 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory. Towards the end of World War I, Lithuania declared Independence in 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. In World War II, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union, then by Nazi Germany, before being reoccupied by the Soviets in 1944. Lithuanian armed resistance to the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence.

Lithuania is a developed country with a high income, advanced economy, ranking 35th in the Human Development Index. Lithuania is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the eurozone, the Nordic Investment Bank, the Schengen Agreement, NATO, and OECD. It also participates in the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) regional co-operation format. (Full article...)

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The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, or simply Poland–Lithuania, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch in real union, who was both King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th- to 17th-century Europe. At its largest territorial extent, in the early 17th century, the Commonwealth covered almost 1,000,000 km² (400,000 sq mi) and as of 1618 sustained a multi-ethnic population of almost 12 million. Polish and Latin were the two co-official languages, and Roman Catholicism served as the state religion.

The Commonwealth was established as a single entity by the Union of Lublin on 1 July 1569. The two nations had previously been in a personal union since the Krewo Agreement of 1385 and the subsequent marriage of Queen Jadwiga of Poland to Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania, who was crowned jure uxoris King of Poland. Their descendant, Sigismund II Augustus, enforced the merger to strengthen frontiers of his dominion and maintain unity as he remained childless. His death in 1572 marked the end of the Jagiellonian dynasty and introduced an elective monarchy, whereupon members of domestic noble families or external dynasties were elected to the throne for life. (Full article...)

The following are images from various Lithuania-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1East of the Baltic tribes: Kievan Rus' (from History of Lithuania)
Image 2Battle of Grunwald was one of the largest battles in Medieval Europe and is regarded as one of the most important victories in the history of Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 3Lithuanian deportee house in Kolyma (1958). (from History of Lithuania)
Image 4Area where according to Zigmas Zinkevičius the Lithuanian language was predominantly spoken in the 16th century (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 5Former KGB headquarters in Vilnius, containing the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 6Lithuanian rebels during the Klaipėda Revolt (from History of Lithuania)
Image 7Lithuanian artist Jonas Mekas, regarded as godfather of American avant-garde cinema (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 8Constitution of 3 May, one of the first official state documents issued in both Polish and Lithuanian, Lithuanian edition (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 9Cepelinai served with sour cream (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 10Lithuania in the Mappa mundi of Pietro Vesconte, 1321. The inscription reads: Letvini pagani – pagan Lithuanians. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 11A flyer with a proposed agenda for the Great Seimas of Vilnius; it was rejected by the delegates and a more politically activist schedule was adopted (from History of Lithuania)
Image 12The Picture Gallery in Vilnius' Chodkiewicz Palace (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 13Map of the ancient Baltic homelands at the time of the Hunnish invasions (3rd-4th c. AD). Baltic cultural areas (identified archaeologically) are in purple. The Baltic sphere originally covered Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea to modern Moscow. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 14Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 15Lithuanian state in 13–15th centuries (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 16Aušra, originally spelled Auszra, formulated the ideas of Lithuanian nationalism (from History of Lithuania)
Image 17Lithuania and its administrative divisions in 1385. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 18Parade of the Lithuanian Army in Vilnius (1939) (from History of Lithuania)
Image 19Daumantas of Pskov killed Mindaugas in revenge for the king's taking of Daumantas' wife (from History of Lithuania)
Image 20The Third Statute of Lithuania (confirmed in 1588), which stated that Poland and Lithuania have equal rights within the Commonwealth (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 21Balts in the 12th century (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 22Martynas Mažvydas' Catechism was published in Lithuanian in Königsberg (1547) (from History of Lithuania)
Image 23First Lithuanian legal statute, implemented in 1522–1529 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 24Baltic tribes around 1200, in the neighbourhood about to face the Teutonic Knights’ conversion and conquests; note that Baltic territory extended far inland. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 25The original twenty members of the Council of Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 26Description of Kernavė as "Kiernow primum M. Duci Lith. domicilium" (English: Kernavė, the first residence-capital of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania) in the Radziwiłł map (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 27Celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of statehood of Lithuania with foreign leaders (Vilnius, 2018) (from History of Lithuania)
Image 28Unarmed Lithuanian citizen standing against a Soviet tank during the January Events. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 29The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander Jagiellon, specified that the Roman Catholic priests in these 28 churches must know the Lithuanian language, according to his letter of 18 September 1501, which was addressed to the Bishop of Vilnius Albertas. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 30Lithuania and its administrative divisions in the 17th century (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 31Seal of Kęstutis (from History of Lithuania)
Image 32Konstanty Kalinowski (from History of Lithuania)
Image 331960 postage stamp depicting Lithuanians in traditional clothing (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 34Flag of Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 35Lithuanian resistance fighters, commanded by the Provisional Government, lead the disarmed soldiers of the Red Army in Kaunas during the June Uprising in 1941 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 36Presidium and secretariat of the Vilnius Conference (from History of Lithuania)
Image 37Poland and Lithuania after the Union of Lublin (1569) (from History of Lithuania)
Image 38An Anti-Soviet rally in Vingis Park of about 250,000 people. Sąjūdis was a movement which led to the restoration of an Independent State of Lithuania. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 39A Lithuanian folklore band Kūlgrinda performing in Vilnius (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 4016th-century image of Algirdas, one of the great rulers of 14th-century Europe (from History of Lithuania)
Image 41A ceremony of Lithuanian modern pagans. (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 42Administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 17th century (from History of Lithuania)
Image 43A facsimile of a page from Sebastian Münster atlas Cosmographia universalis (first edition 1544), describing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1544 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 44Ruthenian depiction of Christian Jogaila (from History of Lithuania)
Image 45Peace agreement between Gediminas and the Teutonic Order (from History of Lithuania)
Image 46Vincas Kudirka (from History of Lithuania)
Image 47Modern Lithuania with the former Russian Empire's administrative divisions (governorates) shown (1867–1914). (from History of Lithuania)
Image 48Counties of Lithuania 1920–1939 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 49Leaders of the Supreme Council of Lithuania on 11 March 1990, after promulgation of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in Vilnius (from History of Lithuania)
Image 50Poland and Lithuania in 1526, before the Union of Lublin (from History of Lithuania)
Image 51Kernavė Mounds (from History of Lithuania)
Image 52Church of St. Johns in Vilnius. Example of Vilnian Baroque style (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 53Trakai Island Castle, built by Grand Duke Vytautas, which served as a residence of Lithuanian Grand Dukes (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 54Simple Words of Catechism by Martynas Mažvydas was the first Lithuanian book and was published in 1547. (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 55Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 56Lithuania's name first written in 1009, in the annals of the Quedlinburg Abbey, Germany. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 57Columns of Gediminas (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 58Traditional ethnographic regions of Lithuania proper (from History of Lithuania)
Image 59Opera performance Sun & Sea (Marina) at 2019 Venice Biennale (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 60Lithuanian basketball clubs Žalgiris and Šiauliai playing a match (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 61The Battle of Grunwald, 1410, with Ulrich von Jungingen and Vytautas at center (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 62Augustinas Voldemaras, Lithuania's first prime minister (from History of Lithuania)
Image 63Antanas Smetona, the first and last president of independent Lithuania during the interbellum years. The 1918–1939 period is often known as "Smetona's time". (from History of Lithuania)
Image 64Lithuanian territorial issues 1939–1940 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 65St. Nicholas in Vilnius, the oldest church in Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 66Jonas Basanavičius, a preeminent figure in the Lithuanian National Revival movement (from History of Lithuania)
Image 67The preservation of the Great Seal of Lithuania (pictured, dating to 1623) when concluding the Union of Lublin meant that the elected monarchs acts without being confirmed with the Lithuanian seals were void in Lithuania. These Lithuanian seals were in possession of the Lithuanian Grand Chancellor (Great Seal) and Lithuanian Vice-Chancellor [lt] (Lesser Seal). (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 68Jogaila's treaty with the Teutonic Knights precipitated the fall of Kęstutis. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 69Title of the Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania written in the Ruthenian language, 1588 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 701864 Lithuanian prayer book, printed in the Latin characters and therefore prohibited. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 71Medieval-like Lithuanian soldiers during the historical reenactment of the Battle of Grunwald in 2009 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 72St. Anne's Church and the church of the Bernardine Monastery in Vilnius. Two examples of Gothic architecture. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 73Sigismund II Augustus took decisive steps to ensure preservation of the union after his death (from History of Lithuania)
Image 74Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13–15th centuries (from History of Lithuania)
Image 75Simonas Daukantas (from History of Lithuania)
Image 76Pope Innocent IV's bull regarding Lithuania's placement under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, Mindaugas' baptism and coronation (from History of Lithuania)
Image 77Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania (from History of Lithuania)
Image 78King Władysław IV's universal of March 22, 1639 forbidding his subjects to hunt on the territory of Ducal Prussia. The universal was translated into Old Lithuanian at the Prussian chancellery. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 79Gediminas' Tower in Vilnius, built under Vytautas (from History of Lithuania)
Image 80Yellow, green, and red horizontally shape the flag of Lithuania (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 81The Great Courtyard of Vilnius University and the Church of St. Johns (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 82Restored Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, which was reconstructed in a Renaissance style by Sigismund I the Old and his son Sigismund II Augustus (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 83Grand Duchy of Lithuania under the rule of Vytautas the Great (1392 – 1430) (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 84The first printed book in Lithuanian Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas by Martynas Mažvydas (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 85Adam Mickiewicz was a Polish–Lithuanian poet when the Polish–Lithuanian state no longer existed (from History of Lithuania)
Image 86Lithuanian–Polish territorial disputes in the early 1920s, including the Republic of Central Lithuania. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 87Poland and Lithuania in 1386–1434 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 88Third Grand Duchy's Statute (1588 legal code) was still written in the Ruthenian language. Lithuanian coat of arms, "the Chase", is shown on the title page (from History of Lithuania)
Image 89Gediminas' Tower and other remnants of the Upper Castle in Vilnius (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 90Grodno Military Command, loyal to Lithuania, decorated with three flags of Lithuania, Belarus, and with the Coat of arms of Lithuania, January 1919 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 91Joseph Stalin, Joachim von Ribbentrop and others at the signing of the German–Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty (from History of Lithuania)
Image 92Oldest surviving manuscript in the Lithuanian language (beginning of the 16th century), rewritten from a 15th-century original text (from History of Lithuania)
Image 93The Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth c. 1635 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 94Act of Kreva signed on 14 August 1385 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 95Lithuanian armed resistance against Soviet occupation lasted until 1953. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 96Biržai Castle (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 97State of the Teutonic Order in 1260 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 98Violeta Urmanavičiūtė, a Lithuanian soprano singer. (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 99Lithuanian cemetery at All Souls night (from Culture of Lithuania)
Image 100Lubart's Castle in Ukraine, built by the son of Gediminas' Liubartas in the mid-14th century, is famous for the Congress of Lutsk which took place in 1429 (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 101Demarcation lines between Poland and Lithuania 1919–1939 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 102The plan of deportations of the civilian population in Lithuania during the Operation Priboi (1949) created by the Soviet MGB. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 103Coin of the Principality of Kiev, around the time of Vladimir Olgerdovich (1362–1394), imitating a Gulistan mint dang of Golden Horde ruler Jani Beg (Jambek). Uncertain Kiev region mint. Pseudo-Arabic legend. (from Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Image 104Royal insignias of the rulers of Lithuania in the Vilnius Cathedral, 1931 (from History of Lithuania)
Image 105Hetman Kristupas Radvila or Krzysztof Radziwiłł (1585–1640), a Lithuanian Calvinist and an accomplished military commander (from History of Lithuania)
Image 106Seal of Mindaugas (from History of Lithuania)
Image 107German soldiers and locals watch a Lithuanian synagogue burn in 1941. (from History of Lithuania)
Image 108Grand Duke Vytautas, a Lithuanian hero, was Jogaila's first cousin and rival (from History of Lithuania)

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...Lithuania, together with Latvia and Estonia, in 1989 formed a human chain – Baltic Way which connected the three Baltic states capitals?
...AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is of Lithuanian descent?
...Grand Duchy of Lithuania once stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea?

... that the trial of Neumann and Sass, held in Lithuania in 1934–1935, is said to be the first mass trial of Nazis in Europe?
... that in the lead-up to the 4th Congress of the Communist Party of Lithuania in Moscow in 1924, party organizations inside Lithuania held clandestine district conferences?
... that following Soviet occupation in 1940, the Lithuanian Armed Forces were transformed into the Lithuanian People's Army, dropped all use of Lithuanian national symbols and faced repression?

More did you know facts

Image 1Trakai Island Castle was built in the 14th century
Image 2Summer in the port city of Klaipėda
Image 3Winter in the countryside of Lithuania
Image 4FSRU Independence in the port of Klaipėda
Image 5Gediminas' Tower is the remaining part of the Upper Castle in Vilnius
Image 6Lithuanian 2 Euro coin
Image 7Lithuanian resistance fighters. Anti-Soviet resistance lasted until 1950s.
Image 8One of the old hillfort mounds at Kernavė
Image 9"Fairy Tale - III" (1907) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Image 10The Seal of Mindaugas is a medieval seal affixed to the October 1255 act by Mindaugas, King of Lithuania, granting Selonia to the Teutonic Knights.
Image 11Vytautas the Great was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Image 12The victory of the Polish-Lithuanian forces over the Grand Duchy of Moscow at the Battle of Orsha in 1514
Image 13Skyscrapers in Vilnius
Image 14Bridge in Lyduvėnai is the longest railway bridge in Lithuania
Image 15Vilnius Old Town
Image 16Old Town of Kaunas
Image 17Kaunas Castle in 2016
Image 18The modern skyline of Vilnius
Image 19Commemorative 2016 post stamp with George Maciunas
Image 20Sand dunes in the Curonian Spit
Image 21Kretinga Museum
Image 22Orlen Lietuva is the only oil refinery in the Baltic States
Image 23Žaltys and the Holy Fire are depicted in Olaus Magnus' Carta Marina, above the inscription LITVANIE PARS
Image 24Lithuanian design ANBO III aircraft from 1930s
Image 25Bird's-eye view of town Nida

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Portal:Lithuania, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

Public holidays in Lithuania
Date	English name	Local name	Remarks
1 January	New Year's Day	Naujųjų metų diena
16 February	Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania (1918)	Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo diena
11 March	Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania (1990)	Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo diena
Moveable Sunday	Easter Sunday	Šv. Velykos	Commemorates resurrection of Jesus. The first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March.
The day after Easter Sunday	Easter Monday	Antroji šv. Velykų diena
1 May	International Workers' Day	Tarptautinė darbo diena
First Sunday in May	Mother's Day	Motinos diena
First Sunday in June	Father's Day	Tėvo diena
24 June	St. John's Day / Day of Dew	Joninės / Rasos	Celebrated according to mostly pagan traditions (Midsummer Day, Saint Jonas Day).
6 July	Statehood Day	Valstybės (Lietuvos karaliaus Mindaugo karūnavimo) ir Tautiškos giesmės diena	Celebrates the 1253 coronation of Mindaugas, the first King of Lithuania, and the national anthem of Lithuania.
15 August	Assumption Day	Žolinė (Švč. Mergelės Marijos ėmimo į dangų diena)	Also marked according to pagan traditions, celebrating the goddess Žemyna and noting the mid-August as the middle between summer and autumn.
1 November	All Saints' Day	Visų šventųjų diena	Halloween is increasingly popular and is also informally celebrated on the eve (31 October).
2 November	All Souls' Day	Mirusiųjų atminimo (Vėlinių) diena
24 December	Christmas Eve	Šv. Kūčios
25 and 26 December	Christmas Day	Šv. Kalėdos	Commemorates birth of Jesus.

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