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General information


Population : 2.8milion people (137th in the World,34th in Europe)
Total Area : 65,300 km^2 (121st in the World,24th in Europe)
Official languages : Lithuanian
Official currency : Euro(EUR)
Capital : Vilnius
Population density : 43 people/km^2 (173rd in the World,46th in Europe)
Top 5 biggest cities : Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys


Lithuania is a unitary semi-presidential republic, where the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government.The Constitution of Lithuania was approved by referendum in 1992. The government isn’t dominated by any single political party, and coalition governments are the norm.

The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's 10 counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys) are subdivided into 60 municipalities (Lithuanian: singular – savivaldybė, plural – savivaldybės), and further divided into 500 elderships (Lithuanian: singular – seniūnija, plural – seniūnijos).






National sport : Basketball


National animals : White stork (Ciconia ciconia)


National plant: Oak(Quercus robur)




National instruments: Kanklės

Birbynė





The significance of the 16th of February


The 16th of February celebrates the signing of the Act of Reinstating Independence of Lithuania, signed by the Council of Lithuania in 1918.This act reinstated Lithuania as an independent country after more than a century of Russian occupation. This occupation was due to the manner in which the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned in 1795, with Lithuania being completely occupied by the Russian Empire.

The Act of February 16, 1918, is the legal basis for the existence of present-day Lithuania, both during the interwar period and since 1990.The Act became one of the key elements during the restoration of Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. A paragraph in the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, delivered on March 11, 1990, state😛

“The Act of Independence of 16 February 1918 of the Council of Lithuania and the Constituent Assembly (Seimas) decree of 15 May 1920 on the re-established democratic State of Lithuania never lost their legal effect and comprise the constitutional foundation of the State of Lithuania.”



The Act of Independence:

Those who signed it:



February 16 in Lithuania is now an official holiday.On this day various ceremonies are hosted all across Lithuania. The 2014 commemoration included laying flowers at the signatories’ graves in Rasos Cemetery, awarding the Lithuanian National Prize, the hoisting of the three Baltic States’s flags at Daukantas Square, dedicated concerts at Cathedral Square in Vilnius and at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society hall, and the lighting of 16 fires along Gediminas Avenue.









Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe, becoming christianized in the late 14th century, officially in 1387. The christianization occured primarily through Polish influence.

However, prior to this event, Lithuania had an indigenous pagan religion,focused on a pantheon of gods,spirits and heroes.There are probably as many theories on the historical Baltic pantheon as there are researchers. Many borrow on other faiths to explain it, speaking of "Baltic trinity" or "Baltic Olympus", others make the religion seem almost monotheistic by adding an omnipotent "God" above other deities. With researches based on descriptions by missionaries and archeological digs, the truth may stay hidden forever.

The supreme god, is by some accounts, Dievas, and by other accounts, Perkūnas.

Dievas takes the role of a deus otiosus, as in, he is a non-active divine being.Thus, it is doubtful that he had a cult or shrines. The lack of reliable information makes it difficult to discern his exact nature in the myths. What is clear, is that Lithuanians did have the concept of a Chief God.

Perkūnas , on the other hand, was certainly documented as the most important god, at least as far as cult following goes.He was the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky. When it comes to relevance, he was on par with Thor, from Norse mythology, and Perun, from Slavic mythology.

In a triad of gods ,Perkūnas symbolizes the creative forces (including vegetative), courage, success, the top of the world, the sky, rain, thunder, heavenly fire (lightning) and celestial elements, while Patrimpas, is involved with the ground, crops, and cereals and Velnias/Patulas, with hell, and death.

As a heavenly (atmospheric) deity Perkūnas, apparently, is the assistant and executor of Dievas‘s will.




Nearly every major natural phenomenon was considered to be a god or goddess in the Baltic pagan faith, among them Sun (Saulė,female) and Moon (Mėnuo,male), the parents of Earth. Other than that, goddesses are better known than gods as it is common to name baby girls after them. They include Žemyna (goddess of earth and fertility), Medeina (forests and hunting), Milda (love and freedom), Laima (goddess of fate and pregnant women), Gabija (goddess of fire and the home fireplace; the latter provided heat and served for sacrifices, its position so important that "home fireplace" is now a euphemism for "family relations" in Lithuanian).

Many of the most famous early Lithuanian folktales are actually legends: they explain the creation of various things, towns, and lakes through folk etymology. They tend to be especially popular in the related localities where they may have inspired street names and sculptures.

A famous example is the legend of Egle, the Queen of Serpents:

The story can be subdivided into a number of sections each having parallels with motifs of other folk tales, yet a combination of them is unique.

First, a young girl named Eglė discovers a serpent in her clothes after bathing with her two sisters. Speaking in a human voice, the serpent agrees to go away only after Eglė pledges herself to him in exchange for his leaving the clothes, not realising the possible consequences. Three days pass, and thousands of serpents come for the bride, but are tricked by her relatives each time. A goose, a sheep and a cow are given instead.Enraged serpents return for a final time and take Eglė with them to the bottom of the sea to their master.

Statue of Egle:


Instead of seeing a serpent, Eglė meets her bridegroom Žilvinas, a handsome human - the Serpent Prince. They live together happily and bear four children, until Eglė decides to visit home and her husband denies her permission. In order to be allowed to visit home, Eglė is required to fulfill three impossible tasks: to spin a never-ending tuft of silk, wear down a pair of iron shoes and to bake a pie with no utensils. After she gets advice from the sorceress and succeeds, Žilvinas reluctantly lets Eglė and the children go.

After meeting the long lost family members, Eglė's relatives do not wish to let them back to the sea and decide to kill Žilvinas. His sons are threatened and beaten by their uncles, in order to try to disclose how to summon their father; however, they remain silent and do not betray him. Finally, a frightened daughter discloses it:

"Žilvinas, dear Žilvinas,
If alive – may the sea foam milk
If dead – may the sea foam blood…"

The twelve brothers call Žilvinas the Serpent from the sea and kill him using scythes.

The worried Eglė calls her husband, but unfortunately only foams of blood return from the sea. When Eglė discovers that her beloved is dead, as a punishment for betrayal she turns her children and herself into trees - the sons into strong trees, an oak, an ash and a birch, whereas the daughter was turned into a quaking aspen. Finally, Eglė transformed herself into a spruce.


Nowadays, there are still people who continue this traditional religion across the Baltics.The movement is called Romuva and it claims to adhere to the traditional folklore and customs.









Top 5 visited places by tourists


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!



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.



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.




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.
Then there’s the exhibitions dedicated to M. K. Ciurlionis (arguably Lithuania’s best-known artist), which simply shouldn’t be missed!



Klaipeda


Formerly known as Memel, this 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 cannon-dotted Prussian bastions and the German-styled beer halls of the main square!







Top 3 locations suggested by the locals



Druskininkai







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 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.



Puntukas






Puntukas is the second-largest boulder in Lithuania. It is situated some 5 kilometres south of Anykščiai on the left bank of the Šventoji River. It was believed to be the largest stone in Lithuania until the discovery of Barstyčiai stone in the Skuodas district in 1957.

Puntukas is a glacial erratic—it was brought by glaciers during the last glacial period (18th–12th millennium BC) probably from Finland. It measures 6.9 metres (23 ft) in length, 6.7 m (22 ft) in width, and 5.7 m (19 ft) in depth (including 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) underground). It weighs about 265 tons. It is made of Rapakivi granite. Its reddish mass includes large crystals of potassium feldspar surrounded by green rings of oligoclase.

In 1943, sculptor Bronius Pundzius engraved portraits and quotes from last wills of Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas for the 10th anniversary of their deaths during the transatlantic flight with Lituanica. A local legend has it that velnias (a devil in the Lithuanian mythology) carried the stone to destroy the Anykščiai Church, however a rooster crowed. The devil disappeared back into the underworld, leaving only Puntukas behind.


Ventė Cape


Ventė Cape (Lithuanian: Ventės ragas; sometimes referred to as Ventė Horn or Ventė Peninsula) is a headland in Nemunas Delta, located in Šilutė district, Lithuania. It is known as a rest place for many birds during their migrations, particularly the autumn migration. Ventes Ragas Ornithological Station - one of the first bird ringing stations in Europe, still in operation, was opened here by Tadas Ivanauskas in 1929.

The Cape, being in the former Memel Territory, was part of Germany until 1919. The Teutonic Knights erected a castle here, called Windenburg, but it no longer exists. There is an 11-metre-high lighthouse, built in 1863 during the Prussian period, though currently it is not in use.
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Inventions Lithuania gave to the world!

*Multistage rocket!
*Kazimierz Siemienowicz,17th century.



*Vilnius photometric system!
*Vytautas Straižys,1963.



*Euthanasia coaster!
*Julijonas Urbonas,2010.











Famous people from Lithuania

Charles Bronson - born Charles Dennis Buchinsky - Lithuanian-American actor.
He starred in films such as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the Death Wish series. He was often cast in the role of a police officer, gunfighter, or vigilante in revenge-oriented plot lines. He had long collaborations with film directors Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson. In 1965, he was featured as Major Wolenski in Battle of the Bulge.


(1921-2003)

Arvydas Sabonis - Lithuanian retired professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time, he won the Euroscar six times, and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, and spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 and 1996 games representing Lithuania.

(born 1964)

Jonas Mekas - Lithuanian American filmmaker, poet and artist who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema". His work has been exhibited in museums and festivals worldwide.

(born 1922)

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis - Lithuanian painter, composer and writer.
Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.During his short life he composed about 400 pieces of music and created about 300 paintings, as well as many literary works and poems. The majority of his paintings are housed in the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum in Kaunas, Lithuania. His works have had a profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture.
.

(1875-1911)

Maironis -born Jonas Mačiulis - one of the most famous Lithuanian poets. He was born in Pasandravys, Raseiniai district municipality, Lithuania. Maironis graduated from Kaunas high school and went on to study Literature at Kiev University. However, in 1884, after one year of studies at the university, he entered Kaunas Spiritual Seminary. While being at the seminary, Maironis became an active member of the Lithuanian National Revival. Maironis wrote a number of poems. Some of them are contained in his most famous collection of poems "Pavasario Balsai" (The Voices of Spring).

(born 1968)








Traditional food


Cepelinai




Starting off with Lithuania’s national dish, cepelinai are large dumplings made of a mixture of raw and cooked potato dough that is filled with pork and doused in a ladle of a sour cream and bacon sauce. Though originally called didzkukuliai, the name was changed to cepelinai in the 20th century because of their resemblance to zeppelin airships.

Kugelis



Kugelis is a hearty, baked potato pudding or lasagna that sometimes incorporates meat and is served with lingonberry jam, bacon, or sour cream. As with most Lithuanian dishes, recipes vary from person to person, so a slice of kugelis may differ at each different venue, making it an exciting dish to try.

Kibinai



Kibinai are tasty hand pies that are the national dish of the Kariate people, an ethnically Turkic group that has lived in Lithuania for centuries. A flaky, soft crust surrounding meat, vegetables, cheese curd, or berry jams makes kibinai a favorite snack or side to accompany soup.



Potato pancakes



Potatoes are truly king when it comes to Lithuanian food, and any number of potato dishes are eaten frequently throughout the week. Potato pancakes are a simple dish to make, comprising grated potatoes, onion, and eggs mixed together and fried in oil. They are served with dill, scallions, and sour cream.

Saltibarsciai



Served seasonally, this beetroot and kefir soup is accompanied by hardboiled eggs and boiled potatoes. Notably, chilled borscht is a shocking color of bright pink and is an indicator that warm weather has arrived in Lithuania.



Traditional desserts

Grybukai(Mushroom cookies)



Don’t let the translated name mislead you, grybukai are not made with mushrooms, they simply are cookies shaped like mushrooms. Grybukai are delicious little morsels flavored with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom and glazed to create a white “stalk” and black “cap.”

Fried curd cakes



Fresh cheese curd is a staple in Lithuanian households and can be used to make numerous dishes. One favorite dish is fried cheese curd cakes, which is simply cheese curd mixed with a bit of flour, egg, and sugar that is fried in oil. Typically served with fresh berries and jam, cheese curd cakes can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Sakotis



Raguolis, also called sakotis, is a traditional Lithuanian cake that is frequently served during special occasions such as weddings, Christmas Eve, and Easter. This cake is a large, hollow ring with what looks like horns or spines around the edges that are created from dripping batter as the cake is turned around and around on a spit-like cooker.

Sureliai



Simtalapis




Traditional drinks

Gira(Kvass)




Midus(Mead)




Degtine(Vodka)




Trauktine(Herbal liquor)









Interesting facts about Lithuania


1.Aukštojas Hill at 294 meters (964 feet) above sea level is the highest point in all of Lithuania.
2.Forests in Lithuania cover approximately 33% of Lithuania′s territory.
3.There are about 6,000 lakes in Lithuania, covering 950 square kilometers (367 square miles), or 1.5% of the territory of Lithuania.
4.The Old Town of Vilnius is one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe. It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and lanes numbering 1487 buildings with a total floor area of 1,497,000 square meters (16,113,500 square feet) .In 1994 the Vilnius Old Town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List..
5. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe; present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were the territories of the Grand Duchy.
6.Lithuania was the last country in Europe to be converted to Christianity. Before Christianity, the country’s religion was ‘Romuva’.
7.Lithuania is ranked the 1st in the world by the number of hot air balloons per resident. And Vilnius is one of a few European capital where you can fly with hot air balloons.
8.Of all languages spoken today, Lithuanian is the closest to ancient Sanskrit.
9.The 13th century King Mindaugas was the only King Lithuania has ever had. For most of the middle ages its ruler was a Grand Duke.
10.Rolandas Paksas was a stunt pilot who went on to become Lithuania’s President. Incidentally, he was also the first European president to be impeached.






My 5 words when I hear about Lithuania:
#Vilnius,#Duke,#Baltic,#Basketball,#AfricanLookingFlag

What are your 5?





Special thanks to Ipsiart!
I leave you with a Lithuanian meme:







Waiting for feedback , comments , opinions and if there is anyone that thinks I missed something , I could do something better or just wants to help me with this project , PM me !

Special thanks to Kariky for the spacers !!




Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

P.S. Article 38/74!







P.S.2. Don't forget to push the flags !