Short LITHUANIA history
Where the Sesupe and Nemunas rivers flow
There is our country, lovely Lithuania
Lithuania is
a small plot of land at the Baltic Sea. The whole west fringe of the country
(appr. 100 km) is
occupied by
the amber coastline with marvelous beaches of white sand. Clean waters
of Sesupe, Dubysa,
Nevezis and
Nemunas flow. Sometimes Lithuania is called the Nemunas land due to the
great love Lithuanians
have to the
river Nemunas.
For the first
time Lithuania was mentioned in 1009 in Qedlinburg annals. The Lithuania
as a state emerged in early
XIIIth century
after the union of the main lands. Mindaugas became the Grand Duke of Lithuania
at about 1240.
At the end of
XIVth - and the beginnning of the XV century Lithuania became one of the
most powerful states in
the Eastern
Europe. Almost for the whole two centuries German crusaders invaded the
pagan state, though
Lithuania was
not conquered. Lithuanians fougth bravely for their state and religion.
They built castles which are
admired even
today for their defensive construction. In 1410 united armies of Great
Dutchty of Lithunia and
Poland inflicted
a severe defeat to the Teutonic Knights in defence of their liberty. At
the same time the Great
Dutchty of Lithuania
stood in the way of the attacks of the Mongols-Tatars into the West and
helped the Eastern
European nations
to figth against the Golden Horde. In 1569 the Union of Liublin, sealed
the Poland-Lithuania
Union into a
Commonwealth (Rzecspospolita), while later in the XVIIth century Lithuania
became one of its three
provinces. After
partitioning of the Commmonwealth in 1795, Lithuania was incorporated into
Russia. For more
than one century
Lithuania fought against tsarist oppresion. Only on February 16, 1918 Lithuania
proclaimed the
act of independence
and restoration of statehood. Soon afterwards the independent state of
Lithuania was
recognized by
the largest states of the world and Europe. Lithuania established diplomatic
relations with many of
them. Only 22
years were allowed for the independent state of Lithuania. In 1940 the
Soviet Union occupied
Lithuania. The
occupants subjugated the nation's liberty and existence. The Lithuania
nation fought bravely against
the occupants
for their independence, although they were outnumbered. The desire for
independence was not
subdued by the
fifty-year occupation. Alongside with dissolution of the Soviet Union,
the last colonial empire of
the world, on
March 11, 1990 Lithuania proclaimed its restoration of statehood. Diplomatic
relations were
renewed with
many of the world's countries The old clock of the Cathedral tower strikes
the hours counting the
time of freedom.
Every morning the sounds of this clock are transmitted by radio. A New
day begins. One should
mention the
Lithuanian scientists, architects and restorers, who returned to life a
number of historical and
architectural
monuments, especialy in the Old Town district of Vilnius - the largest
in the Eastern Europe.
Lithuania has
14 schools of higher learning and among them the oldest University in the
East Europe - the Vilnius
University,
founded in 1579. Lithuania Language is important for those who study origin
of languages. It differs
from other modern
Indo-European languages for its archaism. A large Centre of Baltic philology
is established in
Vilnius and
the Lithuanian language is taught in many countries of the world.
Lithuania participates
in many exibitions all over the world. We try to show what we manufacture
and create not
only to ourselves
but to others as well. Though the best way to feel the lifestyle of Lithuania
is to visit it....