THIS ARTICLE, ABOUT THE HISTORY OF LITHUANIA, REACHED
ONE MILLION PERSONS AROUND THE WORLD IN ONLY ONE MONTH!

Lithuania – a country

you may think you know –

but do you really?

Text/research: Aage Myhre

We posted this article on one of our VilNews Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/VilNews) a few weeks ago. The article is about a seemingly 'boring' theme, namely the history of Lithuania.

 But then it turns out that the article gets huge attention and reaches close to one million people worldwide in a matter of days. Probably never before have so many in such a short time been learning about the History of Lithuania!

 For us who have worked with VilNews for many years this is yet another confirmation that Lithuania is of great interest to people around the globe if things are presented in attractive ways.

1. A WORLD SUPER POWER, EUROPE'S LARGEST COUNTRY
Did you know that Lithuania was a world super power – much longer than USA has been a super power – and Europe's largest country for more than 300 years (ca 1300-1600), stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea? https://vilnews.com/2012-02-a-world-superpower-for-300-years

2. LITHUANIA WAS A HAVEN OF TOLERANCE
Grand Duke Gediminas (1275-1341) – founder of Vilnius and the first Grand Duke of the family of Lithuanian rulers during 300 years– made Lithuania a 'haven of tolerance' according to British historian Norman Davies. https://vilnews.com/2012-04-lithuania-has-a-700-year-history…

3. LITHUANIA STOPPED THE MONGOLS FROM INVADING EUROPE 
Lithuania (the Grand Duchy) was the country stopping the Golden Hordes (the Mongols) from invading Europe (late 1300s).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blue_Waters

4. LAST EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO BE CHRISTIANISED
Lithuania was the last European country to be Christianised (around 1400), and Paganism is still going strong here. Even Christian crosses sometimes contain pagan elements (sun, flowers, grass snakes).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Lithuania

5. TURKIC PEOPLE LIVING HERE FOR MORE THAN 600 YEARS
Karaims – the Turkic-Crimean people who guarded the Grand Dukes – came to Lithuania in 1397 – and the Trakai town (at the castle above) near Vilnius is now their world capital. https://vilnews.com/2011-01-karaims-and-tatars-turkish-natio…

6. NAPOLEON NAMED VILNIUS AS THE 'JERSUALEM OF THE NORTH'
Napoleon Bonaparte named Vilnius Jerusalem of the North when he arrived here in 1812. Lithuanian Jews (the Litvaks) had an extraordinary life here for 600 years. https://vilnews.com/2012-04-the-litvaks

7. THE WORLD'S MOST ITALIAN CITY OUTSIDE ITALY
Vilnius is the world's most Italian city outside Italy... Lithuania and Italy share a very unique common history. https://vilnews.com/2011-01-the-amazing-italian-influence-on…

DRAWING OF THE ROYAL PALACE IN VILNIUS, A UNIQUE COOPERATION
PROJECT BETWEEN ITALIANS AND LITHUANIANS DURING THE 1500s.

 8. LANGUAGE OLDER THAN SANSKRIT
The languages Old Sanskrit and Lithuanian are having the same Indo-European roots. Incredible similarities between Indian and Lithuanian cultures since the early civilisations.
https://vilnews.com/2011-04-incredible-indian-lithuanian-rel…

It’s early morning in Delhi, India. I have been invited to the small, dark office of Professor Lokesh Chandra (87), one of India’s leading experts on Sanskrit and Buddhism. “The same year I was born, 1927, my father went to London to get a degree in Lithuanian language. He spoke the language fluently, but he never visited Lithuania,” tells the elderly professor, still with his Kashmir coat and cap on despite the outside temperature of close to 300 Celsius. I soon learn that the professor’s knowledge about the connections between Old Sanskrit and Lithuanian language and ancient cultural ties between India and Lithuania is nothing but amazing. He confirms that there since ancient times have been unique ties between India and Lithuania, not only with regards to language. Also the songs, the medieval cultures and more were extraordinary closely connected to each other.

9. NATIONAL REBIRTH 1920-1940
Lithuania declared independence in 1918, after 123 years of mostly Russian occupation. The interwar years were very successful and the country prospered immensely. Kaunas was the capital for the period 1919-1940, after Poland occupied Vilnius and southern Lithuania.
https://vilnews.com/2011-03-the-man-who-declined-to-become-p…

Lithuania declared independence in 1918, after 123 years of mostly Russian occupation. The interwar years were very successful and the country prospered immensely. It has been said that Lithuania was the world's fastest growing economy during those 20 years. Kaunas was the capital for the period 1919-1940, after Poland occupied Vilnius and southern Lithuania. President Antanas Smetona ruled for the period 1926-1940.

10. 300.000 INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE DEPORTED TO SIBERIA
During 1940–1953, some 132.000 Lithuanians were deported to remote areas of the USSR. More than 70% were women and children. 30.000 died there due to climate, hard slave work and starvation. 50.000 were not able to return to Lithuania. During the same period, another 200.000 people were prisoned and 150.000 of them were sent to Siberian Gulags.
https://vilnews.com/2010-12-1941-1953-300-000-lithuanians-we…

11. HOLOCAUST KILLED 95% OF ALL JEWS IN LITHUANIA
The Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Lithuania resulted in the near total destruction of Lithuania's Jewish population. Out of more than 200.000, around 95% were murdered during WWII, the most tragic, worst example of Holocaust in the whole world.
https://vilnews.com/2011-01-holocaust-in-lithuania

12. MODERN EUROPE'S LONGEST, BLOODIEST PARTISAN WAR
22.000 Lithuanian 'forest brothers' and 70.000 Soviet soldiers were killed in modern Europe's longest and bloodiest guerrilla war, after the Balts withdrew into the woods to organize their powerful armed partisan resistance when the Soviet Union re-occupied the Baltic States in 1944.
https://vilnews.com/2012-12-5391

13. LITHUANIA WAS SOVIET'S SILICON VALLEY
Post-war Lithuania became known as the Soviet Silicon Valley, and also today this country enjoys a very strong research and development sector. Lithuanian world-class specialists cooperate with NASA, NATO, Volvo, Saab, Philips, and many others in the fields of biotechnology, biochemistry, laser optics, chemistry, physics, etc.https://vilnews.com/2011-01-laser-research-and-industry-make…

14. THE SINGING REVOLUTION THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
The Singing Revolution – that between 1987 and 1991 led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, culminating with the Soviet attack in January 1991 and the Union's fall later same year. In august 1989, two million people joined hands to form a human chain spanning over 600 km (370 mi) across the three Baltic States. https://vilnews.com/2011-03-the-significance-of-11-march-1990

PROFESSOR VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS (CENTRE) VISITING KREMLIN IN 1989.

15. 50% OF ALL LITHUANIAN NOW LIVE IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Former President Valdas Adamkus was one among the tens of thousands fleeing Lithuania at the end of WWII. Chicago is counted as Lithuania's 2nd largest city, and it is estimated that around one million Lithuanians live in the U.S. A new wave of emigration started in 1991, and one expects that half of all Lithuanians now live outside their home land. https://vilnews.com/lithuania-in-the-world

 

16. LITHUAN JEWS 'RULE THE WORLD' OF TODAY
During the 19th and 20th century, hordes of Lithuanian Jews emigrated to the U.S. and South Africa (90% of its 100.000 Jewish population are from Lithuania). Litvaks are today playing leading roles worldwide. https://vilnews.com/litvak-forum

17. VILNIUS CATCHES AND CHANGES YOUR SOUL
Paris has its Eiffel Tower. London its bridges. Rome has the Colosseum. Washington has the White House, and Berlin its Brandenburg Gate... Vilnius has its wonderful, mysterious Old Town with narrow, winding streets, courtyards, cellars, smells, music of all kinds, and the very atmosphere of 700 years development of a Mediterranean-like city far away from mainstream Europe... https://vilnews.com/2012-02-1549