Lithuania

Lithuania

In many ways Lithuania is the odd one out among the Baltic countries. First, most of Lithuania’s people are native Lithuanians, whereas Latvia and Estonia have large Russian populations. Secondly, life here tends to be concentrated in the interior of the country and away from the coast. The third major difference lies in the fertile soil, which makes farming vital to Lithuania. Lithuania is a country located in the Baltic region of Europe bordered by Latvia, Belarus, Poland and a Russian oblast.

Ethnicity

There are 2.794 million people living in Lithuania.

• 86%  Lithuanian
• 6% Poles
• 5% Russian
• and the remaining 3% is mainly made up of other Slavic countries.

Economy

According to European standards, it is a very inexpensive country. Unfortunately, Lithuania is experiencing economic difficulties as a result of its low-skilled workforce. Two-thirds of the population is employed in the service industry, mostly in the refining of crude oil. The crime rate in Lithuania is poor, but the suicide rate is high. Since the population is rapidly ageing, mass immigration is a problem. Lithuanians are fluent in English. Lithuania experienced an initial dislocation after declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, as is characteristic of transitions from a planned to a free-market economy. Macroeconomic policies such as privatisation of most state-owned enterprises and a firm commitment to a currency board arrangement resulted in an open and rapidly expanding economy, as well as increasing market demand. The transformation was aided by foreign investment and EU support.

Food

Lithuanians love food and tend to have big meals. Some traditional meals can include potato dumplings filled with meat as well as cold beetroot soup commonly known as Borscht. Often served with sour cream, potato pancakes make an appearance in Lithuanian cuisine. Potato as you may have guessed is a big staple food along with rye bread. Their most used meat is pork.

If you go to a restaurant in Lithuania it is normal to tip at least 10%.

Some dishes to try are:

– Kepta Duona (fried bread)

– Grybukai (mushroom cookies)

– Kibinai (savoury pastries)

– šakotis (tree cake) 

– Šaltibarščiai (cold borsche)

Places

Lithuania has some very interesting and extraordinary places such as the hill of crosses a place with symbols of peace with over 100,000 crosses creating a fantasy. They also have a hill of witches with wooden statues from ancient Lithuanian folklore. Not to mention the castles in Lithuania such as Trakai castle which is situated on an island. There is also a Gediminas castle named after a Lithuanian ruler. Some other notable places are the Museum of Illusions, St Anne’s church and the coastal town of Klaipėda. Even just walking around the capital Vilnius will give you a great sense of the lifestyle in Lithuania. Up to 90% of the worlds amber comes from the shores of Lithuania.

Some cities of interest are:

– Klaipėda, popular holiday destination by the sea

– Vilnius, The capital with a lot of things to explore

– Trakai, visit Trakai castle and learn about the history of Lithuania

Some other places to visit are:

– Trakai Castle, Trakai

– St Anne’s Church, Vilnius

– Gates of Dawn, Vilnius

– 9th Fort of the Kaunus Fortress, Kaunus

– Pilies Street, Vilnius

History

The history of Lithuania begins with pagan tribes, followed by King Mindaugas, Lithuania’s first and only king. The Teutonic War, which took place between 1409 and 1411 between Lithuania and Poland, was followed by the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, which saw Lithuania becoming one of Europe’s largest countries. When the partition years arrived, Lithuanians began smuggling books in order to preserve their language. Guerrilla warfare claimed the lives of 30,000 men, explaining why the male-to-female ratio is so high. There are 88 men for every one woman. In 1990, Lithuania won independence from the Soviet Union by singing. Lithuania has recently been a member of the European Union.

Published on the 19th of March 2021