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 and was baptised with his family in 1253. 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 1386, Grand Duke Jagello (Jogaila) accepted the Polish crown, introduced Christianity, and established a personal union between Poland and Lithuania. 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 country remained under Soviet rule for the next half century. The Soviet regime was resisted by a partisan war (1944-52) that caused an estimated 40,000-60,000 casualties. More than 350,000 were deported or perished in Soviet labor camps. In the decades that followed, the economy was industrialized and an attempt was made to russify the population. But the desire for independence was not subdued by the fifty-year occupation.
In the late 1980s, the advent of Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika reform campaign brought an opportunity for change. In 1988, the non-Communist Sajudis (Lithuanian Reform Party) conducted a successful campaign to restore Lithuanian as the official language and to legalize the old national symbols. In December 1989 the Lithuanian Communist party separated itself from the Soviet Communist party and Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to permit a multiparty system. In February 1990, Sajudis won an overwhelming majority in free parliamentary elections, and in March independence was proclaimed. Vytautas Landsbergis was elected a Chairman of Parlament. Moscow responded with an economic blockade that brought Lithuanian industry and transportation to a standstill. In June the Lithuanians agreed to suspend their independence declaration while negotiations were held to reach a solution. In January 1991 Soviet troops occupied strong points in Vilnius in an attempt to stop the independence movement, and a number of civilians were killed in confrontations with the military. A stalemate ensued that lasted for several months. Finally, in September 1991, after Boris Yeltsin's reformers had gained the upper hand in Moscow, the USSR recognized the independence of Lithuania.
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.
