LITHUANIAN – Vilnius, Kaunas, Alytus

Lithuania – Vilnius, Kaunas, Alytus June 29 – July 2, 2019

It was then only 50kms to the Lithuanian border crossing. I filled up with cheap Belarus gas and got rid of all my money buying junk food.
When I arrived there were probably 50 cars ahead of me in line on the Belarus side. It seemed to move only with all those tired of waiting leaving to go to another crossing. After 3 hours, I was 14^th in line and there were about 13 cars behind me. Almost all were from Belarus and they blamed the wait on Lithuanian inefficiency (although entering Belarus form Ukraine was an ordeal unto itself because of all the Belurussian bureaucracy). I ate lunch and washed the floor of my van, something that had been wanting for some time. I find the patience of these people amazing. I washed the inside of my windows. I cut my finger nails. I cut my toe nails. I picked my nose (don’t we all?)
Then after 3’35’, 10 cars crossed into the Belarus crossing and I passed about 8 of them as I had something to declare (my car).
The first woman took my documents (customs declaration of car, car registration, passport). 15 minutes later she came back and wanted to know how much money I had – limit of $10,000). After 10 minutes she came back and did a fairly thorough search of the car. I moved forward one car length and another woman checked wanted my Belarus car insurance, car registration and passport. A young guy in one of those high peaked Soviet military caps came and wanted my Belarus green card (car insurance, I guess I had only given half the insurance documents). 15 minutes later another young women came and did a cursory search of the van Then we waited a barrier still on the Belarus side. I went into the duty free to spend my last 4 rubles. I needed my passport to buy a chocolate bar. When I came out another Belarus officer wanted to see my passport and asked where I had been in Belarus and what the purpose of my visit was. At every other border crossing I have gone through this side rarely takes more than a few minutes. So after 4½ hours I was out of Belarus.
There were 25 cars ahead of me for Lithuanian customs. It took 2 hours in line and it was a routing border with no undue bureaucracy. So 6½ hours later, I was in country #119, Lithuanian.

I’m looking forward to some things: the end of Cyrillic, a € country, Lidl grocery stores, common McDonalds, easier wifi access, hopefully more English speakers. But Lithuanians don’t seem like happy campers, quite grouchy and unsmiling.

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania is one of the Baltic countries of Europe. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.8 million people as of 2019, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. The official language, Lithuanian, is one of only two living languages in the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, the other being Latvian.
For centuries, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s, the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas and the Kingdom of Lithuania was created on 6 July 1253. 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. With the Lublin Union of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state personal union, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 to 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania’s territory.
As World War I neared its end, Lithuania’s Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918, declaring the founding of the modern Republic of Lithuania. In the midst of the Second World War, Lithuania was first occupied by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end and the Germans retreated, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Baltic state to declare itself independent, resulting in the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania.
Lithuania is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, eurozone, Schengen Agreement, NATO and OECD. It is also a member of the Nordic Investment Bank, and part of Nordic-Baltic cooperation of Northern European countries. The United Nations Human Development Index lists Lithuania as a “very high human development” country. It is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank.The first known record of the name of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuva) is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno in the Quedlinburg Chronicle. Due to the lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown.

OBSERVATIONS & TIPS
1. Plan to cross the borders late at night or very early in the morning. My crossing from Belarus took 6½ hours (possibly more of a Belarus issue but all the Belarusians waiting said it was because of Lithuania).
2. Gas is cheaper here than almost any other Schengen country – €1.08 /l
2. Roads are high quality.

CURRENCY – Euro €

Medininkai Castle, Medininkai. Just 10kms over the Belarus border, this is not really a castle, but a fortress. It was built in the first half of the 14th century. The defensive perimeter of the castle was 6.5 hectares; it is the largest enclosure type castle in Lithuania.
The castle was built on plain ground and was designed for flank defence. The rectangular castle’s yard covered approximately 1.8 hectares and was protected by walls 15 metres high and 2 metres thick. The castle had 4 gates and towers. The main tower (donjon), about 30 metres high, was used for residential quarters. Medininkai was first mentioned in 1392. The castle was badly damaged by a major fire in the late 15th century. Because of increased use of firearms, this type of castle was no longer suited for defensive purposes and was later used as a residence. During the 17th–18th centuries it was reorganized into a farm and a bakery.
There are no buildings inside the lovely stonewalls, only a restored (with brick) guard tower on the NE corner. There is not much to see. €4, 2 reduced

VILNIUS 
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city, with a population of 574,147 as of 2018. The population of Vilnius functional urban area, that stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 697,691 (as of 2017). Vilnius is in the southeast part of Lithuania and is the second largest city in the Baltic states. Vilnius is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies, and is known for the architecture in its Old Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Before World War II, Vilnius was one of the largest Jewish centres in Europe. Its Jewish influence has led to it being described as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” and Napoleon named it “the Jerusalem of the North” as he was passing through in 1812. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz.
See Vilnius for more information.

Day 1
Vilnius University Botanical Garden. Founded in 1781, it has two locations totalling 198ha with Kulrenai the main garden. In the 16^th century, an estate was established here and a watermill, stables, sites of the 1^st and 2^nd manor houses have survived (in ruins). It is surrounded by an English Garden.
Go up onto the terrace with its soil columns containing 50 types of Lithuanian plants. There is also a small cactus/succulent garden and a garden on top with great views. The foundations of the estate are all that remain. The rose garden and ornamental gardens were wonderful in full bloom. The park extends over a bare hill to the south. There are many mature trees, 30 ornamental crab apples, 20 hectares of ornamental flowers, 500 types of trees and shrubs and 150 types of lilacs.
Antakalnis Cemetery. Sometimes referred as Antakalnis Military Cemetery, is an active cemetery in the Antakalnis district. It was established in 1809.
12 of the 14 victims of Soviet Army forces attacks during the January Events of 1991 and the Medininkai Massacre are buried here. Other graves include those of Polish soldiers perished in 1919–20, a memorial of Lithuanian as well as German and Russian soldiers fallen in World War I and Red Army soldiers of World War II (constructed in 1951, rebuilt 1976–84). In 2003, over 3,000 French and other soldiers of the Grande Armée of Napoleon I who took part in the 1812 invasion of Russia were reburied at the cemetery after their bodies were excavated some two years prior from French-dug trenches that were used by the victorious Russians as mass graves due to the frozen state of the ground; French and Lithuanian diplomats participated in the interment ceremony^. The remains of 18 more soldiers from the army who were dumped into a different area were reburied in November 2010.
Google Maps took me to a unused entrance on the south side of the cemetery. The gate was locked and the whole place surrounded by a white stone wall too high to climb. But one of the bars in the gate had been removed and I crawled through. First come to the ?thousands of graves dated 1919-22 with a white/red ribbon around each cross. Above is a chapel and a memorial. A bronze plaque commemorates the French/Russian War of 1812 when Napoleon’s army came through this part of Lithuania. The large memorial dates 1941-1945 has many red granite blocks with 20 names per block. At the end is the Memorial of Red Army Soldiers.
The cemetery also has many civilian graves, many a wonder of design. There are at least 50 with impressive bas-relief faces and two carved wood “grave stones”. This cemetery is well worth coming to.
Akropolis. This is a large shopping mall on top of the hill above Vilnius. The central area has an ice-skating rink surrounded by restaurants. It has all the usual chain stores. I slept in the parking lot.

Day 2
All museums in Vilnius were free the day I was there as it was the last Sunday of the month.
Mindaugas Bridge. This is actually a steel-arched road bridge with two wide pedestrian walks on either side.
Vilnius Historic Centre. A World Heritage Site, the Old Town of Vilnius is the historical centre of Vilnius about 3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi) in size. The most valuable historic and cultural sites are concentrated here. The buildings in the old town—there are nearly 1,500—were built over several centuries, creating a blend of many different architectural styles. Although Vilnius is known as a Baroque city, there are examples of Gothic (e.g. Church of St. Anne), Renaissance, and other styles. Their combination is also a gateway to the historic centre of the capital. Owing to its uniqueness, the Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Vilnius University’s main campus’s features 13 courtyards framed by 15th century buildings and splashed with 300-year-old frescoes, and the Church of St. Johns. The Gate of Dawn, the only surviving gate of the first original five gates in the city wall, hosts the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which has been said to have miracle-working powers. Over 200 tiles and commemorative plaques to writers, who have lived and worked in Vilnius, and foreign authors, who have shared a connection with Vilnius and Lithuania, adorn a wall on Literatų street in the Old Town, presenting a broad overview of the history of Lithuanian literature.

Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. This is a beautiful museum about the archaeology and history of Vilnius and Lithuania presented in very detailed story boards and accompanied by exhibits. There is so much information it becomes completely overwhelming. Nobody I saw was reading anything. Finish with furniture, tapestries and wonderful ceramic stoves. The 3^rd floor has art and more great furniture, stoves and tapestries. The rooms are beautifully restored with great ceilings. Then continue to the 3^rd part.
Wall Stories. This photo exhibit showed the disappearing Heritage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – all the churches and other buildings that are ruins mostly in Ukraine but also Belarus and Lithuania destroyed mostly in Soviet times – wonderful large format (Linhof Master Technika and Horseman cameras) photographs by Raimondas Paknys. Brick buildings were constructed starting in the 13^th century, mostly by the Orthodox community and then Catholic. Castles are also included.
Continue with food and kitchens, music and then I finally gave up. Free day
National Museum of Lithuania. This is a great museum on two floors with many nice pieces. Especially good is the folk art (crosses, toys, carved icons) and the recreated house divided into several rooms. Free
Museum of Applied Arts and Design. Paris fashion and design from the 20s to the 60s from the collection of Alexandre Vassilev. Mans and laides accessories and women’s gowns from the 19^th century. Free
Gedimino Castle. On a hill in the middle of the last 3 museums, this is a ruined fort with an hexagonal tower and some reconstructed wall and tower on the south.
Toy Museum. This has mostly Eastern European toys that I didn’t recognize. The highlight are the folk, home-made toys. €2
St. Anne’s Church. Where this is marked by Google Maps is the Church of St Francis of Assis with frescoes uncovered since the Soviet years and many great wood carvings on the columns but it is also called St Anne’s Church>
The church of St Anne is a masterpiece of the late Gothic period. Popular legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte, who was fascinated by the beauty of the church, wanted to take it back to Paris in the palm of his hand. Unfortunately, the reality is not that romantic: during the march of the Napoleonic army through Lithuania, the church was consigned to the French cavalry forces. However, Napoleon did mention in a letter to his wife that Vilnius is a very beautiful city“.
St Anne’s Church, which has survived to the present day without changing for over 500 years, has become a symbol of Vilnius. At a closer look, one can see the letters A and M in the main facade of St Anne‘s. The letters A and M could stand for the Latin Ana Mater Maria or Ave Maria, i.e. Saint Anne – Mother of Mary“ or Hail Mary“. Some experts claim that the Pillars of Gediminas have been highlighted in the composition of the facade with the three towers of the church corresponding to the three pillars.
Next to the church there is a bell tower initating the Gothic style and built in the 19th century.
St. Paraskeva Church. The first church here dates from 1345 and this present church from 1865.This small orthodox church has plain orange/yellow walls, an ornate carved wood iconostasis and some framed icons on the walls. The outside is more interesting with brick arches over the windows and doors and an ornate red gable.
Lithuanian Art Museum. Lithuanian art from the 1600s to the early 20^th century.The Album de Wilna is a compilation of engravings of people, landscapes and cultural places in Lithuania. Lovely watercolours of Vilnius by J Kamarauskas (1874-1946). The rest was so-so. Free
St. Nichola’s Church. This Orthodox church dates from 1545, burnt down in 17 and was redesigned in Byzantine style. Inside are red/yellow bands around the windows and lovelt floral and geometric painted side walls and around the arches. The iconostasis is nice caved wood.
Jesuit Church of St. Casimir. This large Catholic church has a pin/white façade and many elaborate Baroque elements Inside the highlight is the immense marble columned altar with gilt capitals.
St. Nichola’s Church. This Roman Catholic church has lovely ribbed vaults with interesting “bolts of lighting”, marble columns on the altar and some remannts of frescoes. (I don’t know which St Nicola’s church is meant in NM, so I saw them both.
Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum. 35 art works by Samuel Bak who started drawing at age 9 in the Vilna Ghetto in 1942-53. Now world famous and moved to Massachecetts in 1993. There were also two other artists featured. A long corridor had several posters about the entire history of Jews and the much about WW II.
Tiskel Palace
Orthodox Church of St. Michael and St. Constantine. This is an impressive church form the outside, all columns, large arches over the windows and door and many gold onion domes. Inside is average.
Museum of Genocide Victims (Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights). In October 1939, the Red Army moved 20,000
Slushko Palace. This large 3-story building is home to the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. It can’t be visited.
Small Theatre of Vilnius. This is a performance arts theatre. All work is in Lithuanian or Russian.
Radziwiłł Palace. is a Late Renaissance palace in the Old Town of Vilnius. It was the largest but second in importance of Radziwiłłs’ palaces in Vilnius.It is likely that a wooden mansion of Mikołaj “the Black” Radziwiłł stood in the same site in the 16^th. The building fell in ruin after the Muscovite invasion 1655–60 and remained mostly neglected for centuries. It was further devastated during World War I and only the northern wing of the palace survived. Eventually, it was restored in the 1980s and a division of the Lithuanian Art Museum is located there today. A part of the palace is still in need of renovation today. Currently, this branch of the Lithuanian National Art Museum contains Old Master paintings by Ludovico Lipparini, Guisseppe Rossi, Antonio Bellucci, Carlo Dolci, Giovanni Pannini and Bartolomeus Spranger.
Vilnius (Lietuvos Nacionalinis Dramos). Located on Gediminas Avenue. it is one of Lithuania’s most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues and cultural institutions. Founded as a Vilnius State Theatre in 1940, it became Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in 1998. The theatre’s façade featuring the Feast of Muses sculpture has become a landmark of Vilnius city.
The story of the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre began on 6 October 1940, when the play “Hope” by Dutch playwright Herman Heijermans was performed in the then Vilnius State Theatre on Basanaviciaus St. 13. The main visual motif of the play – a fisher’s boat – has become the emblem of the National Theatre.
During the Second World War, the theatre operated as the Vilnius City Theatre, throughout 1944-1947 – as the Vilnius State Drama Theatre, in 1947-1955 it was called the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, until 1998 – the Lithuanian State Academic Drama Theatre, and since 3 August 1998 it has been known as the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (LNDT).
The theatre has been operating in the current premises on Gedimino Avenue 4 since 1951. This place has a rich theatrical tradition – in the beginning of the twentieth century it hosted events of the theatrical Polish Cultural Society “Liutnia”. In 1981, a major reconstruction of the theatre was completed. Then the Big Hall, which can accommodate 660 spectators, was opened. The Small Hall (171 seats) opened the door a few years later. The Studio (former rehearsal space) is used for small and experimental productions. The Main Lobby is often used as a venue for set design, theatre costumes and posters exhibitions.
The sculpture “Feast of Muses” (by sculptor Stanislovas Kuzma), installed in 1981, crowning the main entrance to the theatre has become the symbol of the LNDT. The muses of Drama (Calliope), Comedy (Thalia) and Tragedy (Melpomene) are patrons of the theatre’s wide and diverse repertoire, and the sculpture “The Fount” decorating the lobby symbolizes the course that the theatre has taken: to cherish tradition, but remain vigorous and open to innovation and change.
The LNDT presents a wide variety of genres; its repertoire comprises the classical, modern and Lithuanian playwriting. The theatre acts as an umbrella organisation commissioning shows to the most prominent Lithuanian and European artists and young professionals. Such directors as Kirsten Dehlholm (Denmark), Krystian Lupa (Poland), Yana Ross (USA), Árpad Schilling (Hungary), Valters Sīlis have directed their works here. Lithuanian theatre directors Oskaras Koršunovas, Eimuntas Nekrošius, Jonas Vaitkus, Gintaras Varnas, Cezaris Graužinis as well as Agnius Jankevičius, Paulius Ignatavičius have also presented their shows here.
Since 2005, the LNDT has organized the national drama festival “Versmė” (The Fount). It is the culmination of a national playwriting competition. First, a competition is announced, then readings of the best plays organized, and, finally, the best plays are staged and presented at the festival. The aim is to promote the development of Lithuanian dramaturgy, and raise the interest of theatre professionals and the public in national playwriting.
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church. In Antakalnis district this is a masterpiece of the 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth  Baroque famous for its exceptional interior where one can see about 2,000 stucco figures. It is the centerpiece of a former monastery complex of the Canons Regular of the Lateran. The church is considered a masterpiece of the Baroque.
History. During the wars with Russia in 1655–61, the monastery was burned down and the church was destroyed. The construction of the new church was commissioned by the Great Lithuanian Hetman and Voivode of Vilnius Michał Kazimierz Pac. The construction works started on 29 June 1668 and finished in 1676. Pac brought Italian masters Giovanni Pietro Perti and Giovanni Maria Galli for interior decoration. According to his last wishes, Pac was buried beneath the doorstep of the main entrance with the Latin inscription Hic Jacet Pecator (here lies a sinner) on his tombstone. At the end of the 18th century, lightning hit the church, knocked down a sculpture which fell and fractured the tombstone; the incident inspired many rumors about Pac and his sins. The tombstone is now displayed on the right wall of the main entrance. The church was finished by Pac’s brother, Bishop of Samogitia Kazimierz Pac, and was consecrated in 1701, while the final decoration works were completed only in 1704. The construction of the church revitalized Antakalnis and attracted other nobles: Sapiehas who built Sapieha Palace and Słuszkos who built Slushko Palace. The interior of the church changed relatively little since that time. The major change was the loss of the main altar. The wooden altar was moved to the Catholic church in Daugai in 1766. The altar is now dominated by the Farewell of St. Peter and St. Paul, a large painting by Franciszek Smuglewicz, installed there in 1805. The interior was restored by Giovanni Beretti and Nicolae Piano from Milan in 1801–04. At the same time, a new pulpit imitating the ship of Saint Peter was installed. In 1864, as reprisal for the failed January Uprising, Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky closed the monastery and converted its buildings into military barracks. In 1901–05, the interior was restored again. The church acquired the boat-shaped chandelier. The dome was damaged during World War II bombings, but was rebuilt true to its original design. Despite religious persecutions in the Soviet Union, extensive interior restoration was carried out in 1976–87.
Kalvariju Turgus. This is one or the largest markets in Vilnius. An open, roofed central area of vegys and fruit is surrounded by 3 large buildings with meat, cheese, fish. Closed Mondays.
Church of St. Raphael. This is a stylish monument of the late Baroque built in the first half of the 18th century. The towers of the church were built in the middle of the 18th century, they are crowned with rococo helmets and lanterns. The church and the adjacent monastery belonged to the Jesuits. After the Society of Jesus had been dissolved, in 1993 the church was given to the Order of Catholic monks (Ordo Clericorum Regularium Pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum) established in Rome in 1597 to teach children of poor families. Later the church was converted into the barracks and the warehouse of the military. In 1860 the Church was returned to the Catholics.
The painting St Raphael the Archangel adorns its high altar. This Church has benches (in the middle aisle) made in the first half of the 18th century, which were moved from the Church of Bernardino into it.
Presidential Palace. This is the central part of the former Governor’s Palace. The first palace was built here in the 15^th century and used as the Vilnius Bishops;\’ residence until the last division of the Polish-Lithuanian state in 1795 when it was used by the general-governor. In the 19^th century it was visited by many distinguished historical personalities such as Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1824-32, it was reconstructed in the Empire style. Both sides of the palace are equally impressive and the interiors are especially beautiful.

Day 3
I then left Vilnius heading west towards Kaunas.
Vilnius TV Tower. Constructed in 1974-1980, this 326.5m high tower is the tallest structure in Lithuania. It has a 190m long hollow concrete base and a 136m long steel spike. The observation deck at 165m has a café and great views of Vilnius as it rotates once every 45 minutes. On clear days, Elektrenai, a power plant that produced much of the electricity for Vilnius in Soviet times and 40kms away, can be seen.
In 1991, 14 unarmed civilians died and 700 were injured defending the Soviet military seizure of the tower. A small museum commemorating that event is on the ground floor.
Every Christmas, it is decorated to look like a Christmas tree and for the 2006 Word Basketball Championship was decorated with a large basketball net with a hoop 35m in diameter. Bungee jumps are available from the roof of the observation deck.


Gariunai Market. About 15kms west of the centre of Vilnius, this is a huge market with 10 lanes of shops surrounded by covered tent shops and a complex of 4 large enclosed 2-story “mall” to the west, mainly with clothes. I thought 7 Kilometre Market in Odessa was the largest in Europe but this was must me giving it some competition for size.

Geographical Centre of Europe. After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the geographic centre of Europe was in Lithuania, at 54°54′N 25°19′E, 26kms north of Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius. Affholder accomplished this by calculating the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe.

TRAKAI (pop 5000)
This historical village originated in 1337 and was the castle was the home of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Lithuania, it gets a million visitors a year.
This lovely town sits in peninsulas surrounded by lakes.
Trakai Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This large 3-naved RC church dates from 1718. It has a grand altar of marble and silver with a gold, jewelled crown on the top. A gold jacketed icon of the virgin is in the center. The side altars are white/gilt and the framed paintings on the columns are surrounded by marble and gilt.
Outside is a carved “totem” with a crucifix on top, covered scenes of 4 saints and a seated crowned virgin and baby on the bottom. There is a Compostela de Santiago shell on the outside of the church. Free
Trakai Historical National Park. A tentative WHS, (28/07/2003) established in 1991, it has 32 lakes (area 1,400ha) in a park 8,200ha in size. Forests cover 82% of the area.
Trakai Island Castle. Cross two pedestrian wood bridges to access this castle on a small island in the middle of Galve Lake and part of the park. Built in 1400-1409, it is a lovely stone/red brick castle with rebuilt central guard tower, upper walls, 3 round corner towers and large square keep on the other corner. Inside are several buildings and a museum. €4

Lithuanian Road Museum (Keliu muziejus, Automagistale), Vievis. This is primarily a road construction museum with graders, bulldozers, caterpillars, packers and trucks but there is also a small display of Soviet made cars, vans and motorcycles.

RUMŠIŠKÈS
Rumšiškės open-air ethnographic museum. This large (195ha) presents the mode of life and traditions of peasants and town people of all Lithuanian ethnographic areas in the late 18^th and early 20^th centuries: Dzukija, Aukstaitiha, Suvalkija, Zemaitija, and Mazoji Lietuva. There were fragmetns of villages. Authernitc farms, century old buildings. And a townsip with pottery, amber, linen processing and woodworks.
Most houses are log with great joinery, thatched roofs, rammed earth, brick or plank floors, large central ovens/heaters, traditional furniture and common household items. There is an amazing variety of fences and the yards have wells, beehives, teeter-totters, and farm buildings. Most have some sort of craft: weaving, pottery, wooden shoes, toy making, I watched a fellow on a loom doing beautiful work – the m square pieces were on €12. A woodworker with a foot pedaled lathe made toys. Each “farm” has someone working in it, some as guides but keeping everything clean.
In the town is a school (very cute with wood blackboard), the very nice large church was a copy and gorgeous inside with original confessionals, pews, small wood sculptures and many dioramas of religious scenes. Dry goods store, bookstore, post office, Liquor store with a European history of alcohol, and more. I had cold beetroot soup and met a lovely mother/son from Park City Utah – it was very nice to talk “normal” to someone. €5, 2.50 reduced.
Rumšiškės Open Air Museum Windmills. There are three windmills here and I saw two. A large shingled cone shape with a rotating top and a tiny square one that was fixed. (part of the price of the ethnographic museum).

Pažaislis Monastery and Church of the Visitation. This is the largest monastery complex in Lithuania, and the most magnificent example of Italian Baroque architecture in the country. It is situated in the Petrašiūnai elderate of Kaunas, Lithuania, on a peninsula in the Kaunas Reservoir near the Kaunas Yacht Club. It was declared a cultural monument.
Founded in 1662 for the Order of the Camaldolese Hermits, and built between 1674-1712,  the main construction continued until 1674 and resumed in 1712. exclusive architectural solutions were used for the first time in Europe: a hexagonal church plan, and a concave facade. The interior stucco work is ascribed to Joan Merli and the frescos to Michelangelo Palloni.
The monastery’s church, decorated with highly polished marble, was damaged by the horses of Napoleon’s army which was based in the complex. In 1832 the monastery was closed by the Russian authorities and later converted into an Orthodox church. In 1915-1918 when the Orthodox monks had fled a German war hospital was established in the monastery. The leaving Orthodox monks has stolen many treasures from the monastery, including the St. Mass Cup, decorated with over 1000 gemstones (over 400 diamonds, 300 rubies and 200 emeralds). After 1920 the ruined monastery returned to Roman Catholics and was restored by sisters of the Lithuanian convent of St. Casimir. After World War II, the Soviet authorities converted the church and monastery into an archive, a psychiatric hospital and finally an art gallery (in 1966). In 1990s the complex was returned by the newly independent Lithuania to the nuns of the convent and reconstruction work began.
Today the monastery is home to the annual international Pažaislis Music Festival. It was started in 1996 and now lasts for three summer months and offers about 30 different concerts. It features classical music of diverse genres and styles,
This church looks unkempt on the outside – grey, unpainted, dirty copper domes,

KAUNAS (pop 394,000 urban, 589,000 metro)
On the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas Rivers (and near the Kaunas reservoir, the largest body of water in Lithuania), it is the 2^nd largest city in Lithuania and the historical center of Lithuanian economic, academic and cultural life. It served as the temporary capital of Lithuania from 1920-1939 when Vilnius was seized by Poland. This interwar period’s architecture is a fine example of European Art Deco.
History. A legend says that it was established by the Romans in ancient times. The first settlement dates to the 10^th century and Kaunas castle was built in 1361. It was captured by the Teutonic Order in the 14^th century. At the intersection of trade routes and a river port, in 1441, it joined the Hanseatic League. The Swedish army occupied it in 1701, the Black death killed many residents in 1657 and 1708 and fires burned parts of the city in 1731 and 1732. In the 1812 French invasion of Russia, the Grand Army of Napoleon passed through twice devastating the city both times. In 1862, the railway connecting Russia and Germany made it an economic power.
Prior to WW II, in 1897, 25,500 or 35% of the population were Jews. In the interwar period, it was dubbed “Little Paris” because of its rich cultural and academic life, fashion, Art Deco architecture, café culture and Western standard of living. Industry prospered, 2,500 buildings and 3 bridges over the Neris and Nemunas rivers were built. It was a centre for the Lithuanian armed forces. Prior to the war, there were 35-40,000 Jews in the city and it was a center of higher Jewish learning. In the first days of Nazi occupation a pogrom killed 4,000 Jews and later 30,000 at the Ninth Fort.
Kaunas 1919-1939: The Capital Inspired by the Modern Movement. A tentative WHS (10/01/2017). Shown best in the Historical Presidential Palace.  
Lithuanian Zoo. I find most of these depressing as hell with their dated caging and poor habitat – no more than a “jail” for animals. I didn’t see any animal I had not seen before. €5, 2.50 reduced
Sugihara House (Diplomats for Life). Sugihara (1900-1986) was the first vice-consul for the Japanese Embassy in Lithuania from 1939 to 1940. The embassy was downstairs and the residence was upstairs. He issued 2132 transit visas for Jews in Lithuania with about 6000 actually arriving overall by this method. The original plan was to travel through the Soviet Union and transit Japan on their way to Curaco, a Dutch Caribbean Island as the Dutch government had given them visas on arrival. In fact only 5 families went to Curaca, but the Jews instead dispersed all over the world, mostly where they had family. Sugihara eventually had to leave for Berlin. He returned to Japan in 1947 after 2 tears in a POW camp. In 1985, he was honoured by the Israeli government.
Watch a video that gives background. Upstairs there are more displays. 85% of visitors are from Japan and there were about 10 when I was. €4, no reduction
St. Michael the Archangel’s Church. In the middle of a round square, this large white RC church with blue domes has seen better days with peeling paint and plaster falling off. It was actually being renovated and couldn’t be entered.
Vytautas’ the Great Church of the Assumption of The Holy Virgin Mary. The highlights are the brick rib vaulted ceiling in the apse and the side chapel containing the statue of King Vytautas, the great stained glass windows and the lovely Ways of the Cross (painted bas-reliefs across the back of the church). The exterior is brick.
Kaunas Arch-Cathedral Basilica. Built in 1413, it was damaged during the Moscow Army and Swedish army in 1655 and 1707, devastated by a fire in 1732 and severely repressed in Soviet times. It is a huge 3-nave church with many baroque elements – many carved stucco statues and marble columns in the nave, decorative capitals on the columns and floral paintings on the ceilings and arches. There are many murals on the top of the side walls. Clear windows provide lots of light.
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy. This is a great museum with stuff from all over Lithuania collected by one man – many stills, mortars and pestles and drug production techniques. The building is interesting with brick barrel vaulted rooms in the basement. Dental chairs. The medical part has some unusual trephinations. €2
Lithuanian Aviation Museum. This is a better than average aviation museum: firefighting equipment, many gliders and hang gliders, ultralights, engines, models and various aviation paraphernalia. Outside are just a few helicopters and jets, all Soviet. €3 no reduction.
Vytautas the Great War Museum. 13^th – 17^th century, art, artillery and a hodge-podge of archaeology and artillery on the 1^st floor. Hall of Uprisings (1788-92 where Russia suppressed Lithuania). In WWI, 30,000 Lithuanians were conscripted into the Soviet army. Between 1918-23, Lithuania fought the Poles, Germans and Russia. Hall of Weapons with a lot of guns, swords etc. 1941-1945. €2, 1 reduced
K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum. Ciurlionis (1875-1911 – pneumonia) produced 350 musical scores and 300 paintings most shown here in this gallery. He was a surrealist painting in subdued tones with tempura and pastels. In the basement, photos by Kossakowski, a Polish nobleman and an exhibition about Ciurlionis. Upstairs is a large gallery with early 1900s art. €5, 2.50 reduced
Devil’s Museum (Zmuidzinavičius Museum). In the NM “Bizzarium” series, Antanas Zmuidzinavicius (1976-1966), was an artist (a landscape artist his pieces are exhibited on the 2^nd floor), an ardent supporter of Lithuanian artists and a collector. The collections are on 3 floors of the main part of the museum, a fantastic collection of folk art portraying the devil, most wood carvings, but also ceramics and masks. On the 3^rd floor are modern additions to the devil collection. Also watercolours by Osvaldas Jablonskis (1944-) and the apartments of Zmuidzinavičius. €5, 2.50 reduced (2.20 because they had no change)
Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania in Kaunas. Kaunas was the capital of Lithuania from 1918-1940. A military coup took over the government in 1926. Portraits and vignettes of the presidents, most significant events of the First Rupublic, Audience Hall. Watercolours by the American Lithuanian, Aleksandras Mykolas Rackus. €2

Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway. This is a great way to get from lower Kaunas up to the church and avoid the mess of road construction devastating all direct routes up the hill. There are two cars balancing each other and passing half way on the relatively short ascent. The cars are cute yellow boxes with wonderful old wood seats. I took it up, saw the church and took it down again. €.70 each way.

Monumental Christ Resurrection Church. In 2005 it was finally completed, the largest basilical church in the Baltic States. The church now features two towers: one is 70 meters high, and a lower one arises from the main altar. In the main tower’s upper level there is an additional chapel. An elevator permits access to the church’s roof, which affords a panoramic view of the city. The church stands atop Kaunas’s Green Hill, Žaliakalnis. The church is not solely dedicated to Roman Catholic ceremonies – it is also used for community gatherings and events, and as a preschool. The sanctuary seats 400; altogether, it can accommodate about 5,000 people. A RC church built in art deco design,  inside is a spare white 3-nave church where everything is square and flat. The Ways of the Cross are very modern. A simple bronze Jesus is splayed with no cross in the apse.


Mega Shopping Mall. About 10kms north of Kaunas, it is a relatively old mall with no distinguishing features.
Ninth Fort (Kaunas Fortress). By 1890, Kaunas was encircled by 8 forts and nine gun batteries. Construction of the Ninth Fort began in 1902 and completed in 1914. From 1924 the fort was used as the Kaunas City prison. During the Soviet Union occupation in 1940-41, it was a prison and way station for political prisoners being transported to Gulag forced labour camps. During the Nazi occupation, it was a place of mass murder – some 45,000 to 50,000 Jews, most from Kaunas and largely taken from the Kovno Ghetto, were brought here and killed in what became known as the Kaunas massacre. Jews were brought from as far away as France, Austria and Germany. In 1943, special Jewish squads dug mass graves and burned the remaining carcasses. 62 people managed to escape on the eve of 1944. In 1944, as the Soviets moved in, the Germans liquidated the ghetto in the “Fort of Death”. After WW II, the Soviets continued to use it as a prison.
The museum has information about the earlier fort and both Soviet and Nazi artifacts with good English labels.
The fort consists of several vaults built into a dirt/grass embankment. A more recently constructed brick wall with barbed wire on top is built in front to the fort and is a Nazi addition. €2

Victims of Nazism Memorial. Beside the Hill of Massacre (a grass field marked by a simple phrase in multiple languages “This is the place where Nazis and their assistants killed about 45,000 Jews from Lithuania and other European countries”) and the Ninth Fort, this memorial was built in 1984. It is 32m high and consists of 3 groups of slanted reinforced cement columns with anguished faces and outstretched fists.
In 2011, the memorial was vandalized – tombstones knocked down and white swastikas spray painted. On the adjacent sidewalk, the words, Juden raus (German for Jews Out) was written.

The day was cool with frequent heavy rain showers. I have not experienced such heavy wind in the last 6 months in Europe. For the first time in weeks, I wore my fleece top and vest to stay warm. Realize that Vilnius is at the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska.

RAUDONDVARIS. In the NM “small town” series,
Raudondvaris Castle. This is a lovely complex of 3-story red brick manor house with a round tower on the NE corner, a museum, orangery (white with a glass domed front –all a restaurant) and the old stables (a brick U now renovated into exhibition halls).

GO TO WESTERN LITHUANIA

After Panemunė Castle, Pilis (in the western section of Lithuania), I turned north and reentered the south part of Lithuania where this church is included. Many wonderful wooden crosses lined the highways. Carved from a single tree trunk, they are great pieces of folk art.

Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Siluva), Šiluva. The first wooden church was built here in 1457. It burned down in 1500 and 1530. In 1608, the Virgin Mary appeared before shepherds in a the Siluva meadows and a wooden church was built again. This church is one of only five Christian churches were manifestations of the Virgin Mary are recognized by the Catholic church. In 1755, the present church was built. A fire in the towers in 1925 required an extensive reconstruction. Pope John Paul II visited here in 1993.

The church is noted for its extravagant Baroque interior. The most famous icon is the 17^th century Mother of God in the center of the main altar in a wonderful silver jacket. The four huge columns each have altars covered in grey stucco statues and grey columns with elaborate capitals. The apse is also full of large white stucco statues. Each altar and both sides of the apse have great English descriptions of all the scenes depicted. I don’t think I have ever read such hogwash: Jews are blamed for the death of Christ (no wonder Jews have been persecuted in Eastern Europe for centuries); Joseph is depicted as the “guardian” of Jesus. Every story is embellished with all the myths generated by the Catholic church: virgin birth, resurrection of a dead Jesus, blaming Jews for all the sins of the church.

The rib-vaulted ceiling has nice small murals in each section. The geometric design stained glass is lovely.
I was surprised to find this church open at 7:30pm. I slept in the parking lot on a very windy night.

GO TO NORTHEN LITHUANIA

Experiences
Play/hear birbyne
Taste Cepelinai
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Lithuania Railway Experience

NOMAD MANIA Lithuania – Vilnius, Kaunas, Alytus
World Heritage Sites
Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)
Struve Geodetic Arc
Sights: Grutos Parkas
Borders
Belarus-Lithuania
Lithuania-Poland
XL:
Antanai Reserve panhandle
Dieveniskes area
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Medininkai: Medininkai Castle
Norviliškės: Norviliškės Castle
Siesikai: Siesikai Castle
Religious Temples: Šiluva: Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sight Our Lady of Siluva)
World of Nature: Dzūkija National Park (Sight)
Ski Resorts: Liepkalnis Winter Sports Centre
Monuments: Centre of Europe Monument
Festivals
Culture Night
Kaunas/Vilnius: Kaunas International Film Festival
Kaunas: Days of Kaunas City
Pažaislis Music Festival
Saint Jonas’ Festival
Spengla Lake: Yaga Gathering
Tamsta Music festival
Užgavėnės
Vilnius Mama Jazz festival
Vilnius: Saint Casimir’s Fair

European Cities
ALYTUS

KAUNAS  World Cities and Popular Towns
Tentative WHS: Kaunas 1919-1939: The Capital Inspired by the Modern Movement (10/01/2017) 
Airports: Kaunas (KUN)
Sights: Ninth Fort, Kaunas
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway, Kaunas
Museums:
Kaunas Museum for the Blind
M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
Vytautas the Great War Museum
House Museums/Plantations: Kaunas: Sugihara House (Dipolmats for Life)
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Historical Presidential Palace
Ninth Fort (Kaunas Fortress)
Religious Temples
Kaunas Arch-Cathedral Basilica
Monumental Christ Resurrection Church
Pažaislis Monastery and Church
St. Michael the Archangel’s Church
Vytautas’ the Great Church of the Assumption of The Holy Virgin Mary
Malls/Department Stores: Mega
Botanical Gardens: Kaunas Botanical Gardens
Aviation Museums: Lithuanian Aviation Museum
Monuments: Victims of Nazism Memorial (Ninth Fort)
Bizzarium: Kaunas: Devil’s Museum (Zmuidzinavičius Museum)

VILNIUS  World Capitals,  World Cities and Popular Towns
World Heritage Sites: Vilnius Historic Centre
Airports: Vilnius (VNO)
Museums:
Lithuanian Art Museum
Lithuanian Road Museum
Museum of Applied Arts and Design
National Museum of Lithuania
Toy Museum
Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Presidential Palace
Radziwiłł Palace
xSlushko Palace
Religious Temples
St. Anne’s Church, Vilnius
St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Vilnius
Church of St. Raphael
Jesuit Church of St. Casimir
Orthodox Church of St. Michael and St. Constantine
St. Nichola’s Church
St. Paraskeva Church
Modern Architecture Buildings: Vilnius TV Tower
Malls/Department Stores: Akropolis
Markets:
Gariunai Market
Kalvariju Turgus
Entertainment/Things to do:
Small Theatre of Vilnius
Theatre Arena, Vilnius (Lietuvos Nacionalinis Dramos?)
Zoos: Kaunas: Lithuanian Zoo
Monuments: Memorial of Red Army Soldiers
Pedestrian Bridges: Vilnius: Mindaugas Bridge
Botanical Gardens: Vilnius University Botanical Garden
Planetariums: Vilnius: Planetariumas
Railway Museums: Vilnius: Lithuanian Railway Museum
Vehicle Museums: Vievis: Keliu muziejus, Automagistale
The Dark Side
Antakalnis Cemetery
Museum of Genocide Victims (Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights)

Villages and Small Towns
KÉDAINIAI (Sight)

DRUSKININKAI
Sights: Druskininkai Spa Town
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Druskininkai Cable Car (Hoist Cable Car)
Museums: Druskininkai: Girios Aidas (Forest Echo)
Religious Temples: Joy of all who Sorrow Church
The Dark Side: Druskininkai: Grutas Park

RAUDONDVARIS
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Raudondvaris Castle

TRAKAI
Tentative WHS: Trakai Historical National Park (28/07/2003)
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Trakai Island Castle
Religious Temples: Trakai Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

RUMŠIŠKÈS
Windmills: Rumšiškės Open Air Museum Windmill
Open-Air Museum