Lithuania

Lithuania,officially theRepublic of Lithuania,is a country in theBaltic regionofEurope.It is one of threeBaltic statesand lies on the eastern shore of theBaltic Sea, bordered byLatviato the north,Belarusto the east and south,Polandto the south, and the Russiansemi-exclaveofKaliningrad Oblastto the southwest, with amaritime borderwithSwedento the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km(25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.89 million. Its capital and largest city isVilnius; other major cities includeKaunas,Klaipėda,ŠiauliaiandPanevėžys.Lithuaniansbelong to the linguistic group of theBaltsand speakLithuanian.
For millennia, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by variousBaltic tribes. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time byMindaugas, who formed theKingdom of Lithuaniaon 6 July 1253. Subsequent expansion and consolidation resulted in theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, which by the 14th century was the largest country in Europe. In 1386, the Grand Duchy entered into ade factopersonal unionwith theCrown of the Kingdom of Poland. The two realms wereunitedinto thebi-confederalPolish-Lithuanian Commonwealthin 1569, forming one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries graduallydismantledit between 1772 and 1795, with theRussian Empireannexing most of Lithuania's territory.
Towards the end ofWorld War I, Lithuaniadeclared Independencein 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. InWorld War II, Lithuania was occupiedby the Soviet Union,then by Nazi Germany, before beingreoccupied by the Sovietsin 1944.Lithuanian armed resistanceto the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formaldissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when itproclaimed the restoration of its independence.
Lithuania is adeveloped countrywith ahigh incomeandan advanced economy. Lithuania is a member of theEuropean Union, theCouncil of Europe, theeurozone, theNordic Investment Bank, theSchengen Agreement,NATO, andOECD. It also participates in theNordic-Baltic Eight(NB8) regional co-operation format.
The spelling ofLithuaniawas a later addition to the original LatinateLituaniasince 1800 as a form ofhyperforeignism(such as the wordauthorbeing a superseding form of olderautor) influenced byGreek loanwordswith thetheta; it is ultimately fromLithuanian:Lietuva.The first known record ofLietuvais in a 9 March 1009 story ofSaint Brunoin theQuedlinburg Chronicle.The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva:Litua(pronounced[litua]). Due to lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown and scholars still debate it. There are a few plausible versions.
Lietava, a small river not far fromKernavė, the core area of theearly Lithuanian stateand a possible first capital of the eventualGrand Duchy of Lithuania, is usually credited as the source of the name.However, the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation. On the other hand, such naming is not unprecedented in world history.
Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis,that Lietuva relates to the wordleičiai(plural ofleitis). From the middle of the 13th century,leičiaiwere a distinct warrior social group of theLithuaniansociety subordinate to theLithuanian ruleror the state itself. The wordleičiaiis used in 14–16th century historical sources as anethnonymfor Lithuanians (but notSamogitians) and is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in theLatvian language, which is closely related to Lithuanian.
The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded about 10,000 years ago.The first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after theLast Glacial Periodin the 10th millennium BC:Kunda,NemanandNarva cultures.They were traveling hunters. In the 8th millennium BC the climate became warmer and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. TheIndo-Europeans, who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed variousBaltic tribes.The Baltic tribes did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with theRoman Empire,while maintaining trade contacts via theAmber Road.
From the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by theVikings.Lithuania comprised mainly the culturally different regions ofSamogitia(known for its early medieval skeletal burials), and further eastAukštaitija, orLithuania proper(known for its early medieval cremation burials). The area was remote and unattractive to outsiders, including traders, which accounts for its separate linguistic, cultural and religious identity and delayed integration into general European patterns and trends.TraditionalLithuanian pagan customs and mythology, with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to Christianity: the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukesAlgirdasandKęstutishave survived.
The first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD.Facing theGerman threat,Mindaugasin the middle of the 13th century united a large part of theBaltictribes and founded the State of Lithuania, while in 1253 he was crowned as the CatholicKing of Lithuania.Moreover by taking advantage of the weakened territory of the formerKievan Rus'due to theMongol invasion, Mindaugas incorporatedBlack Rutheniainto Lithuania.After Mindaugas' assassination in 1263,pagan Lithuaniawas again a target of theChristian crusadesof theTeutonic KnightsandLivonian Order.Traidenisduring his reign (1269–1282) reunified all Lithuanian lands and achieved military successes against the Crusaders, fighting alongside other Baltic tribes, but was unable to militarily assist theOld Prussiansin theirGreat Uprising.Traidenis' main residence was inKernavė.
From the late 13th century members of theLithuanianGediminidsdynasty began ruling Lithuania, who consolidated ahereditary monarchyand thestatusofVilniusas permanentcapital city,christianized Lithuaniaand by incorporatingEast Slavs' territories (e.g. principalities ofMinsk,Kyiv,Polotsk,Vitebsk,Smolensk, etc.) significantly expanded theGrand Duchy of Lithuania's territory, which reached ~650,000 km2 in the first half of the 14th century.At the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest country inEurope.In 1385, Lithuania formed adynastic unionwithPolandthrough theUnion of Krewo.Furthermore, in the late 14th–15th centuriespatrilinealmembersof the Lithuanian ruling Gediminids dynasty ruled not only Lithuania and Poland, butHungary,Croatia,Bohemia, andMoldavia.The German attacks on Lithuania were ceased with a decisive Polish–Lithuanian victory in theBattle of Grunwaldin 1410 and by concluding theTreaty of Melnoin 1422.
In the 15th century the strengthenedGrand Duchy of Moscowrenewed theMuscovite–Lithuanian Warsfor the Lithuanian-controlledEastern Orthodoxterritories.Due to the unsuccessful beginning of theLivonian War, loss of land to theTsardom of Russia, and pressure by monarchSigismund II Augustus, a supporter of a close Polish–Lithuanian union, theLithuanian nobilityagreed to conclude theUnion of Lublinin 1569 with theCrown of the Kingdom of Poland, which created a newfederativePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealthwith a joint monarch (holding both titles of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), but Lithuania remained a separate state from Poland with its own territory (~300 000 km2), coat of arms, management apparatus, laws, courts, seal, army, treasury, etc.After concluding thereal unionLithuania and Poland jointly managed to reach military successes during the Livonian War,occupation of Moscow(1610),war with Sweden (1600–1611),Smolensk war with Russia (1632–1634), etc.In 1588,Sigismund III Vasapersonally confirmed theThird Statute of Lithuaniawhere it was stated that Lithuania and Poland have equal rights within the Commonwealth and ensured theseparation of powers.The real union strongly intensified thePolonizationof Lithuania and Lithuanian nobility.
The mid-17th century was marked with disastrous military loses for Lithuania as during theDelugemost of the territory of Lithuania was annexed by the Tsardom of Russia and even Lithuania's capital Vilnius was fullycapturedfor the first time by a foreign army and ravaged.In 1655, Lithuania unilaterallysecededfrom Poland, declared the Swedish KingCharles X Gustavas the Grand Duke of Lithuania and fell under theprotection of the Swedish Empire.However, by 1657 Lithuania was once again a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Lithuanian revolt against the Swedes.Vilnius was recaptured from the Russians in 1661.
In the second half of the 18th century the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was three timespartitionedby three neighboring countries which completelydissolutedboth independent Lithuania and Poland from the political map in 1795 after a failedKościuszko Uprisingand short-livedrecapture of capital Vilniusin 1794.Most of Lithuania's territory wasannexed by the Russian Empire, whileUžnemunė[lt]was annexed byPrussia.
Following the annexation theRussian Tsaristauthorities implementedRussificationpolicies in Lithuania, which then made a part of a new administrative regionNorthwestern Krai.In 1812Napoleonduring theFrench invasion of Russiahas established the puppetLithuanian Provisional Governing Commissionto support his war efforts, however after Napoleon's defeat the Russian rule was reinstated in Lithuania.
During theNovember Uprising(1830–1831) the Lithuanians and Poles jointly attempted to restore their statehoods, however the Russian victory resulted in stricter Russification measures: theRussian languagewas introduced in all government institutions,Vilnius Universitywas closed in 1832, and theories that Lithuania had been a "Western Russian" state since its establishment were propagated.Subsequently, the Lithuanians once again tried to restore statehood by participating in theJanuary Uprising(1863–1864), but yet another Russian victory resulted in even stronger Russification policies with the introduction of theLithuanian press ban, pressure on theCatholic Church in LithuaniaandMikhail Muravyov-Vilensky's repressions.
Simonas Daukantaspromoted a return to Lithuania's pre-Commonwealth traditions, which he depicted as a Golden Age of Lithuania and a renewal of the native culture, based on theLithuanian languageand customs. With those ideas in mind, he wrote already in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian –Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių(The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians), though it was not published at that time.A colleague of S. Daukantas,Teodor Narbutt, wrote in Polish a voluminousAncient History of the Lithuanian Nation(1835–1841), where he likewise expounded and expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and Sanskrit languages.
The Lithuanians resisted Russification through an extensive network ofLithuanian book smugglers, secret Lithuanian publishing and homeschooling.Moreover, theLithuanian National Revival, inspired by Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations for the reestablishment of an independent Lithuania.TheGreat Seimas of Vilniuswas held in 1905 and its participants adopted resolutions which demanded a wideautonomyfor Lithuania.
DuringWorld War ItheGerman Empireannexed Lithuanian territories from the Russian Empire and they became a part ofOber Ost.In 1907, the Lithuanians organized theVilnius Conferencewhich adopted a resolution, featuring the aspiration for the restoration of Lithuania's sovereignty and military alliance with Germany and elected theCouncil of Lithuania.In 1918, the short-livedKingdom of Lithuaniawas proclaimed; however on 16 February 1918 the Council of Lithuania adopted theAct of Independence of Lithuaniawhich restored Lithuania asdemocraticrepublicwith its capital inVilniusand separated that state from all state relations that existed with other nations.In 1918–1920 the Lithuanians defended the statehood of Lithuania during theLithuanian Wars of IndependencewithBolsheviks,BermontiansandPoles.The aims of the newly restored Lithuania clashed withJózef Piłsudski's plans to create afederation(Intermarium) in territories previously ruled by theJagiellonians.The Lithuanian authorities prevented the1919 Polish coup attempt in Lithuaniaand in 1920 during theŻeligowski's Mutinythe Polish forces capturedVilnius Regionand established apuppet stateof theRepublic of Central Lithuania, which in 1922 was incorporated into Poland.Consequently,Kaunasbecame thetemporary capital of Lithuaniawhere theConstituent Assembly of Lithuaniawas held and other primary Lithuanian institutions operated until 1940.In 1923, theKlaipėda Revoltwas organized which unified theKlaipėda Regionwith Lithuania.The1926 Lithuanian coup d'étatreplaced the democratically elected government andpresidentwith anauthoritarianregime led byAntanas Smetona.
In the late 1930s Lithuania has accepted the1938 Polish ultimatum,1939 German ultimatumand transferred the Klaipėda Region toNazi Germanyand following the beginning of theWorld War IIconcluded theSoviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty.In 1940 Lithuania has accepted theSoviet ultimatumand recovered the control of historical capital Vilnius, however the acceptance resulted in theSoviet occupation of Lithuaniaand its transformation into theLithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.In 1941 during theJune Uprising in Lithuaniait was attempted to restore independent Lithuania and theRed Armywas expelled from its territory, however in a few days Lithuania wasoccupied by Nazi Germany.In 1944 Lithuania wasre-occupied by the Soviet UnionandSoviet political repressionsalong withSoviet deportations from Lithuaniaresumed.Thousands ofLithuanian partisansand their supporters attempted to militarily restore independent Lithuania, but their resistance was eventually suppressed in 1953 by theSoviet authoritiesand theircollaborators.Jonas Žemaitis, the chairman of theUnion of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters, was captured andexecutedin 1954, his successor as chairmanAdolfas Ramanauskaswas brutally tortured and executed in 1957.Since the late 1980sSąjūdismovement sought for the restoration of independent Lithuania and in 1989 theBaltic Waywas held.
On 11 March 1990, theSupreme Councilannounced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence.On 20 April 1990, the Sovietsimposed an economic blockadeby ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials to Lithuania.Not only domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although the blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence.
Gradually, economic relations were restored. However, tensions peaked again in January 1991. Attempts were made to carry out a coup using theSoviet Armed Forces, the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security (KGB). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought thecoup d'étatwould receive strong public support.People flooded to Vilnius to defend theSupreme Council of the Republic of Lithuaniaand independence. The coup ended with a few casualties and material loss. TheSoviet Armykilled 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in theJanuary Events.On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed 7 Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as theMedininkai Massacre.On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to theUnited Nations.
On 25 October 1992, citizens voted in a referendum to adopt the currentconstitution.On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections,Algirdas Brazauskasbecame the first president after the restoration of independence.On 31 August 1993 the last units of the former Soviet Army left Lithuania.
On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined theWorld Trade Organization(WTO).Since March 2004, Lithuania has been part ofNATO.On 1 May 2004, it became a full member of theEuropean Union,and a member of theSchengen Agreementin December 2007.On 1 January 2015,Lithuania joinedtheeurozoneand adopted the European Union's single currency.On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined theOECD.Dalia Grybauskaitėwas the first femalePresident of Lithuania(2009–2019) and the first to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared astate of emergencyin response to the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine.Together with seven other NATO member states, it invoked NATOArticle 4to hold consultations on security.On 11–12 July 2023, the2023 NATO summitwas held in Vilnius.
Lithuania is located in the Baltic region ofEuropeand covers an area of 65,300 km(25,200 sq mi).It lies between latitudes53°and57° N, and mostly between longitudes21°and27° E(part of theCuronian Spitlies west of 21°). It has around 99 kilometres (61.5 mi) of sandy coastline, only about 38 kilometres (24 mi) of which face the openBaltic Sea, less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's majorwarm-water port,Klaipėda, lies at the narrow mouth of theCuronian Lagoon(Lithuanian:Kuršių marios), a shallow lagoon extending south toKaliningrad. The country's main and largest river, theNemunas River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping.
Lithuania lies at the edge of theNorth European Plain. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of thelast ice age, and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point isAukštojas Hillat 294 metres (965 ft) in the eastern part of the country. The terrain featuresnumerous lakes(Lake Vištytis, for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country.Drūkšiaiis the largest,Tauragnasis the deepest andAsvejais the longest lake in Lithuania.
After a re-estimation of the boundaries of thecontinentof Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at theInstitut Géographique National(French National Geographic Institute), determined that thegeographic centre of Europewas in Lithuania, at54°54′N25°19′E﻿ / ﻿54.900°N 25.317°E﻿ /54.900; 25.317﻿ (Purnuškės (centre of gravity)), 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lithuania's capital city ofVilnius.Affholder accomplished this by calculating thecentre of gravityof thegeometrical figureof Europe.
Lithuania has a temperate climate with bothmaritimeandcontinentalinfluences. It is defined ashumid continental(Dfb) under theKöppen climate classification(but is close tooceanicin a narrow coastal zone).
Average temperatures on the coast are −2.5 °C (27.5 °F) in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. In Vilnius, the average temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in January and 17 °C (63 °F) in July. During the summer, 20 °C (68 °F) is common during the day, while 14 °C (57 °F) is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as 30 or 35 °C (86 or 95 °F). Some winters can be very cold. −20 °C (−4 °F) occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are −34 °C (−29 °F) in coastal areas and −43 °C (−45 °F) in the east of Lithuania.
The average annual precipitation is 800 mm (31.5 in) on the coast, 900 mm (35.4 in) in the Samogitia highlands, and 600 mm (23.6 in) in the eastern part of the country. Snow occurs every year, and it can snow from October to April. In some years, sleet can fall in September or May. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part. Severe storms are rare in the eastern part of Lithuania but common in the coastal areas.
The longest records of measured temperature in the Baltic area cover about 250 years. The data show warm periods during the latter half of the 18th century, and that the 19th century was a relatively cool period. An early 20th-century warming culminated in the 1930s, followed by a smaller cooling that lasted until the 1960s. A warming trend has persisted since then.
Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest andpeatbog fires.
After the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990, theAplinkos apsaugos įstatymas(Environmental Protection Act) was adopted already in 1992. The law provided the foundations for regulating social relations in the field of environmental protection, established the basic rights and obligations of legal and natural persons in preserving the biodiversity inherent in Lithuania, ecological systems and the landscape.Lithuania agreed to cutcarbon emissionsby at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 40% by 2030, together with all European Union members. Also, by 2020 at least 20% (27% by 2030) of the country's total energy consumption should be from therenewable energysources.In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effectivecontainer deposit legislation, which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017.
Lithuania does not have high mountains and its landscape is dominated by blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereals. However, it stands out by the abundance ofhillforts, which previously had castles where the ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods.Lithuania is a particularly watered region with more than 3,000 lakes, mostly in the northeast. The country is also drained by numerous rivers, most notably the longestNemunas.Lithuania is home to two terrestrial ecoregions:Central European mixed forestsandSarmatic mixed forests.
Forest has long been one of the most important natural resources in Lithuania. Forests occupy one-third of the country's territory and timber-related industrial production accounts for almost 11% of industrial production in the country.Lithuania has fivenational parks,30regional parks,402nature reserves,668 state-protected natural heritage objects.
Lithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests,bogs, wetlands and meadows), and anthropogenic (agrarian and urban) ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory.Wetlands(raised bogs,fens, transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of the country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. Changes in wetland plant communities resulted in the replacement of moss and grass communities by trees and shrubs, and fens not directly affected by land reclamation have become drier as a result of a drop in the water table. There are 29,000 rivers with a total length of 64,000 km in Lithuania, theNemunas Riverbasin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potentialcatadromousfish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogeniceutrophication.
Agricultural land comprises 54% of Lithuania's territory (roughly 70% of that is arable land and 30% meadows and pastures), approximately 400,000 ha of agricultural land is not farmed, and acts as an ecological niche for weeds and invasive plant species. Habitat deterioration is occurring in regions with very productive and expensive lands as crop areas are expanded. Currently, 18.9% of all plant species, including 1.87% of all known fungi species and 31% of all known species of lichens, are listed in theLithuanian Red Data Book. The list also contains 8% of all fish species.
The wildlife populations have rebounded as the hunting became more restricted and urbanization allowed replanting forests (forests already tripled in size since their lows). Currently, Lithuania has approximately 250,000 larger wild animals or 5 per each square kilometre. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is theroe deer, with 120,000 of them. They are followed byboars(55,000). Other ungulates are thedeer(~22,000),fallow-deer(~21,000) and the largest one:moose(~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators,foxesare the most common (~27,000).Wolvesare, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are thelynxes(~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude therabbit, ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests.
Since Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56.75% of voters supported thenew constitution.There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. Aseparate referendumwas held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of thePresident of Lithuania.Through compromise, asemi-presidential systemwas agreed on.
The Lithuanianhead of stateis the president, directly elected for a five-year term and serving a maximum of two terms. The president oversees foreign affairs and national security, and is thecommander-in-chiefof the military.The president also appoints theprime ministerand, on the latter's nomination, the rest of the cabinet, as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts except the Constitutional Court.The current Lithuanian head of state,Gitanas Nausėdawaselected on 26 May 2019by winning in all themunicipalities of Lithuaniain the second election round.He was re-elected in 2024, winning more than 74% of the run-off votes.
The judges of theConstitutional Court(Konstitucinis Teismas) serve nine-year terms. The court is renewed by a third every three years. The judges are appointed by the Seimas, on the nomination by the President, Chairman of the Seimas, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court. TheunicameralLithuanian parliament, theSeimas, has 141 members elected to four-year terms - 71 in single-member constituencies, and the others in a nationwide vote byproportional representation. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in the Seimas.
Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world togrant women a right to votein the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the1918 Constitution of Lithuaniaand used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as theUnited States(1920),France(1945),Greece(1952),Switzerland(1971).
Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system,with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to theSeimastake place on the second Sunday of October every four years.To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania.Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.Social Democratic Party of Lithuaniawon the2024 Lithuanian parliamentary electionsand gained 52 of 141 seats in the parliament.In November 2024,Gintautas Paluckaswas confirmed as the prime minister after the Social Democrats reached a coalition agreement withUnion of Democrats "For Lithuania"andDawn of Nemunas.
ThePresident of Lithuaniais the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term.To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on the election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. Same President may serve for not more than two terms.Gitanas Nausėdawas elected as an independent candidate in2019and re-elected in2024.
Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by amunicipal counciland amayor, who is a member of the municipal council. The number of members, elected on a four-year term, in each municipal council depends on the size of the municipality and varies from 15 (in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents) to 51 (in municipalities with more than 500,000 residents). 1,498 municipal council members were elected in 2023. Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Starting with 2015, the mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality.Social Democratic Party of Lithuaniawon the most positions in the 2023 elections (358 municipal council seats and 17 mayors).
As of 2024, the number of seats in theEuropean Parliamentallocated to Lithuania was 11.Ordinary elections take place on a Sunday on the same day as in other EU countries. The vote is open to all citizens of Lithuania, as well as citizens of other EU countries that permanently reside in Lithuania, who are at least 18 years old on the election day. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of another EU country permanently residing in Lithuania. Candidates are not allowed to stand for election in more than one country. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.Eight political parties gained seats in the2024 elections.
The first attempt tocodifythe Lithuanian laws was in 1468 when theCasimir's Codewas compiled and adopted by Grand DukeCasimir IV Jagiellon.In the 16th century three editions of theStatutes of Lithuaniawere created with the First Statute being adopted in 1529, the Second Statute in 1566, and the Third Statute in 1588.On 3 May 1791, the Europe's first and the world's secondConstitutionwas adopted by theGreat Sejm.The Third Statute was partly in force in the territory of Lithuania even until 1840, despite theThird Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthin 1795.
In 1934–1935, Lithuania held thefirst mass trial of the Nazis in Europe, theconvictedwere sentenced to imprisonment in aheavy labor prisonandcapital punishments.
After regaining of independence in 1990, the largely modified Soviet legal codes were in force for about a decade. The currentConstitution of Lithuaniawas adopted on 25 October 1992.In 2001, theCivil Code of Lithuaniawas passed inSeimas. It was succeeded by theCriminal CodeandCriminal ProcedureCode in 2003. The approach to thecriminal lawisinquisitorial, as opposed toadversarial; it is generally characterised by an insistence on formality and rationalisation, as opposed to practicality and informality. Normative legal act enters into force on the next day after its publication in theTeisės aktų registras, unless it has a later entry into force date.
TheEuropean Union lawis an integral part of the Lithuanian legal system since 1 May 2004.
Lithuania, after breaking away from the Soviet Union, had a difficult crime situation, however, the Lithuanian law enforcement agencies fought crime over the years, making Lithuania a reasonably safe country.Crime in Lithuania has been declining rapidly.Law enforcement in Lithuania is primarily the responsibility of localLietuvos policija(Lithuanian Police) commissariats. They are supplemented by theLietuvos policijos antiteroristinių operacijų rinktinė Aras(Anti-Terrorist Operations Team of the Lithuanian PoliceAras),Lietuvos kriminalinės policijos biuras(Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau),Lietuvos policijos kriminalistinių tyrimų centras(Lithuanian Police Forensic Research Center) andLietuvos kelių policijos tarnyba(Lithuanian Road Police Service).
In 2017, there were 63,846 crimes registered in Lithuania. Of these, thefts comprised a large part with 19,630 cases (13.2% less than in 2016). While 2,835 crimes were serious and very serious (crimes that may lead to more than six years imprisonment), which is 14.5% less than in 2016. In total, 129 homicides or attempted homicide occurred (19.9% less than in 2016), while serious bodily harm was registered 178 times (17.6% less than in 2016). Another problematic crimecontrabandcases also decreased by 27.2% from 2016 numbers. Meanwhile, crimes in electronic data and information technology security fields noticeably increased by 26.6%.In the 2013 Special Eurobarometer, 29% of Lithuanians said that corruption affects their daily lives (EU average 26%). Moreover, 95% of Lithuanians regarded corruption as widespread in their country (EU average 76%), and 88% agreed that bribery and the use of connections is often the easiest way of obtaining certain public services (EU average 73%).Though, according to local branch of Transparency International, corruption levels have been decreasing over the past decade.
Capital punishment in Lithuaniawas suspended in 1996 and eliminated in 1998.Lithuania has the highest number of prison inmates in the EU. According to scientist Gintautas Sakalauskas, this is not because of a high criminality rate in the country, but due to Lithuania's high repression level and the lack of trust of the convicted, who are frequently sentenced to imprisonment.
The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's10 counties(Lithuanian: singular –apskritis, plural –apskritys) are subdivided into60 municipalities(Lithuanian: singular –savivaldybė, plural –savivaldybės), and further divided into 500elderships(Lithuanian: singular –seniūnija, plural –seniūnijos). There are also 5 distinctcultural regionsin Lithuania –Dzūkija,Aukštaitija,Suvalkija,SamogitiaandLithuania Minor, which are recognized by the state.
Municipalities have been the most important unit of administration in Lithuania since the system ofcounty governorship(apskrities viršininkas) was dissolved in 2010.Some municipalities are historically called "district municipalities" (often shortened to "district"), while others are called "city municipalities" (sometimes shortened to "city"). Each has its own elected government. The election of municipality councils originally occurred every three years, but now takes place every four years. The council appointseldersto govern the elderships. Mayors have been directly elected since 2015; prior to that, they were appointed by the council.
Elderships, numbering over 500, are the smallest administrative units and do not play a role in national politics. They provide necessary local public services—for example, registering births and deaths in rural areas. They are most active in the social sector, identifying needy individuals or families and organizing and distributing welfare and other forms of relief.Some citizens feel that elderships have no real power and receive too little attention, and that they could otherwise become a source of local initiative for addressing rural problems.
Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of theEuropean Union, theCouncil of Europe,Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well asNATOand its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council. Lithuania gained membership in theWorld Trade Organizationon 31 May 2001, and joined theOECDon 5 July 2018,while also seeking membership in other Western organizations.
Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries.
In 2011, Lithuania hosted theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeMinisterial Council Meeting. During the second half of 2013, Lithuania assumed the role of thepresidency of the European Union.
Lithuania is also active in developing cooperation among northern European countries. It is a member of the interparliamentaryBaltic Assembly, the intergovernmentalBaltic Council of Ministersand theCouncil of the Baltic Sea States.
Lithuania also cooperates with Nordic and the two other Baltic countries through theNordic-Baltic Eightformat. A similar format, NB6, unites Nordic and Baltic members of EU. NB6's focus is to discuss and agree on positions before presenting them to the Council of the European Union and at the meetings of EU foreign affairs ministers.
TheCouncil of the Baltic Sea States(CBSS) was established inCopenhagenin 1992 as an informal regional political forum. Its main aim is to promote integration and to close contacts between the region's countries. The members of CBSS areIceland,Sweden,Denmark,Norway,Finland,Germany, Lithuania,Latvia,Estonia,Poland,Russia, and the European Commission. Its observer states areBelarus,France,Italy,Netherlands,Romania,Slovakia,Spain, theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom, andUkraine.
TheNordic Council of Ministersand Lithuania engage in political cooperation to attain mutual goals and to determine new trends and possibilities for joint cooperation. The council's information office aims to disseminateNordicconcepts and to demonstrate and promote Nordic cooperation.
Lithuania, together with the five Nordic countries and the two other Baltic countries, is a member of theNordic Investment Bank (NIB)and cooperates in its NORDPLUS programme, which is committed to education.
The Baltic Development Forum (BDF) is an independent nonprofit organization that unites large companies, cities, business associations and institutions in the Baltic Sea region. In 2010 the BDF's 12th summit was held in Vilnius.
Polandwas highly supportive of Lithuanian independence, despite Lithuania'sdiscriminatory treatmentof itsPolish minority.The formerSolidarityleader and Polish PresidentLech Wałęsacriticised the government of Lithuania over discrimination against the Polish minority and rejected Lithuania'sOrder of Vytautas the Great.Lithuania maintains greatly warm mutual relations withGeorgiaand strongly supports its European Union and NATO aspirations.During theRusso-Georgian Warin 2008, when the Russian troops were occupying the territory of Georgia and approaching towards the Georgian capitalTbilisi, PresidentValdas Adamkus, together with the Polish and Ukrainian presidents, went to Tbilisi by answering to the Georgians request of the international assistance.Shortly, Lithuanians and theLithuanian Catholic Churchalso began collecting financial support for the war victims.
In 2004–2009,Dalia Grybauskaitėserved asEuropean Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budgetwithin theJosé Manuel Barroso-led Commission.
In 2013, Lithuania was elected to theUnited Nations Security Councilfor a two-year term,becoming the firstBalticcountry elected to this post. During its membership, Lithuania actively supportedUkraineand often condemnedRussiafor thewar in Ukraine, immediately earning vast Ukrainians esteem.As thewar in Donbasprogressed, President Dalia Grybauskaitė has compared the Russian PresidentVladimir PutintoJosef Stalinand toAdolf Hitler, she has also called Russia a "terrorist state".
In 2018 Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia were awarded thePeace of Westphalia Prize[de]– for their exceptional model of democratic development and contribution to peace in the continent.In 2019 Lithuania condemned theTurkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.In December 2021, Lithuania reported that in an escalation of the diplomatic spat withChinaover itsrelations with Taiwan,China had stopped all imports from Lithuania.According to Lithuanian intelligence agencies, in 2023 there was an increase in Chinese intelligence activity against Lithuania, including cyberespionage and increased focus on Lithuania's internal affairs and foreign policy.
The 2023NATO summitwas held in the Lithuanian capitalVilnius.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces is the name for the unified armed forces ofLithuanian Land Force,Lithuanian Air Force,Lithuanian Naval Force,Lithuanian Special Operations Forceand other units: Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Battalion,Military Police. Directly subordinated to theChief of Defenceare theSpecial Operations Forcesand Military Police. The Reserve Forces are under command of theLithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of some 20,000 active personnel, which may be supported byreserve forces.Compulsoryconscriptionended in 2008 but was reintroduced in 2015.The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently have 30 soldiers and officers participating in nine international operations and European Union training missions deployed inKosovo,Iraq,Central African Republic,Djibouti,Mozambique,Spain,Italy, and in theUnited Kingdom, providing training for Ukrainian soldiers onOperation Interflex.
Lithuania became a full member ofNATOin March 2004.Fighter jetsof NATO members are deployed inŠiauliai Air Baseandprovide safety for the Baltic airspace.
Beginning in summer of 2005, Lithuania was part of theInternational Security Assistance Forcein Afghanistan (ISAF), leading aProvincial Reconstruction Team(PRT) in the town ofChaghcharanin the province ofGhor. The PRT included personnel fromDenmark, Iceland and theUS. There were alsospecial operation forcesunits in Afghanistan, placed inKandahar Province. Since joining international operations in 1994, Lithuania has lost two soldiers: Lt. Normundas Valteris fell inBosnia, as his patrol vehicle drove over a mine. Sgt. Arūnas Jarmalavičius was fatally wounded during an attack on the camp of his Provincial Reconstruction Team inAfghanistan.
The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of theindependenceandsovereigntyof the state, theintegrityof its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states.
Thedefense ministryis responsible for combat forces,search and rescue, and intelligence operations. The 5,000border guardsfall under theInterior Ministry's supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with thenavyforsmugglingand drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection andcommunications security. In 2015National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuaniawas created. Paramilitary organisationLithuanian Riflemen's Unionacts as a civilian self-defence institution.
According to NATO, in 2020, Lithuania allocated 2.13% of itsGDPto the national defense.For a long time, especially after theglobal financial crisisin 2008, Lithuania lagged behind NATO allies in terms of defence spending. However, in recent years it has begun to rapidly increase the funding, exceeding the NATO guideline of 2% in 2019.
Lithuania's presidentGitanas Nausėdacalled for more NATO troops on 22 April 2022, saying NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank followingRussia's invasion of Ukraine, during a meeting in Vilnius.
Lithuania has an open andmixed economythat is classified as ahigh-income economyby theWorld Bank.As of 2017the three largest sectors were – services (67% of GDP), industry (29%) and agriculture (3%).Lithuania joinedNATOin 2004,EU in 2004,Schengenin 2007andOECDin 2018.On 1 January 2015, the euro became the national currency, replacinglitasat the rate of EUR 1.00 = LTL 3.45280.
Agricultural products and food comprise 18% of exports; other major sectors include chemical products and plastics (18%), machinery and appliances (16%), mineral products (15%), wood and furniture (13%).As of 2016more than half of exports go to 7 countries including Russia (14%), Latvia (10%), Poland (9%), Germany (8%), Estonia (5%), Sweden (%) and the UK (4%).Exports equaled 81% of GDP in 2017.
GDP experienced very high real growth rates for the decade up to 2009, peaking at 11% in 2007. As a result, the country was often termed aBaltic Tiger. However, in 2009 due to the2007–2008 financial crisis, GDP contracted 15%and unemployment rate reached 17.8% in 2010.Growth has since been much slower. According to the IMF, financial conditions are conducive to growth and financial soundness indicators remain strong. The public debt ratio in 2016 was 40% of GDP, it had been 15% in 2008.
On average, more than 95% of allforeign direct investmentcomes from EU countries. Sweden is historically the largest investor with 20% – 30% of FDI.FDI into Lithuania spiked in 2017, reaching its highest ever recorded number of greenfield investment projects. In 2017, Lithuania was third, afterIrelandandSingaporeby the average job value of investment projects.The US was the leading source country in 2017, 25% of total FDI. Next up were Germany and the UK, each representing 11% of total project numbers.Based on the Eurostat's data, in 2017, the value of exports recorded the most rapid growth not only in the Baltic countries, but across Europe, which was 17%.
Between 2004 and 2016, one out of five Lithuanians emigrated, primarily due to insufficient income for residents;secondarily seeking to study. Long term emigration and economic growth has resulted in a shortage in the labor marketand growth in salaries being larger than growth in labor efficiency.Unemployment in 2017 was 8%.
As of 2022, Lithuanianmedianwealth per adult was$32,000 (meanwas $70,000), while total national wealth was $147bn.As of 2023 Q2, the average monthly gross salary in Lithuania was €2,000.
Lithuania has aflat taxrather than aprogressive scheme. The personal income tax (15%) and corporate tax (15%) rates are among the lowest in the EU.The country has the lowest implicit rate of tax on capital (9.8%) in the EU. The corporate tax rate is 15% and 5% for small businesses; 7free economic zonesoperate.
Information technologyproduction is growing, reaching €2 billion in 2016.In 2017 only, 35FinTechcompanies came to Lithuania – a result of the government and Bank of Lithuania simplifying procedures.Lithuania has granted a total of 39 e-money licenses, second in the EU only to the UK with 128 licenses. In 2018Googleset up a payment company in Lithuania.Europe's first international Blockchain Centre launched in Vilnius in 2018.Since 2021, Lithuania has issued hundreds of licenses for cryptocurrency exchange and storage operations, making it one of the leading countries in the EU in this sector.
Agriculture in Lithuania dates to theNeolithicperiod, about 3,000 to 1,000BC. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries.Lithuania's accession to theEuropean Unionin 2004 ushered in a new agricultural era. The EU pursues a very high standard of food safety and purity. In 1999, theSeimas(parliament) of Lithuania adopted a Law on Product Safety, and in 2000 it adopted a Law on Food.The reform of the agricultural market has been carried out on the basis of these two laws.
In 2016, agricultural production was €2.3 billion.Cereal cropsoccupied the largest part (5710 tons), other significant types include:sugar beet(934 tons),rapeseed(393 tons) andpotatoes(340 tons). Products totaling €4,385 million were exported to foreign markets, of which products for €3,165 million were of Lithuanian origin. Export of agricultural and food products accounted for 19% of all exports of goods.
Organic farmingis becoming more popular. The status of organic growers and producers is granted by the public bodyEkoagros. In 2016, there were 2539 such farms that occupied 225,542 hectares. Of these, 43% were cereals, 31% perennial grasses, 14% leguminous crops and 12% others.
The foundation of theUniversity of Vilniusin 1579 was a major factor in fostering a scientific and academic community within Lithuania. The university has welcomed such prominent scientists and thinkers asGeorg Forster,Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert,Johann Peter Frank. The 17th century artillery expertKazimieras Simonavičiusis considered a pioneer ofrocketry; his publication, theArtis Magnae Artilleriae,was a basicartillerymanual throughout Europe, containing a large chapter on caliber, construction, production and properties of rockets (for military and civil purposes), includingmultistage rockets,batteries of rockets, and rockets withdelta wingstabilizers.BotanistJurgis Pabrėža(1771–1849) created the first systematic guide of Lithuanian flora,Taislius auguminis(Botany), written in the Samogitian dialect, the Latin-Lithuanian dictionary of plant names, and the first Lithuanian geography textbook. German scientistTheodor Grotthuss(1785–1822), who proposed theGrotthuss mechanism, lived and worked in theGedučiai manor[lt], where he gained local prominence for his effort to educate and improve the well-being of peasants.
The world wars of the 20th century severely diminished Lithuanian science and academia, although Lithuanian scholars and scientists managed to succeed, particularly abroad, including philosopherVosylius Sezemanas, juristMykolas Römeris, aviatorAntanas Gustaitis, management theoristVytautas Andrius Graičiūnas, archaeologistMarija Gimbutas, primatologistBirutė Galdikas, linguistAlgirdas Julien Greimas, andmedievalistJurgis Baltrušaitis.MathematicianJonas Kubilius, long-term rector of theUniversity of Vilnius, is known for works inProbabilistic number theory, including theKubilius model, Theorem of Kubilius and theTurán–Kubilius inequality. Kubilius also successfully resisted attempts to Russify the university.
Lasersandbiotechnologyare flagship fields of the Lithuanian science and high-tech industry.Šviesos konversija("Light Conversion") has developed afemtosecondlaser system that has 80% market share worldwide, with applications in DNA research, ophthalmological surgeries, and nanotechnology.TheVilnius UniversityLaser Research Center has developed one of the most powerful femtosecond lasers in the world dedicated primarily tooncological diseases.In 1963,Vytautas Straižysand his colleagues createdVilnius photometric systemthat is used inastronomy.Noninvasive intracranial pressure and blood flow measuring devices were developed byKTUscientist A. Ragauskas.Kęstutis Pyragas contributed to the study ofchaos theorywith his method of delayed feedback control, thePyragas method.Kavli PrizelaureateVirginijus Šikšnysis known for his discoveries inCRISPR, namely with respect to CRISPR-Cas9.
Lithuania has launched three satellites to space:LitSat-1,Lituanica SAT-1andLituanicaSAT-2.Lithuanian Museum of EthnocosmologyandMolėtai Astronomical Observatoryis located inKulionys.Fifteen R&D institutions are members ofLithuanian Space Association; Lithuania is a cooperating state withEuropean Space Agency.Rimantas Stankevičiusis the only ethnically Lithuanianastronaut.
Lithuania in 2018 became an Associated Member State ofCERN.Two CERN incubators in Vilnius and Kaunas will be hosted.The most advanced scientific research is being conducted at the Life Sciences Center,Center For Physical Sciences and Technology.
As of 2016 calculations, yearly growth of Lithuania's biotech and life science sector was 22% over the past 5 years. 16 academic institutions, 15 R&D centres (science parks and innovation valleys) and more than 370 manufacturers operate in the Lithuanian life science and biotech industry.
In 2008 the Valley development programme was started aiming to upgrade Lithuanian scientific research infrastructure and encourage business and science cooperation. Five R&D Valleys were launched – Jūrinis (maritime technologies), Nemunas (agro, bioenergy, forestry), Saulėtekis (laser and light, semiconductor), Santara (biotechnology, medicine), Santaka (sustainable chemistry and pharmacy).Lithuanian Innovation Center is created to provide support for innovations and research institutions.
Lithuania ranks moderately in theInternational Innovation Index,and is placed 15th among EU countries by theEuropean Innovation Scoreboard.Lithuania was ranked 35th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024.
Statistics from 2023 showed 1.4 million tourists from foreign countries visited Lithuania and spent at least one night. The largest number of tourists came fromPoland(173,500),Latvia(144,300),Belarus(141,900),Germany(127,400), theUnited Kingdom(74,200), theUnited States(69,700),Ukraine(67,000), andEstonia(61,300).
Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities—Vilnius,Klaipėda, andKaunas, seaside resorts, such asNeringa,Palanga, andSpa towns–Druskininkai,Birštonas.
Hot air ballooning is popular, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially the Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route.EuroVeloroutes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. The total length of bicycle tracks amounts to 3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement).Nemunas Delta Regional ParkandŽuvintas biosphere reserveare known for birdwatching.
The total contribution of tourism to GDP had been forecast to rise to €3.2 billion, 7% of GDP by 2027,but has decreased  to €1.7 billion, 2.3% of GDP in 2023, although it is rising postCOVID-19 pandemic.
Lithuania has a well developed communications infrastructure. The country has 2.8 million citizensand 5 million SIM cards.The largest LTE (4G) mobile network covers 97% of Lithuania's territory.Usage of fixed phone lines has been rapidly decreasing due to rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services.
In 2017, Lithuania was top 30 in the world by average mobile broadband speeds and top 20 by average fixed broadband speeds.Lithuania was also top 7 in 2017 in theList of countries by 4G LTE penetration. In 2016, Lithuania was ranked 17th in United Nations' e-participation index.
There are four TIER III datacenters in Lithuania.Lithuania is 44th globally ranked country on data center density according to Cloudscene.
Long-term project (2005–2013) – Development of Rural Areas Broadband Network (RAIN) was started with the objective to provide residents, state and municipal authorities and businesses with fibre-optic broadband access in rural areas. RAIN infrastructure allows 51 communications operators to provide network services to their clients. The project was funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian government.72% of Lithuanian households have access to internet, a number which in 2017 was among EU's lowestand in 2016 ranked 97th byCIA World Factbook.Number of households with internet access is expected to increase and reach 77% by 2021.Almost 50% of Lithuanians had smartphones in 2016, a number that is expected to increase to 65% by 2022.Lithuania has the highest FTTH (Fiber to the home) penetration rate in Europe (36.8% in September 2016) according to FTTH Council Europe.
Lithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when theWarsaw – Saint Petersburg Railwaywas constructed. It included a stretch fromDaugavpilsvia Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operatingtunnelwas completed in 1860.
Rail transport in Lithuaniaconsists of 1,762 km (1,095 mi) of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11.8 in)Russian gaugerailway of which 122 km (76 mi) are electrified. This railway network is incompatible with Europeanstandard gaugeand requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has 115 km (71 mi) ofstandard gaugelines.More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail.The Trans-European standard gaugeRail Balticarailway, linkingHelsinki–Tallinn–Riga–Kaunas–Warsawand continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017,Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition.
Transportation is the third largest sector in Lithuanian economy.Lithuanian transport companies drew attention in 2016and 2017with huge and record-breaking orders of trucks. Almost 90% of commercial truck traffic in Lithuania is international transports, the highest of any EU country.
Lithuania has an extensive network of motorways. WEF grades Lithuanian roads at 4.7 / 7.0and Lithuanian road authority (LAKD) at 6.5 / 10.0.
ThePort of Klaipėdais the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. In 2011 45.5 million tons of cargo were handled (includingBūtingė oil terminalfigures)Port of Klaipėdais outside of EU's 20 largest ports,but it is the eighth largest port in theBaltic Searegionwith ongoing expansion plans.
As of 2022, the LIWA (Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority, Vidaus vandens keliu direkcija in Lithuanian) is developing a strategy to resurrect cargo shipping on the Nemunas. Its fleet of electric ships will travel 260 km between the port of Klaipda on the Baltic Sea coast and the industrial and transportation centre ofKaunas.The project is anticipated to need a €75.7 million initial investment in total. and estimated to eliminate 48 000 truck trips annually.
Vilnius International Airportis the largest airport in Lithuania, 91st busiest airport in Europe (EU's 100 largest airports). It served 3.8 million passengers in 2016.Other international airports includeKaunas International Airport,Palanga International AirportandŠiauliai International Airport.Kaunas International Airportis also a small commercial cargo airport which started regular commercial cargo traffic in 2011.The inland river cargo port in Marvelė, linking Kaunas and Klaipėda, received first cargo in 2019.
Systematic diversification of energy imports and resources is Lithuania's key energy strategy.Long-term aims were defined in National Energy Independence strategy in 2012 by Lietuvos Seimas.It was estimated that strategic energy independence initiatives will cost €6.3–7.8 billion in total and provide annual savings of €0.9–1.1 billion.
After the decommissioning of theIgnalina Nuclear Power Plant, Lithuania turned from electricity exporter to electricity importer. Unit No. 1 was closed in December 2004, as a condition of Lithuania's entry into the European Union; Unit No. 2 was closed down on 31 December 2009. Proposals have been made to construct a new –Visaginas Nuclear Power Plantin Lithuania.However,a non-binding referendumheld in October 2012 clouded the prospects for the Visaginas project, as 63% of voters said no to a new nuclear power plant.
The country's main primary source of electrical power isElektrėnai Power Plant. Other primary sources of Lithuania's electrical power areKruonis Pumped Storage PlantandKaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant.Kruonis Pumped Storage Plantis the only in the Baltic states power plant to be used for regulation of the power system's operation with generating capacity of 900 MW for at least 12 hours.As of 2015, 66% of electrical power was imported.First geothermal heating plant (Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant) in the Baltic Sea region was built in 2004.
Lithuania–Sweden submarine electricity interconnectionNordBaltand Lithuania–Poland electricity interconnectionLitPol Linkwere launched at the end of 2015.
In 2018, synchronising the Baltic states' electricity grid with theSynchronous grid of Continental Europehas started.In 2016, 20.8% of electricity consumed in Lithuania came from renewable sources.
In order to break downGazprom's monopolyin natural gas market of Lithuania, first large scale LNG import terminal (Klaipėda LNG FSRU) in the Baltic region was built in port of Klaipėda in 2014. The Klaipėda LNG terminal was called Independence, thus emphasising the aim to diversify energy market of Lithuania. Norwegian companyEquinorsupplies 540 million cubic metres (19 billion cubic feet) of natural gas annually from 2015 until 2020.The terminal is able to meet the Lithuania's demand 100 percent, and Latvia's and Estonia's national demand 90 percent in the future.Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania(GIPL), also known as Lithuania–Poland pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline interconnection between Lithuania and Poland that became operational in 2022.
Since the Neolithic period, the demographics of Lithuania have stayed fairly homogenous. There is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have similar genetic compositions to their ancestors,although without being actually isolated from them.The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups.
A 2004 analysis ofMtDNAin the Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are genetically close to theSlavicandFinno-Ugricspeaking populations of Northern and Eastern Europe.Y-chromosomeSNPhaplogroupanalysis showed Lithuanians to be genetically closest toLatviansandEstonians.
In 2021, the age structure of the population was as follows:
The median age in 2022 was 44 years (male: 41, female: 47).
Lithuania has asub-replacement fertility rate: thetotal fertility rate(TFR) in Lithuania was 1.34 children born per woman in 2021, and the mean age of women at childbirth was 30.3 years. The average age of first childbirth for women was 28.2 years. Thehuman sex ratiois male leaning for the age categories 15–44, with 1.0352 males for every female.As of 2021, 25.6% of births were to unmarried women. The meanage at first marriagein 2021 was 28.3 years for women and 30.5 years for men.
Lithuania has the most homogeneous population in the Baltic States. Ethnic Lithuanians make up about five-sixths of the country's population. In 2024, 82.6% of the 2,809,977 Lithuania's residents were ethnicLithuanianswho speakLithuanian, which is the official language of the country. Several sizeable minorities exist, such asPoles(6.3%),Russians(5.0%),Belarusians(2.1%) andUkrainians(1.7%).
Poles in Lithuaniaare the largest minority, concentrated in southeast Lithuania (theVilnius region), constituting majority inŠalčininkai(76.3%) andVilnius District Municipality(46.8%).Russians in Lithuaniaare the second largest minority, concentrated inVisaginas(47.4%),Zarasai District Municipality(17.2%) andKlaipėda(16%).About 2,250Romalive in Lithuania, mostly in Vilnius,KaunasandPanevėžys; their organizations are supported by the National Minority and Emigration Department.For centuries,TatarandKaraitecommunities have lived in Lithuania. In 2021, there were around 2,150 registered Tatars and 196 Karaites in the country.
The official language isLithuanian, but in some areas there is a significant presence of minority languages such asPolish,Russian,BelarusianandUkrainian. The greatest presence of minorities and the use of these languages are in Šalčininkai, Visaginas, and Vilnius District.In 1941, Lithuania’s Jewish population reached its peak at approximately 250,000 people, making up about 10% of the total population. Today, however, it has dwindled to a very small number.Yiddishis spoken by members of the tiny remainingJewish communityin Lithuania. The state laws guarantee education in minority languages and there are numerous publicly funded schools in the areas populated by minorities, with Polish as the language of instruction being the most widely available.
According to the survey carried out within the framework of theLithuanian census of 2021, 85.33% of the country's population speak Lithuanian as their native language, 6.8% are native speakers of Russian and 5.1% of Polish. As of 2021, 60.6% of residents speak Russian as a foreign language, 31.1% – English, 10.5% – Lithuanian, 8% – German, 7.9% – Polish, 1.9% – French, 2.6% – various others.Most Lithuanian schools teach English as the first foreign language, but students may also study German, or, in some schools, French or Russian. Around 80% of young people in Lithuania know English.
There has been a steadymovement of population to the citiessince the 1990s, encouraged by the planning of regional centres, such asAlytus,Marijampolė,Utena,Plungė, andMažeikiai. By the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the total population lived in urban areas. As of 2021, 68.19% of the total population lives in urban areas.Lithuania'sfunctional urban areasincludeVilnius(population 708,203),Kaunas(population 391,153), andPanevėžys(population 124,526).The fDI of the Financial Times in their researchCities and Regions of the Futureranked Vilnius fourth in the mid-sized European cities category in the 2018–19 ranking, second in the 2022–23 ranking, second in 2023 ranking while the city claimed 24th spot in the worldwide overall ranking in 2021–22 and Vilnius county was ranked 10th in the small European regions category in 2018–19, fifth in 2022–23, fifth in 2023 rankings.
Lithuania provides free state-funded healthcare to all citizens and registered long-term residents.It co-exists with a significant private healthcare sector. In 2003–2012, the network of hospitals was restructured, as part of wider healthcare service reforms. It started in 2003–2005 with the expansion of ambulatory services and primary care.In 2016, Lithuania ranked 27th in Europe in theEuro health consumer index, a ranking of European healthcare systems based on waiting time, results and other indicators. Lithuania ranked 19th in the 2024 edition of theWorld Happiness Report.
As of 2023, Lithuanianlife expectancyat birth was 76.0 (70.6 years for males and 81.6 for females)and theinfant mortalityrate was 2.99 per 1,000 births.The annual population growth rate increased by 0.3% in 2007. Lithuania has seen a dramatic rise in suicides in the 1990s.The suicide rate has been constantly decreasing since, but it still remains the highest in the EU and one of the highest in theOECD. The suicide rate as of 2019 is 20.2 per 100,000 people.Suicide in Lithuaniahas been a subject of research, but the main reasons behind the high rate are thoughtto be both psychological and economic, including: social transformations and economic recessions, alcoholism, lack of tolerance in the society and bullying.
By 2000, the vast majority of Lithuanian health care institutions were non-profit-making enterprises and a private sector developed, providing mostly outpatient services which are paid for out-of-pocket. TheMinistry of Healthalso runs a few health care facilities and is involved in the running of the two major Lithuanian teaching hospitals. It is responsible for the State Public Health Centre which manages the public health network including ten county public health centres with their local branches. The tencountiesrun county hospitals and specialised health care facilities.
There isCompulsory Health Insurancefor the Lithuanian residents. There are 5 Territorial Health Insurance Funds, covering Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Contributions for people who are economically active are 9% of income.
Emergency medical services are provided free of charge to all residents. Access to the secondary and tertiary care, such as hospital treatment, is normally via referral by ageneral practitioner.Lithuania also has one of the lowesthealth careprices in Europe.
According to the 2021 census, 74.2% of residents of Lithuania were Catholics.Catholicism has been the main religion since the officialChristianisation of Lithuaniain 1387. The Catholic Church was persecuted by the Russian Empire as part of theRussificationpolicies and by the Soviet Union as part of the overallanti-religious campaigns. During the Soviet era, some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime, as symbolised by theHill of Crossesand exemplified byThe Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania.
3.7% of the population areEastern Orthodox, mainly among the Russian minority.The community ofOld Believers(0.6% of population) dates back to the 1660s.
Protestantsare 0.8%, of which 0.6% areLutheranand 0.2% areReformed. TheReformationdid not impact Lithuania to a great extent as seen inEast Prussia,Estonia, orLatvia. Before World War II, according to Losch (1932), the Lutherans were 3.3% of the total population.They were mainlyGermansandPrussian Lithuaniansin theKlaipėda Region(Memel territory). This populationfled or was expelled after the war, and Protestantism is now mainly represented by ethnic Lithuanians throughout the northern and western parts of the country, as well as in large urban areas. Newly arrivingevangelical churcheshave established missions in Lithuania since 1990.
Hinduism is a minority religion and a fairly recent development in Lithuania. Hinduism is spread in Lithuania by Hindu organizations:ISKCON,Sathya Sai Baba,Brahma KumarisandOsho Rajneesh.ISKCON(Lithuanian: Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas) is the largest and the oldest movement as the first Krishna followers date to 1979.It has three centres in Lithuania: inVilnius,KlaipėdaandKaunas.Brahma Kumarismaintains the Centre Brahma Kumaris inAntakalnis, Vilnius.
The historical communities ofLipka TatarsmaintainIslamas their religion. Lithuania was historically home to a significantJewish communityand was an important centre of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the eve of World War II. Of the approximately 220,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania in June 1941, almost all were killed duringthe Holocaust.The Lithuanian Jewish community numbered about 4,000 at the end of 2009.
Romuva, theneopaganrevival of theancient religious practices, has gained popularity over the years. Romuva claims to continue living pagan traditions, which survived in folklore and customs.Romuva is apolytheisticpagan faith, which asserts the sanctity of nature and has elements ofancestor worship.According to the2001 census, there were 1,270 people of Baltic faith in Lithuania.That number jumped to 5,118 in the 2011 census.
TheConstitution of Lithuaniamandates ten-year education ending at age 16 and guarantees a free public higher education for students deemed 'good'.TheMinistry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuaniaproposes national educational policies and goals that are then voted for in the Seimas. Laws govern long-term educational strategy along with general laws on standards for higher education, vocational training, law and science, adult education, and special education.5.4% of GDP or 15.4% of total public expenditure was spent for education in 2016.
According to theWorld Bank, the literacy rate among Lithuanians aged 15 years and older is 100%.School attendance rates are above the EU average and school leave is less common than in the EU. According toEurostatLithuania leads among other countries of theEuropean Unionin people with secondary education (93.3%).Based on OECD data, Lithuania is among the top 5 countries in the world in postsecondary (tertiary) education attainment.As of 2016, 54.9% of the population aged 25 to 34, and 30.7% of the population aged 55 to 64 had completed tertiary education.The share of tertiary-educated 25–64-year-olds in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in Lithuania were above the OECD average (29% and 26% respectively), similarly to business, administration and law (25% and 23% respectively).
Modern Lithuanian education system has multiple structural problems. Insufficient funding, quality issues, and decreasing student population are the most prevalent. Lithuanian teacher salaries below EU average, despite significant increases since 2011.Low teacher salaries was the primary reason behind national teacher strikes in 2014,2015,and 2016.Salaries in the higher education sector are also low. Many Lithuanian professors have a second job to supplement their income.PISA report from 2022 found that Lithuanian results in math, science and reading were around OECD average, after trailing the OECD average in earlier reports in 2010 and 2015, although the relative improvement was primarily driven by the decrease in performance in the other OECD countries as a result of COVID 19 pandemic.The population ages 6 to 19 has decreased by 36% between 2005 and 2015. As a result, the student-teacher ratio is decreasing and expenditure per student is increasing, but schools, particularly in rural areas, are forced into reorganizations and consolidations.As with other Baltic nations, in particularLatvia, the large volume of higher education graduates within the country, coupled with the high rate of spoken second languages is contributing to an educationbrain drain.
As of 2008, there were 15 public and 6 private universities as well as 16 public and 11 private colleges in Lithuania (see:List of universities in Lithuania).Vilnius Universityis one of theoldest universities in Northern Europeand the largest university in Lithuania.Kaunas University of Technologyis the largest technical university in the Baltic States and the second largest university in Lithuania. In an attempt to reduce costsand adapt to sharply decreasing number of high-school students,Lithuanian parliament decided to reduce the number of universities in Lithuania.In early 2018,Lithuanian University of Educational SciencesandAleksandras Stulginskis Universitywere merged intoVytautas Magnus University.
TheLithuanian language(lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of theofficial languagesof theEuropean Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 0.2 million abroad.
Lithuanian is aBaltic language, closely related toLatvian, although they are notmutually intelligible. It is written in an adapted version of theRoman script. Lithuanian is believed to be thelinguistically most conservativelivingIndo-European tongue, retaining many features ofProto Indo-European.Lithuanian language studies are important forcomparative linguisticsand for reconstruction ofProto-Indo-European language.Lithuanian was studied by linguists such asFranz Bopp,August Schleicher,Adalbert Bezzenberger,Louis Hjelmslev,Ferdinand de Saussure,Winfred P. Lehmann,Vladimir Toporovand others.
There are two main dialects of the Lithuanian language:Aukštaitian dialectandSamogitian dialect. Aukštaitian dialect is mainly used in the central, southern and eastern parts of Lithuania while Samogitian dialect is used in the western part of the country.The Samogitian dialect also has many completely different words and is even considered a separate language by some linguists.Nowadays, the distinguishing feature between the two main Lithuanian dialects is the unequal pronunciation of accented and unaccented two-vowels uo and ie.
The groundwork for written Lithuanian was laid in 16th and 17th centuries by Lithuanian noblemen and scholars, who promoted Lithuanian language, created dictionaries and published books –Mikalojus Daukša,Stanislovas Rapolionis,Abraomas Kulvietis,Jonas Bretkūnas,Martynas Mažvydas,Konstantinas Sirvydas, Simonas Vaišnoras-Varniškis.The first grammar book of the Lithuanian languageGrammatica Litvanicawas published in Latin in 1653 byDanielius Kleinas.
Jonas Jablonskis' works and activities are especially important for the Lithuanian literature moving from the use of dialects to a standard Lithuanian language. The linguistic material which he collected was published in the 20 volumes ofAcademic Dictionary of Lithuanianand is still being used in research and in editing of texts and books. He also introduced the letterūinto Lithuanian writing.
There is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written inLatin, the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian KingMindaugasare the prime example of the literature of this kind. TheLetters of Gediminasare another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings.
One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin wasNicolaus Hussovianus(around 1480 – after 1533). His poemCarmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis(A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonymMichalo Lituanus[lt](around 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatiseDe moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum(On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites) in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (around 1505 – 1571). The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius,Augustinus Rotundus(around 1520–1582) wrote a no longer existent history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. loannes Radvanus, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating theAeneidofVergil. HisRadivilias, intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.
17th century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin –Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas[lt],Žygimantas Liauksminasare known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music.Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkaswrote first printed Lithuanian historyHistoria Lithuania.
Lithuanian literary works in theLithuanian languagestarted being first published in the 16th century. In 1547Martynas Mažvydascompiled and published the first printed Lithuanian bookKatekizmo prasti žodžiai(The Simple Words of Catechism), which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed byMikalojus DaukšawithKatechizmas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious.
The evolution of the old (14th–18th century) Lithuanian literature ends withKristijonas Donelaitis, one of the most prominent authors of theAge of Enlightenment. Donelaitis' poemMetai(The Seasons) is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written inhexameter.
With a mix ofClassicism,SentimentalismandRomanticism, the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented byMaironis,Antanas Baranauskas,Simonas Daukantas,Oscar Milosz, andSimonas Stanevičius.During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, theLithuanian press banwas implemented, which led to the formation of theKnygnešiai(Book smugglers) movement. This movement is thoughtto be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived.
20th-century Lithuanian literature is represented byJuozas Tumas-Vaižgantas,Antanas Vienuolis,Bernardas Brazdžionis,Antanas Škėma,Balys Sruoga,Vytautas MačernisandJustinas Marcinkevičius.
In 21st century debutedKristina Sabaliauskaitė, Renata Šerelytė, Valdas Papievis,Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė,Rūta Šepetys.
Severalfamous Lithuania-related architectsare notable for their achievements in the field of architecture.Johann Christoph Glaubitz,Marcin Knackfus,Laurynas GucevičiusandKarol Podczaszyńskiwere instrumental in introducingBaroqueandneoclassicalarchitectural movements to the Lithuanian architecture during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.Vilniusis considered as a capital of the Eastern Europe Baroque.Vilnius Old Townthat is full of astonishing Baroque churches and other buildings is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lithuania is also known fornumerous castles. About twenty castles exist in Lithuania. Some castles had to be rebuilt or survive partially. ManyLithuanian nobles' historicpalaces and manor houseshave remained till the nowadays and were reconstructed.Lithuanian village life has existed since the days ofVytautas the Great.ZervynosandKapiniškiaiare two of manyethnographic villagesin Lithuania.Rumšiškėsis an open space museum where old ethnographic architecture is preserved.
During theinterwar period,Art Deco, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings were constructed in the Lithuania's temporary capitalKaunas. Its architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and has received theEuropean Heritage Label.
TheLithuanian Art Museumwas founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania.Among other important museums are thePalanga Amber Museum, whereamberpieces comprise a major part of the collection, National Gallery of Art, presenting collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th and 21st century,National Museum of Lithuaniapresenting Lithuanian archaeology, history and ethnic culture. In 2018 two private museums were opened –MO Museumdevoted to modern and contemporary Lithuanian art andTartle,exhibiting a collection of Lithuanian art heritage and artefacts.
Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composerMikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis(1875–1911), an internationally renowned musician. The2420 Čiurlionisasteroid, identified in 1975, honors his achievements. TheM. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, as well as the only military museum in Lithuania,Vytautas the Great War Museum, are located in Kaunas.Franciszek Smuglewicz,Jan Rustem,Józef OleszkiewiczandKanuty Rusieckiare the most prominent Lithuanian painters of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Lithuania has theatres inVilnius,Kaunas,KlaipėdaandPanevėžys. These includeLithuanian National Drama Theatre,Keistuolių teatras(Theatre of Freaks) in Vilnius,Kaunas State Drama Theatre, Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Theatre ofGytis Ivanauskas, Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, The Doll's Theatre,Old Theatre of Vilnius.Theatre festivals includeSirenos(Sirens),TheATRIUM,Nerk į teatrą(Dive into the Theatre).
Lithuanian theatre directors includeEimuntas Nekrošius,Jonas Vaitkus, Cezaris Graužinis, Gintaras Varnas,Dalia Ibelhauptaitėand Artūras Areima. Actors include Dainius Gavenonis, Rolandas Kazlas, Saulius Balandis and Gabija Jaraminaitė.
Theatre directorOskaras Koršunovaswas awarded the Swedish Commander Grand Cross – theOrder of the Polar Star.
On 28 July 1896,Thomas Edisonlive photography session was held in the Concerts Hall of theBotanical Garden of Vilnius University. After a year, similar American movies were available with the addition of specialphonograph recordsthat also provided sound. In 1909, Lithuanian cinema pioneersAntanas RačiūnasandLadislas Starevichreleased their first movies. Soon the Račiūnas' recordings of Lithuania's views became very popular among theLithuanian Americansabroad. In 1925, Pranas Valuskis filmed movieNaktis Lietuvoje(Night in Lithuania) aboutLithuanian book smugglersthat left the first bright Lithuanian footprint inHollywood. The most significant and mature Lithuanian American movie of the timeAukso žąsis(Golden goose) was created in 1965 byBirutė Pūkelevičiūtė[lt]that featured motifs from theBrothers Grimmfairy tales. In 1940,Romuva Cinemawas opened inKaunasand currently is the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania. After the occupation of the state, movies mostly were used for theSoviet propagandapurposes, nevertheless Almantas Grikevičius, Gytis Lukšas, Henrikas Šablevičius, Arūnas Žebriūnas, Raimondas Vabalas were able to overcome the obstacles and create valuable films. After the restoration of the independence,Šarūnas Bartas,Audrius Stonys,Arūnas Matelis, Audrius Juzėnas,Algimantas Puipa,Janina Lapinskaitė[lt], Dijana and her husband Kornelijus Matuzevičius received success in international movie festivals.
In 2018, 4,265,414 cinema tickets were sold in Lithuania with the average price of €5.26.
Lithuanian folk music belongs toBalticmusic branch which is connected withneolithiccorded wareculture. Two instrument cultures meet in the areas inhabited by Lithuanians: stringed (kanklių) and wind instrument cultures. Lithuanian folk music is archaic, mostly used for ritual purposes, containing elements ofpaganismfaith. There are three ancient styles of singing in Lithuania connected with ethnographical regions:monophony,heterophonyandpolyphony. Folk song genres: Sutartinės (Multipart Songs),Wedding Songs, War-Historical Time Songs, Calendar Cycle and Ritual Songs and Work Songs.
Italian artists organized the firstoperain Lithuania on 4 September 1636 at thePalace of the Grand Dukesby the order ofWładysław IV Vasa.Currently, operas are staged at theLithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatreand also by independent troupeVilnius City Opera.
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlioniswas a Lithuanian painter and composer. During his short life he created about 200 pieces of music. His works have influenced modern Lithuanian culture. Hissymphonic poemsIn the Forest(Miške) andThe Sea(Jūra) were performed onlyposthumously. Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.
In Lithuania,choral musicis important.Vilniusis the only city with three choirs laureates (Brevis, Jauna Muzika and Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire) at theEuropean Grand Prix for Choral Singing.There is a long-standing tradition of theDainų šventė(Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival). The first one took place inKaunasin 1924. Since 1990, the festival has been organised every four years and summons roughly 30,000 singers and folk dancers of various professional levels and age groups from across the country.In 2008, Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival together with itsLatvianandEstonianversions was inscribed as UNESCOMasterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.Gatvės muzikos diena(Street Music Day) gathers musicians of various genres annually.
Modern classical composers emerged in seventies –Bronius Kutavičius,Feliksas Bajoras[lt],Osvaldas Balakauskas,Onutė Narbutaitė,Vidmantas Bartulisand others. Most of those composers explored archaic Lithuanian music and its harmonic combination with modern minimalism and neoromanticism.
Jazz scene was active even during the years of Soviet occupation. In 1970–71 the Ganelin/Tarasov/Chekasin trio established the Vilnius Jazz School.Most known annual events areVilnius Jazz Festival,Kaunas Jazz, Birštonas Jazz.Music Information Centre Lithuania(MICL) collects, promotes and shares information on Lithuanian musical culture.
After theSoviet reoccupation of Lithuania in 1944, theSoviet's censorshipcontinued firmly controlling all artistic expressions in Lithuania, and any violations by criticizing the regime would immediately result in punishments.The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and includedKertukai,AitvaraiandNuogi ant slenksčioin Kaunas, andKęstutis Antanėlis,Vienuoliai, andGėlių Vaikaiin Vilnius, among others. Unable to express their opinions directly, the Lithuanian artists began organizing patrioticRoko Maršaiand were usingmetaphorsin their songs' lyrics, which were easily identified for their true meanings by the locals.PostmodernistrockbandAntisand its vocalistAlgirdas Kaušpėdaswere one of the most active performers who mocked the Soviet regime by using metaphors. For example, in the songZombiai(Zombies), the band indirectly sang about theRed Armysoldiers who occupied the state and its military base inUkmergė.Vytautas Kernagis' songKolorado vabalai(Colorado beetles) was also a favourite due to its lyrics in which true meaning of the Colorado beetles was intended to be the Soviets decorated with theRibbons of Saint George.
In the early independence years, rock bandFojewas particularly popular and gathered tens of thousands of spectators to the concerts.After disbanding in 1997, Foje vocalistAndrius Mamontovasremained one of the most prominent Lithuanian performers and an active participant in variouscharityevents.Marijonas Mikutavičiusis famous for creating unofficial Lithuania sport anthemTrys milijonai(Three millions) and official anthem of theEuroBasket 2011Nebetyli sirgaliai(English version was namedCelebrate Basketball).
Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool andmoistnorthern climateof Lithuania:barley,potatoes,rye,beets, greens, berries, andmushroomsare locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties.Fishdishes are very popular in the coastal region.Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has some similarities toScandinavian cuisine. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history.
Dairy products are an important part of traditional Lithuanian cuisine. These include white cottage cheese (varškės sūris), curd (varškė), soured milk (rūgpienis), sour cream (grietinė), butter (sviestas), and sour cream butterkastinis. Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked – smoked sausages (dešros), lard (lašiniai),skilandis, smoked ham (kumpis). Soups (sriubos) – boletus soup (baravykų sriuba), cabbage soup (kopūstų sriuba), beer soup (alaus sriuba), milk soup (pieniška sriuba), cold-beet soup (šaltibarščiai) and various kinds of porridges (košės) are part of tradition and daily diet. Freshwater fish, herring, wild berries and mushrooms, honey are highly popular diet to this day.
One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies.
Lithuanians and other nations that once formed part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuaniashare many dishes and beverages.German traditionsalso influenced Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding (kugelisor kugel) andpotato sausages(vėdarai), as well as the baroque tree cake known asŠakotis. The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern (Karaite) cuisine – thekibinaiare popular in Lithuania. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs, soFrench cuisineinfluence came to Lithuania in this way.
Baltswere usingmead(midus) for thousands of years.Beer (alus) is the most common alcoholic beverage. Lithuania has a long farmhousebeer tradition, first mentioned in 11th century chronicles. Beer was brewed for ancient Balticfestivitiesand rituals.Farmhouse brewing survived to a greater extent in Lithuania than anywhere else, and through accidents of history the Lithuanians then developed a commercial brewing culture from their unique farmhouse traditions.Lithuania is top 5 by consumption of beer per capita in Europe in 2015, counting 75 active breweries, 32 of them are microbreweries.The microbrewery scene in Lithuania has grown, with a number of bars focusing on these beers opening in Vilnius and other parts of the country.
Eight Lithuanian restaurants are listed in the White Guide Baltic Top 30.The local „30 geriausių restoranų” guide lists top domestic places,and Lithuanian restaurants will appear in theMichelin Guideon 13 June 2024.
TheConstitution of Lithuaniaprovides forfreedom of speechandpress, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote these freedoms. However, the constitutional definition of freedom of expression does not protect certain acts, such as incitement to national, racial, religious, or social hatred, violence and discrimination, or slander, and disinformation. It is a crime to deny or "grossly trivialize" Soviet or Nazi German crimes against Lithuania or its citizens, or to deny genocide,crimes against humanity, orwar crimes.
In 2021, the best-selling daily national newspapers in Lithuania wereLietuvos rytas(5.4% of all weeklyreaders),Vakaro žinios[lt](3.2%),Kauno diena(2.9%). Best-selling weekly newspapers wereSavaitė[lt](16.5%),Žmonės[lt](8.4%),Prie kavos(4.1%),Savaitgalis(3.9%) andVerslo žinios(3.2%).
In 2021, the most popular nationaltelevision channelsin Lithuania wereTV3(34.6% of the daily audience),LNK(32.3%),Lithuanian National Radio and Television(31.6%),BTV(17.3%),Lietuvos rytas TV(16.2%),TV6(15.3%).
The most popularradio stationsin Lithuania wereM-1(14.5% of daily listeners),Lietus(12.7%),Radiocentras(9.1%) andLRT Radijas(8.5%).
As a result of a thousand-years history, Lithuania has twoNational days. The first one is theStatehood Dayon 6 July, marking the establishment of the medievalKingdom of LithuaniabyMindaugasin 1253. The creation of modern Lithuanian state is commemorated on 16 February as aLithuanian State Reestablishment Dayon which declaration of independence from Russia and Germany was declared in 1918.Joninės(previously known asRasos) is a public holiday withpaganicroots that celebrates asolstice. As of 2018, there are 13 public holidays (which come with a day off).
Kaziuko mugėis an annualfairheld since the beginning of the 17th century that commemorates the anniversary ofSaint Casimir's death and gathers thousands of visitors and many craftsmen. Other notable festivals areVilnius International Film Festival,Kauno Miesto Diena,Klaipėda Sea Festival,Mados infekcija,Vilnius Book Fair,Vilnius Marathon,Devilstone Open Air,Apuolė 854[lt],Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival.
Basketballis the most popular andnational sportof Lithuania. TheLithuania national basketball teamhas won theEuroBasketon three occasions (1937,1939and2003), as well a total of 8 other medals in the Eurobasket, theWorld Championshipsand theOlympic Games. 76% of the country's population watched the men's national team games live in 2014.Lithuania hosted the Eurobasket in 1939 and2011. The historic Lithuanian basketball teamBC Žalgiris, from Kaunas, won the European basketball leagueEuroleaguein 1999. Lithuania hasproduced a numberofNBAplayers, includingNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameinducteesArvydas SabonisandŠarūnas Marčiulionis,and current NBA playersJonas Valančiūnas,Domantas Sabonis.
Lithuania has won a total of26 medals at the Olympic Games, including 6 gold medals inathletics,modern pentathlon,shooting, andswimming. Other Lithuanians won Olympic medals representing Soviet Union.Discus throwerVirgilijus Aleknais the most successful Olympic athlete of independent Lithuania, having won gold medals in the2000 Sydneyand2004 Athensgames, as well as a bronze in2008 Summer Olympicsand numerousWorld Championshipmedals. More recently, a gold medal was won by 15-year-old swimmerRūta Meilutytėat the2012 Summer Olympicsin London, and sparked a rise in popularity for the sport in Lithuania.
Lithuania hosted the2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first time Lithuania had hosted a FIFA tournament.
Few Lithuanian athletes have found success inwinter sports, although facilities are provided by several ice rinks and skiing slopes, includingSnow Arena, the first indoor ski slope in theBaltics.In 2018Lithuania men's national ice hockey teamwon gold medals at the2018 IIHF World Championship Division I.
55°N24°E﻿ / ﻿55°N 24°E﻿ /55; 24