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Finding Roots: A Trip to Lithuania
Lithuania lies in the eastern Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. In the north Lithuania borders with Latvia, in the east and south with Byelorussia, in the south-west with Poland and with the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.
Area: 65300 sq km
Coastline: 90 km
Land borders: with Belarus 660 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 273 km
Population: 3.484 million
Ethnic composition: Lithuanians 83.45%, Poles 6.74 %, Russians 6.31%, , other 3.5%
Capital: Vilnius (pop. 554.8 thous)
Major cities: Kaunas (373.7 thous), Klaipeda (201.8 thous), Siauliai (133.9 thous), Panevezys (119.0 thous), Alytus (71.6 thous), Marijampole (52.1 thous)
Measuring system The European metric system iš applied to all weights and measurements.
Electrical appliances The electricity supply iš 220 V, AC, 50 Hz. European two-pin plugs are the norm.
Finding Roots: A Trip to Lithuania
By Andrea Kaubris, Only The Best Travel, Inc.
As a young girl I remember my father’s parents speaking in a “strange” language and talking about a land and people so far away it was hard for me to comprehend. My grandparents were like so many other thousands of people who fled from their homelands and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s. In 1939 Hitler ended Lithuania’s independence and so began the reign of terror that was to end on that glorious day, March 11, 1990. It wasn’t until the following year that other countries recognized Lithuania’s independence and Lithuania was readmitted to the United Nations. Since then, Lithuania has always held a fascination for me and has been a trip I’d always dreamed of.
In September 1998 my dream was finally realized. Others in my hometown of Rumford, Maine shared in the same dream, so 14 of us hopped on a Lufthansa flight out of Boston headed for Vilnius, the current capitol of Lithuania. I planned a 10 day tour of the country to include the 2 largest cities of Vilnius and Kaunas and the Baltic Sea resort area of Klaipeda and Palanga.
Since it was the group’s intent to find and meet relatives, I had contacted a person in Lithuania who searches for people. He alerted relatives of our arrival into Vilnius and what a welcome we received!! About 30 people greeted our group with flowers, gifts, smiles, hugs and tears. Everyone started speaking all at once, asking questions about family members, past and present. Of course, this was all in Lithuania, causing us younger, non-speakers to regret not having kept up with the language of our grandparents.
Visiting Lithuania was like stepping back into the 19th century. The cities were fairly modern and industrialized and there were many more cars on the read that I expected. But as we drove through the beautiful countryside, we were transported into another time and place. We saw farmers still plowing their land with horse-drawn carts, cutting hay by hand with scythes and carrying milk from the cows in the fields in pails balanced on their shoulders. When we visited the old homestead of my grandmother, where her niece now lives, I was shocked to see that she didn’t have indoor plumbing. The farmhouse was small and simple and very self-sufficient. I saw a big bucket of cucumbers soaking in dill water out in the yard. My cousin was also making farmers’ cheese…2 jars of curdled milk sitting in a pail of rainwater basking in the sun. She had gathered apples (the sweetest ones I’ve ever tasted!!) from her trees and was preparing to make her preserves and pies. Though we surprised her with our visit, she disappeared into her house and returned in a few minutes to invite us inside. She had prepared a feast for us better than any I’ve tasted anywhere - fresh cheese, tomatoes and cukes, dark and chewy rye bread, the requisite cold cuts and of course, the shots of vodka to wish all “sveikata”!
Vilnius is the largest city in Lithuania with approximately 6000,000 people. The city is built on the banks of the Neris River and is home to many beautiful churches and buildings. The University was built in the 16th century around 12 courtyards. We saw the “Black Madonna” a site where the Madonna is said to have performed miracles. We also saw the Seimas (Parliament Building) where Soviet soldiers, in their last effort to squash the Lithuanian independence move, killed 14 people in January 1991 as the Lithuania people protested the Soviet blockade. A short distance from the city is the Trakai Castle, a 14th century Gothic castle built on a tiny island in the middle of a lake to serve as a fortress and was the home of Grand Duke Gediminas.
Along the route from Vilnius to Kaunas (approximately 60 miles) we visited the tiny village of Rumsiskes. This town is made up of an open-air museum with 4 life-size villages representing life in Lithuania’s 4 major regions around the turn of the century. Here “villagers” celebrate traditional holidays, live and work on real farms and utilize the traditional farm implements and household items.
Traveling around this small country (approximately 39,000 square miles – smaller than Ireland) is slow going. The major highway is well maintained, but is often just 2 lanes. Off the highway, the roads are narrow, winding and often times not paved. During the Soviet regime only 400 cars per year were allowed for sale. Now cars for purchase are plentiful but, like anything else in the country, are very expensive to buy and maintain. The average monthly income per working adult is equivalent to approximately $200USD. A 5 year old car sells for about $4,000USD and gas is about $2.00 per gallon.
Kaunas, with approximately 400,000 people is the second largest city in Lithuania and because of its more isolated location in the center of the country, it is much more provincial than Vilnius. It is a beautiful city built at the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas Rivers. First mention of Kaunas in history dates back to 1361. Because of its strategic location, Kaunas became a commercial center of Europe in the early 15th century. The Old Town is a study in Gothic architecture and there are numerous museums. We visited the M.K. Curlionis State Art Museum, named for the Lithuanian composer turned painter, which houses over 360 works of his. A vast collection of 20th century Lithuanian paintings, sculptures and over 3,000 pieces of Lithuanian folk art are also on display. On a more whimsical note is the Devil’s museum which was established to house the personal collection of almost 400 devils of a noted Lithuanian folk artist. The collection has grown to over 4,000 statues donated from all over the world.
Klaipeda is one of the busiest ports on the Baltic Sea and is one of the few ice-free ports. Because of its strategic location, Klaipeda has been under the Flag of numerous countries. During the Soviet occupation it was closed off to foreign tourists and was used by Hitler. Large Soviet housing blocs are reminders of this era. Soviets did not allow Lithuanians to own homes, so the Soviet government built large, prefab apartment buildings for them. Lithuanians were only allowed 15 square feet of living space per person, so often times multiple families were forced to live together in these tiny apartments. These buildings are now rundown, but the Lithuanians are so happy to be allowed to own homes, that they are still living in them and are slowly making repairs. Some new, single family homes are being built, but because of the high price not many people can afford them. The average one bedroom apartment in a large apartment complex costs approximately $11,000USD.
Nearby Klaipeda is the small resort village of Palanga, called the “Lithuanian Riviera”. It boasts a 9 mile white, sandy beach on the Baltic. Europeans and Scandinavians flock to this area in the summer to catch a few months of sun and fun. Passenger Ferry service links the 3 Scandinavian countries with Klaipeda. A short drive and ferry ride away is the Curonian Spit, a 60 mile narrow stretch of land separating the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The countries of Lithuania and Russia each own approximately half of this spit. The Lithuanian territory has been designated as a national park and is dotted with tiny fishing villages. The Spit is called the “Sahara of Lithuania” because of the sand dunes that cover a large part of the land and have already swallowed up 14 villages. The stormy, windy Baltic Sea is constantly blowing in sand from the south, dumping it on the spit, causing the advancing dunes to move at a pace of up to 5 feet per year! Hills can appear overnight and the terrain is constantly changing. A reforestation program has begun to arrest the shifting dues and protect the villages. It was here that Thomas Mann spent his summers with his family and wrote Joseph and His Brother.
This area of the Baltic is known as a prime source for amber and there is a museum explaining its formation and exhibiting amber in all of its colorations and types. This particular amber is over 60 million years old and is from the resin of pine trees. It can range from opaque white to many shades of amber. Plants and insects were trapped in a lot of the amber and serve as a valuable resource for studying the earth’s formation during that time period.
Driving along the country roads we would often spot an old Russian tank rusting in a field. In villages we would come across shrines dedicated to Lithuanians who were killed by the Soviets. The most memorable and heart wrenching sites we saw is called the Hill of Crosses. This is a national pilgrimage site where thousands of crosses have been placed in memory of the tens of thousands of Lithuanians deported to Siberia. In the Soviet era people were forbidden to visit the site and soldiers bulldozed the crosses. Mysteriously, each time this happened, the crosses reappeared and in larger quantities. It is impossible to envision the huge number of crosses that now sit atop this small hill in the middle of a flat meadow. Thousands upon thousands of crosses of all shapes, sizes and makes are here-smaller ones hanging off larger ones, some heaped in piles, some with pictures and prayers attached. What an emotional and moving site, evoking such painful memories! It’s truly a symbol of the indomitable spirit of Lithuania.
I went to Lithuania not knowing what to expect. What would the living conditions be like? What would the political atmosphere be like? What would the attitudes of the people be towards Westerners? Would we find relatives and roots? Besides learning the answers to all of these questions and more, I came away from this trip with something so much more valuable. Despite the language barrier, we could communicate in the only way we knew how – with smiles, laughter, kindness, sharing, hugs, lots of love and tears. The people, despite their many problems, are appreciative of their newfound freedom and have such a positive outlook for the future. Lithuania is a fascinating and historic country. People who love history, art, nature and music will find many fascinating sites to visit. As we bid our tearful goodbye to family and newfound friends, I vowed to return to Lithuania. I plan to follow the progress of this country and visit again in a few years to experience the changes and help my family and friends celebrate freedom and progress.
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