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| Trakai in Lithuania features a castle on an island in a lake. |
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nnLithuanianis a small nation in Northern Europe, one of the three countriesncalled the “Baltic states” because they border on the Baltic Sea.nn
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nnLithuania’snheydey, when it was the largest nation in Europe, was waaay back innthe Middle Ages, specifically the 14thnCentury. (That means the 1300s.) The land that is now Belarus andnUkraine, plus parts of Poland, were part of the Grand Duchy ofnLithuania, back then. Of course, as with other European nations,nLithuania’s history is one of nations breaking apart, uniting, beingnconquered, being liberated, and so forth. When the Soviet Union brokenapart in 1991, Lithuania was the first former-Soviet-state to declarenits independence.
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nnDidnyou know…?
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- Thengeographical center of Europe is in Lithuania. A large compass rosenmarks the spot!
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- Withinnthe Lithuanian Art Museum is the Palanga Amber Museum, which boasts anhuge collection of amber—more than 28,000 pieces! Amber isnfossilized tree resin and is a beautiful gold (or amber!) color. Manynpieces of amber, including many of the pieces of amber on display innthis museum, encase insects, spiders, or plant parts. One of thenlargest pieces of amber in Europe is on display there —it’s 3.5nkilograms, or almost 8 pounds.
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- Onnthe edge of the Baltic Sea, in Lithuania, there is a very long spitnof land called the Curonian Spit, and there are many sand dunes onnthis long, skinny peninsula. Between the peninsula and the mainlandnis a beautiful lagoon. This far north, I don’t expect to seenwhite-sand beaches and bright blue lagoons!
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nnEnjoy!…nthe beauties of Lithuania.
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