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| Trakai in Lithuania features a castle on an island in a lake. |
Lithuania
is a small nation in Northern Europe, one of the three countries
called the “Baltic states” because they border on the Baltic Sea.
Lithuania's
heydey, when it was the largest nation in Europe, was waaay back in
the Middle Ages, specifically the 14th
Century. (That means the 1300s.) The land that is now Belarus and
Ukraine, plus parts of Poland, were part of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania, back then. Of course, as with other European nations,
Lithuania's history is one of nations breaking apart, uniting, being
conquered, being liberated, and so forth. When the Soviet Union broke
apart in 1991, Lithuania was the first former-Soviet-state to declare
its independence.
Did
you know...?
- The geographical center of Europe is in Lithuania. A large compass rose marks the spot!
- Within the Lithuanian Art Museum is the Palanga Amber Museum, which boasts a huge collection of amber—more than 28,000 pieces! Amber is fossilized tree resin and is a beautiful gold (or amber!) color. Many pieces of amber, including many of the pieces of amber on display in this museum, encase insects, spiders, or plant parts. One of the largest pieces of amber in Europe is on display there —it's 3.5 kilograms, or almost 8 pounds.
- On the edge of the Baltic Sea, in Lithuania, there is a very long spit of land called the Curonian Spit, and there are many sand dunes on this long, skinny peninsula. Between the peninsula and the mainland is a beautiful lagoon. This far north, I don't expect to see white-sand beaches and bright blue lagoons!
Enjoy!...
the beauties of Lithuania.
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