Study in Lithuania

Lithuania is a new and active member of the European Union (since May 1, 2004) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (since March 29, 2004). Lithuania is the only Baltic country with nearly eight hundred years of statehood tradition, while its name was first mentioned almost one thousand years ago, in 1009. Wedged at the dividing line of Western and Eastern civilizations, Lithuania battled dramatically for its independence and survival. Once in the Middle Ages, Lithuania was the largest state in the entire Eastern Europe, where crafts and overseas trade prospered.

Vilnius is a capital of Lithuania. Vilnius has always been a multinational, multilingual, and multicultural European city. Trying to position itself as an informal political leader of the Baltic countries, Lithuania shares its own experiences in democratic developments with other countries of post-soviet block and takes active participation in the EU renewal processes. In April 2005, Vilnius hosted the meeting of 26 NATO foreign ministers.

Spring marathon of musical festivals is kicked off by an elite Vilnius Festival with the most prominent classical music ensembles and jazz masters from all over the world participating each year. The venue then passes the baton to Pažaislis Festival of Classical and Sacred Music. Pažaislis Monastery, a genuine masterpiece of Baroque architecture in Lithuania, features central concerts of the festival; other performances are commonly held in churches and abbeys. The musical waves of the Christopher Summer Festival floods Vilnius and its environs with summer concerts. The festival skilfully blends the classical masters with avant-garde escapades, the cycles of piano and organ music with guitar performances. Altogether, festivals offer over 100 unique performances every year.

Expect fireworks of jam sessions at an international Kaunas Jazz Festival, Blues Nights on the Lūkstas Lake, Vilnius and Klaipėda Jazz festivals. Excellent local Jazz performers always make a fantastic discovery for those, who are unaware of the country's jazz traditions. In the memory of the world-famous performer, jazz lovers in Lithuania erected a monument to Frank Zappa.

At least ten international folklore festivals are held during the summer months. Their performances attract crowds of spectators, dozens of ethnic congregations, hundreds of folk art exhibitions. Every four years, The Festival of Song (and Dance) gathers Lithuanians from all over the world into a colossal nationwide event of unsurpassed exuberance. The song festivals of the three Baltic countries are jointly included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Museums. Lithuanians, whose motherland had experienced such a dramatic history, protect and honour historical legacy and cultural heritage of their country. The National Museum of Lithuania, the oldest in the country, holds the largest repository of cultural heritage in the country. The Old Arsenal located nearby presents the prehistory of the Balts and origins of Lithuanian nation. An open-air Folk Museum in Rumšiškės represents four major ethnographic regions of the country.

The most valuable art collections are held in the Lithuanian Art Museum in the Chodkevičius (Chodkiewicz) and Radvila Palaces, K.Varnelis Home-museum, the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Vilnius, M.K.Čiurlionis National Art Museum, M.Žilinskas Picture Gallery in Kaunas, Klaipėda Picture Gallery.

Horrible repressions of Soviet period and World War II are reflected in the Museum of Genocide Victims, opened in the premises of former KGB headquarters, or the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum in Vilnius. Grūtas Park, an "exile camp" just outside Druskininkai, now features monuments of the Soviet leaders brought here from all over the country. Also visit the former missile-launching grounds of the Soviet Army found in the Žemaitija National Park.

Sport. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in our country. For millions of people all over the world, it was precisely basketball that put the name of Lithuania on the map together with its star players such as Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Linas Kleiza coaches, referees and organizers. In a relatively short history of Lithuanian basketball (the first basketball game took place in 1922), the men's national team won three Olympic bronze medals, three times was the European champion, and once earned European silver. The Lithuanian national women’s team also took gold and silver in European championships. Youth and junior basketball teams of Lithuania also are recent champions of Europe. Discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna won two Olympic Games; pentathlon athlete Andrejus Zadneprovskis is an Olympic silver medalist, while his teammate Edvinas Krungolcas won three European gold medals. The world's strongest man also lives in Lithuania: Žydrūnas Savickas is the reigning champion and three-time winner of the Arnold Strongman title. Jurgis Kairys, the first man to fly in the sky to the music, is the world leader in aerobatics. Žuvėdra, the dance sport formation of unrivalled grace and expression, is a four-time world champion and five-time European champion.

Food is one of the true joys of life. The largest cities feature many of the world's finest cuisines. Whether you wish to have a quick snack or eat out in style, it is always for you to choose: beer pubs deep down in the basement or out in the sunshine, cafes frequented by bohemia, youngsters or elegant public; luxurious restaurants decorated in a retro style or boasting modern interiors; a country-style seklyčia offering traditional food or an exotic dining establishment reminding us of the Soviet-era canteens. Smaller villages may lack some of the sophistication but they will definitely offer at least some European and national dishes. As far as Lithuanian beers are concerned, selected Lithuanian brews consistently win gold medals in the world beer competitions.

National Holidays:
January 1 New Year’s Day
February 16 Day of Re-establishment of the State of Lithuania (Independence Day)
March 11 Day of Restitution of Independence of Lithuania
Sunday-Monday (March-April) Easter (in the Western Christian tradition)
May 1 International Labour Day
First Sunday of May Mother's Day
June 24 St. John’s Day, Midsummer Day (Joninės, Rasos)
July 6 Day of the Statehood (the Crowning Day of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas)
August 15 Assumption Day (Žolinės)
November 1 All Saints’ Day (Vėlinės)
December 25-26 Christmas

Geographic Location: the Republic of Lithuania lies on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. In the north, the country borders on Latvia (588 km), in the east – on Belarus (660 km), in the south – on Poland (103 km) and Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation (273 km). Lithuania holds a 90 kilometre long area of the Baltic Sea coast. As the National Geographic Institute of France confirmed in 1989, the geographic centre of Europe lies just 24 kilometres northwest of Vilnius.

Total area: 65,300 sq. km. nearly one third of the territory is covered by forests, 4.5% – by inland waters. There are over 2,800 lakes larger than 0.5 hectares in size, and 18 rivers longer than 100 kilometres in Lithuania.