Lithuania travel

In Lithuania there is a high level of public interest in various forms of cultural life, exhibited in public libraries, museums, amateur cultural centres, theatres, and cinemas.

In spite of such modern influences as television and radio, Lithuanian folklore continues to hand down a rich and original heritage from generation to generation. Lithuanian songs and a remarkable collection of fairy tales, legends, proverbs, and aphorisms have their roots deep in a language and culture that are among the oldest in Europe. Lithuanian folk art is mainly embodied in ceramics, leatherwork, wood carving, and textiles, its colouring and its original geometric or floral patterns are characteristic features.

The Vilnius drawing school, founded in 1866, has had a strong influence on the nation's fine-arts traditions. During the Soviet period, realistic note was introduced into sculpture and painting, and Lithuanian drawing, noted for the use of natural colour and a highly refined technique, has won international acclaim.

Architecture has been affected by a rich heritage in monuments and old buildings and by styles, ranging from the Gothic to the Neoclassical, that have acquired a distinctive local character.

Music, too, has a strong tradition in country, special feature being the dances and singing festivals held in the towns and villages every summer.

Vilnius' Old Town is the biggest in Europe and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heart of the capital is the beautiful and spacious Gediminas Square, the main feature of which is the Cathedral built in the classical style. Other interesting churches are the gothic St Ann’s Church and St Peter and St Paul’s Church, which houses the body of St Casimieras, one of the most revered of Lithuania’s dukes. Five strange grassy mounds mark Lithuania's ancient capital at Kernave, one of Lithuania's UNESCO World Heritage sites.