Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, does not have a direct, literal translation into English. Its name is derived from the Vilnia River that flows through the city, which originates from the Lithuanian words vilnis (“a surge”) or vilnyti (“to surge/wave”), essentially meaning a place of rapid, flowing water.
It has to do with the language one uses. Vilnius is an old city and many people 'adapted' the name for their language -Vilnius in Lithuanian, Vilna in Latvian and Yiddish, Wilno in Polish... All of these names are used currently.
The name of Vilnius derives from the name of stream Vilnia which flows right across the heart of the city. Archaeological excavations have revealed that people inhabited the valley at the Gediminas Hill on the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers as early as the l-st century A. D.
It is the largest ethnic minority in Lithuania, the second largest being the Russian minority. Poles are concentrated in the Vilnius Region. Most Poles live in Vilnius County (170,919 people, or 21% of the county's population); Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has 85,438 Poles, or 15.4% of the city's population.
The name "Lietuva", or Lithuania, might be derived from the word "lietava," for a small river, or "lietus," meaning rain (or land of rain). Lithuanians are neither Slavic nor Germanic, although the union with Poland and Germanic and Russian colonization and settlement left cultural and religious influences.
After WWI the Republic of Lithuania was formed. It was part of the Soviet Union until that collapsed and since then has been an independent republic again. Ayala Ochert But even after WWI Vilnius (in Polish Wilno) changed hands a lot and between 1920 and late September 1939 the city and the area were part of Poland.
Like in many countries, the capital is the most attractive city out of all the others, and Vilnius is no exception. This beautiful city is home to many monuments that are symbols of this gorgeous city as well as symbols for Lithuania. Probably the most well-known place in Vilnius is Cathedral Square.
'Taip', with the 'p' on the end means 'yes' in Lithuanian. Like I mentioned above, 'gerai' will get you a long way, but it's of course also handy to learn 'yes' and…
What makes Lithuania special is not simply that it marks the compass point where Northern, Eastern, Western Europe converge. More importantly, it is the place where the values of democracy, freedom, tolerance and hospitality find unity and voice.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Kaliningrad became part of the territory of Russia, making it an exclave - an area that is geographically separated from a country's main territory - located between Poland and Lithuania.
Lithuanians (Lithuanian: lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada.
Can you understand Lithuanian if you speak Russian?
Due to historical circumstances, a lot of Lithuanians know or at least understand some Russian and in the Vilnius region, Polish as well. However, if you are a Russian or Polish (both Slavic langauges) or any other language speaker, you will not be able to understand Lithuanian if you hadn't specifically studied it.
Although tolerance has increased somewhat in urban areas and among younger generations, discrimination and social stigma persist. A GLOBSEC survey conducted in March 2023 found that 22% of Lithuanians supported same-sex marriage, while 60% were opposed and 18% were undecided.
The greatest number of Lithuanian surnames and first names are derived from Greek names which came to Lithuania via the Slavic countries or Western Europe together with Christianity, for example, Aleksas, Aleksandras, Andrius, Dionizas, Eugenijus, Ipolitas, Jeronimas, Jurgis, Kipras, Kristupas, Leonidas, Petras, ...
