Welcome to Lithuania

Map of Lithuania

Lithuania's neighbours are Poland, Russia, Latvia, Belarus.

The state language of Lithuania is Lithuanian.

The main religion is Catholicism.

The population of Lithuania is 3 million people.

The capital is Vilnius. Vilnius is named after the River Vilnia.

The flag and coat of arms of Lithuania

Meaning of the flag:•Yellow means the sun, the light.•Green is for nature, the forests of Lithuania.•Red is for the land and the blood shed for freedom.

The coat of arms is called Vytis (The Chaser). It’s a knight on horseback with a sword and a shield.

This is the Litas. 1 Euro is 3.45 Litas.

These are Lithuanian coins – Litas and Centas.

Lithuania is situated in the centre of Europe by the Baltic sea.

Some people think its name comes from the word lietus (rain).

It often rains in Lithuania, so it is a very green country with many forests, hills and over 6000

lakes.

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. Its population is half a million people.

Narrow streets for knights and ladies…

PANORAMA OF VILNIUS IN WINTER

Vilnius is famous for its Old Town, the biggest Old Town in Eastern Europe.

Cathedral Square is the main square of the capital.

Gediminas Tower is the symbol of Vilnius.

St. John’s Church and Bell Tower of Vilnius University and a view of the Old Town from above

Photos by Tomas Malinauskas and Daniel Milner

*Church of St. Michael and St. Constantine (Russian Orthodox)

*Synagogue

*St. Anne’s Church (Catholic) Photo by Algirdas.

Vilnius is almost 700 years old. Here are some pretty corners of the Old Town.

Hills of crosses

Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai

Hill of Three Crosses in Vilnius

Trakai Castle

People come here to walk, swim, sail and enjoy kibinai (little meat pies). In winter the lakes are covered in ice. The ice is so thick that some cars drive on the lakes.

Trakai is a small town not far from Vilnius. It was the capital of Lithuania 600 years ago. The Grand Duke of Lithuania lived in the castle of Trakai. Now there is a museum in the castle. Castle is pilis in Lithuanian.

The waves of the Baltic Sea bring wonderful yellow stones to the shore. They are called amber. It is

fossilized resin.

Amber – the Lithuanian gold

Photo by Elisabeth from the Netherlands

Can you see a spider in the amber?

Amber is the symbol of Lithuania

Some people think they are the tears of gods. Others say it’s the sun in stones. Amber jewelry is a traditional gift for brides from their parents. Amber is gintaras in Lithuanian. It can be yellow, orange and brown.

Children walk along the coast and collect pieces of amber. Adults make beautiful jewelry: necklaces, rings, earrings.

Some historical facts

• 1240 Duke Mindaugas unites Lithuania

• 1323 first mention of Vilnius in documents

• 1569-1795 Lithuania and Poland are united in a Commonwealth

• 1918 Lithuania declares independence after tsarist Russian rule

• 1991 Lithuania declares independence after Soviet rule

• 2004 Lithuania becomes member of EU

Famous People of Lithuania

 President Dalia GrybauskaitėPhoto by Augustas Didžgalvis

Arvydas Sabonis Credits to "Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com"  http://www.basketballphoto.com/NBA_Basketball_Photographs.htm

Potatoes, beetroot, pork, different kinds of mushrooms and berries, brown bread, garlic are the main ingredients of Lithuanian cuisine.

Mushrooms and berries

picked in the forest

Shakotis wedding cake

Cepelinai (potato

dumplings)

Brown bread

Cold beetroot soup

(photo by Bearas)

(photo by RsAzevedo)

(photo by Jpatokal)

(photo by Phillip Capper)

Our school is situated in the outskirts of Vilnius not far from the

TV Tower.

There is a café with great views on top

TV Tower “dressed” as a Christmas tree

Photo by SfuPhoto by M.Lucenko

Views from the TV Tower café

This is our school, “Svaja”. It’s pronounced “Svaya”. It means “dream” in Lithuanian.

Thank you for your attention!

This presentation was made by class 4A, 2012 and their English teacher Raisa Shapiro for Comenius Project Legends of Our Region. Special thanks to 4a pupils Laura Krulikovska and Arina Kostusiova.Photos from Wiki Commons and by parents and friends of our school. Special thanks to Marina Lucenko, Olga Gulko, Daniel Milner.