Lithuanian History

I arrived in Lithuania on a holiday weekend. July 6 is Statehood Day -- not to be confused with the two Independence Days. July 6 celebrates Lithuania's medieval empire. February 16 recognizes Lithuania's independence from the Russian empire in 1918. And March 11 celebrates independence from the Soviet Union. As the Lithuanians say of their history, "it's a bit complicated." But that is what makes it so interesting to study.

Yesterday I visited the Museum of Genocide Victims, which is located in the former KGB headquarters. The museum's exhibits chronicle the death and deportations that resulted from the Soviet occupation of Lithuania starting in 1940 (just before World War II). It's a moving story, made all the more grim by being in the actual cells where prisoners were held. The exhibit ends, however, with the Lithuanian national movement in the late 1980s that contributed to the end of the Soviet Union. Now Lithuania is part of the European Union -- quite a change in 16 years.