Vilnius/WIlno
Note: Still catching up on the old postings from the trip.We left Palanga in the morning so that we could make good time to Vilnius about three hours away. The drive went well and we got to Wilno quickly. I say Wilno because at one time Lithuania and Poland were one country and Wilno was the Polish name for Vilnius.
As a result of a marriage between a Polish princess and the Lithuanian king the Jagiellonian dynasty arose in the 15th century. Eventually Poland became the dominating partner in this relationship and the area that was ruled stretched from present day Poland, west to parts of Bohemia, south to Hungary, and east to present day Lithuania, Byellorussia and Ukraine. All in all quite sizable. After that the country crumbled and got partitioned by the Prussians, Russians and Austro-Hungarians by the 18th century.
Vilnius was the other capital and was a part of Poland when World War I ended and Poland reemerged as a country. So there are a lot of historical ties with ethnic Poles making a small minority in Lithuania. Interestingly during those centuries the language never melded into one and we found it easier to speak English then bother with the Polish. While we were in Vilnius there was a joint military parade with both Lithuanian and Polish troops performing.
Vilnius is set in a small river valley which makes it very picturesque. Having limited time we rented bicycles once more and cycled around the city taking in the old town and a district called Uzupio. Uzupio is a small district that for some reason was historically neglected by the Cmmunist and has fallen into disrepair. Like cities around the world this is usually ripe for artists/fringe society to move in and make it their own. This is what has happened in Uzupio and it has certainly come into its own, literally as well because they are a breakaway republic...at least in their own minds.
Another noteworthy item about Vilnius is the fact that Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of the north. It had a large and thriving Jewish community that has now dwindled to a few hundred according to an older gentleman we met at the old synagogue. There are spots in the old town where you can see old signs written in Hebrew on even older buildings and streets named as such.
The last thing I want to say about Vilnius is that there is a life-size bust of Frank Zappa, who I guess was of Lithuanian ancestry and that Lithuania is cheap so you should go ASAP!
posted by NV @ 8:20 pm
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