Introducing Lithuania
Rebellious, quirky and vibrant, Lithuania (Lietuva) is Europe's best-kept secret. Shoved successively between Russian pillar and Nazi post, tenacious little Lithuania stunned the world when it played David and Goliath with the might of the Soviet Union - and won its independence just over a decade ago. Today the nation that vanished from the maps of Europe is back with a vengeance: it's part of the EU, was the first of the 25 EU players to give the European Constitution a stamp of approval and is a fully fledged 'n' fighting partner of NATO - home no less to four F-16 military alliance jet fighters used to police Baltic skies.
Politicians have come and gone, including the young, tenacious Rolandas Paksas, who wooed electors with big talk of a land of plenty and flamboyant aerial stunts in a small plane - until his fall from grace on corruption charges in 2004. Now the country is back in the hands of a couple of old stalwarts who, age aside (we're talking 74 for the prime minister, 80 for the president), lend little Lithuania a definite air of confidence.
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St Michael the Archangel's Church with Man Statue in foreground.
- Stephane Victor
- Lonely Planet photographer
