St. Anne's Church in Vilnius

St. Anne's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius’ Old Town, on the right bank of theVilnia River. It is a prominent example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles. St. Anne's is a prominent landmark in the Old Town of Vilnius that enabled the district to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The first church at this site, constructed of wood, was built for Anna, Grand Duchess of Lithuania, the first wife of Vytautas the Great. Originally intended for the use of Catholic Germans and other visiting Catholics, it was destroyed by a fire in 1419. The present brick church was constructed on the initiative of Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander in 1495–1500; the exterior of the church has remained almost unchanged since then. A reconstruction of the church, funded by Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and Jerzy Radziwiłł, was carried out following severe fire damage, in 1582. Abraomas Kulvietis preached in the church between 1538 and 1541. In 1747, the church underwent a repair under supervision of Johann Christoph Glaubitz. In 1762, side arches of the main portal were hidden in order to strengthen the support for the facade.

According to a well-known legend, Emperor Napoleon, after seeing the church during the Franco-Russian War in 1812, expressed a wish to carry the church home with him to Paris 'in the palm of his hand'. The church was renovated in 1902–1909 when the side arches were uncovered and the walls were strengthened with iron and again in 1960–1970 when the towers in bad shape were restored. On August 23, 1987 the Lithuanian Freedom League held a rally in a square near the church and the monument of Adam Mickiewicz to protest the ongoing Soviet occupation, which was broken up by the militia. Most recent reconstruction followed in 2009: the roofing was replaced, facade elements were reinforced and long-missing side spires were rebuilt.

Thank you Merja for this lovely card.

Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius

This card sent to me by Renata gives a view of Gediminas Avenue as seen towards the Cathedral Square in Vilnius where she lives.

Gediminas Avenue is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries. It is also the place of cultural institutions such as Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Bank of Lithuania, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and Martynas Mažvydas National Library Nowadays it is also a popular shopping and dining street. It is partially a pedestrian street in the evenings when the traffic is prohibited.

Named after the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, the street terminates at the Žvėrynas Bridge over the Neris River near Seimas Palace on one end and at the Cathedral Square and Vilnius Castle Complex on the other, passing the Lukiškės Square. It connects the Old Town with Žvėrynas.

Klaipėda

Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Danė River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County. This nice card of the city wassent to me by Rasa who now lives in England.

The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the Port of Klaipėda, a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea, and the Akmena – Danė River. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Entente States immediately after World War I, Lithuania as a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt, and the Third Reich following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania. The city was incorporated into Lithuania during its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic and has remained within Lithuania following its re-establishment as an independent state.

The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011, mostly due to the moving to the suburbs of the city. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Nida to the south on the Curonian Spit, and Palanga to the north.

White-tailed Eagle

Thank you Merja for this lovely maxicard of The White-tailed Eagle issued by Lithuania on 8.10.2011. Please note the lovely postmark also showing this big bird. This Eagle, also called the Sea Eagle,  Erne (sometimes Ern). The White-tailed Sea-eagle is a large bird of prey in the family which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. It is considered a close cousin of the Bald Eagle and occupies the same ecological niche, but in Eurasia.

St. Michael the Archangel Church, Kaunas

St. Michael the Archangel's Church or the Garrison Church is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, closing the perspective of the Laisvės alėja, the main pedestrian street. It was built between 1891 and 1895 when Kaunas was part of the Russian empire, in Neo-Byzantine style largely for the use of the Russian Orthodox garrison of Kaunas Fortress. Toma send me this impressive card.

Lithuania - On the Revir Neris

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 (850,324 together with Vilnius County) as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. Very pleasant and very beautiful, that’s what comes to ones mind when talking about Vilnius. The city displays a variety of both architectural expression and willpower. This is perhaps due to the interesting history that rests in this attractive town, which not always has been the capital of Lithuania. However, for over five centuries, until he 18th century, Vilnius had been political and cultural centre of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Old Town is Vilnius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 just because the town "has preserved an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical buildings as well as its medieval layout and natural setting". 2009 Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture. In the picture you can see the Gediminas' Tower, which is the only remaining part of the Upper Castle in Vilnius, Lithuania. Gediminas' Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself. It is depicted on the national currency, the litas, and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs. The Flag of Lithuania was re-hoisted atop the tower on October 7, 1988, during the independence movement that was finalized by the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11, 1990. A reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Lithuania was completed in 2009, and is located near the base of the hill upon which Gediminas' Tower stands. You can also see the beautiful River Neris which connects two old Lithuanian capitals - Kernavė and Vilnius. Along its banks are burial places of the pagan Lithuanians. 25 km from Vilnius are the old burial mounds of Karmazinai. There also are many mythological stones, and a sacred oak. Laimute sent this card to me.

Lithuania - Nida

Nida is a resort town in Lithuania, located on the Curonian Spit. It has 1,650 residents and is the administrative center of the Neringa municipality. Nida Airport is located in the town. Nida is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic States. The town is an upmarket holiday resort, hosting about 200,000-300,000 tourists each summer, mostly Lithuanians, Germans, Latvians, and Russians. It is characterized by low-key entertainment and a distinct family focus. Since 2000, a jazz festival has been organised every year. There are also interesting places to see nearby, including some of the highest sand dunes in Europe, a large sundial (now partially destroyed by storm), fisherman's ethnographic museum, gallery-museum of amber, neo-Gothic church (built in 1888). There is also a camping site. Nida's beach participates in the Blue Flag Programme. This card was sent by Ausra.

Klaipeda – Dolphinarium

The Dolphinarium in Klaipeda was opened in 1994; it is the only dolpinarium in the Eastern Baltic. Along with the Sea museum and the aquarium it makes up a unique complex for acquainting people with marine life and Sea business. The dolphinarum is a complex technical installation. The modern technologies of water preparation, filtration and regeneration ensure that the living conditions are the three pools are maintained suitable for the animals. The largest of the three pools is the arena pool (1300 m3, 5.5 m deep) where shows are held. The dolphins take their rest in a 340-m3 pool, which is 4 m deep, while for cases of sickness or delivery there is a quarantine pool. The salinity of water in the pools is 1.8%, and the temperature is maintained at 18-20Ā°C. To keep the water clear it is filtered at night; bacteria are also exterminated then. Living in Klaipeda dolphinarium are Black Sea, or bottle-nosed, dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Each of the dolphins gets about 10 kg of sprat, mackerel, herring and cod every day. Dolphins are very sensitive animals, they need special care. The health of the dolphins is taken care of by the veterinary service, which not only treats the animals, but also applies numerous preventive measures and controls the quality of water in the pools. In 1998 two female dolphins gave birth to babies for the first ever time at Klaipeda dolphinarium. It was a time of joy and test for all the employees of the dolphinarium. Together with the dolphins, the dolphinarium also houses a couple of Californian sea lions (Zalopus californianus), which were brought to Klaipeda from Duisburg Zoo, Germany.

The dolphins and the Californian sea lions perform in the shows. Trainers of sea mammals train them. It is a rare profession, which requires thorough knowledge of animal physiology and psychology, and at last but not least, love. The basic aim of staging performances with dolphins and Californian sea lions is to educate the public, to acquaint the visitors and especially the young people in a most attractive way with these animals which are one of the most interesting sea animals, with peculiarities of their life and behavior, to foster love to the animals and sense of responsibility towards the living nature and the necessity to preserve it. Every summer, merry water festivals are held in the dolphinarium on weekend evenings in which a group of synchronized swimming, dancers and acrobats perform. These are really exotic shows. Dora sent this lovely card to me.