Box of clothes from the WestNational Museum of Lithuania
How was the first encounter between the two Lithuanias?
In 1985, the Iron Curtain was jolted by perestroika. Hoping to raise the country’s economic standards, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began introducing reforms. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, restrictions on traveling to the West eased, providing the first opportunities to travel outside Lithuania, usually at the invitation of relatives living abroad.
Yacht "Lietuva" arrives in New York
Three yachts took part in the 1989 Atlantic Crossing: the "Lietuva", "Audra" and "Dailė". From Lithuania, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA and came back. In the liberating Lithuania, this was the first voyage dedicated to "the honour of Lithuania, the unity of the nation".
Universal shop "Skalsa" in KaunasNational Museum of Lithuania
Universal shop "Skalsa" in Kaunas
The mutual visits to the West and to Lithuania that began were often accompanied by amazement at what they saw.
Celebration of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Vytautas Magnus UniversityNational Museum of Lithuania
The diaspora once again supported a newly independent Lithuania
When Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, history began to repeat itself. The 19th century diaspora helped build an independent Lithuania between the wars, and the mid-20th century diaspora rolled up their sleeves and got to work in 1990.
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Packages sent by emigrants to Lithuania
Exhibition architecture.
A container being loaded for Lithuania at the Youth Center
Many Lithuanian publications from the West also reached Soviet Lithuania, but they were strictly controlled and stored in special funds. As a result, after 1990, truckloads of books, newspapers, and magazines went to the country's libraries.
Promotional election booklet
Valdas Adamkus, who left Lithuania in 1944 with the retreating Germans, returned after the restoration of independence and was elected President of the Republic of Lithuania in 1998.
Why did Lithuanian citizens emigrate from an independent Lithuania?
Once the borders were open, it was possible to want more - to see the world, to earn, to learn. In the West, salaries were several times higher than in Lithuania, so young people and able-bodied middle-aged people left their families in Lithuania to earn money.
A paddle that broke in two on a journeyNational Museum of Lithuania
Where next?
Considering how many people living abroad consider themselves to be Lithuanians, and how many foreigners have come to Lithuania and found a home, it is safe to say that Lithuania has long since achieved worldwide reach. This Lithuania nurtures future heroes who will change the world.
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Migration processes are constantly changing
Parodos architektūra.
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