Vilnius

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublika) is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the southwest. Lithuania is a member of NATO and of the European Union. Its population is 3.6 million. Its capital and the largest city is Vilnius. This year (2009) Vilnius is European Capital of Culture.

The Lithuanian Art Museum was founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania. Among other important museums is the Palanga Amber Museum, where amber pieces comprise a major part of the collection.

Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composer Mikalojus Konstantinas ÄŒiurlionis (1875-1911), an internationally renowned musician. The 2420 ÄŒiurlionis asteroid, identified in 1975, honors his achievements. The M. K. ÄŒiurlionis National Art Museum is located in Kaunas.

(Wikipedia)