alternatehistory.com
Special Chapter: Jewel in the East/We Were Born as Lithuanians
Special Chapter
A Jewel in the East
To most Westerners, Vilnius, the longstanding capital of the Empire of Lithuania, was the last major center of civilization east of Visegrad, beyond which agricultural, not very civilized and not very densely populated lands lie. It was considered to be a city of pristine beauty, a place where nations and cultures blend to create something truly exemplary, and a major center of culture, learning, economy and population. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the city witnessed a period of great growth, fostered by the development of an industrial region around it, as well as the higher standards of living in it's quarters. Of course, advancements in technology, especially medicine, also helped play a part. It was also around this time that most of the city was rebuilt either with stone or with bricks to lower the threat of the scourge of all major cities in this period - fires.
The center of the city was undoubtedly the Lower Castle, a part of the Vilnius Castle Complex and usually referred to as the Palace of the Emperors (Lith. "Ciesorių rūmai"). Originally commissioned by Queen Sofija of Lithuania, it was finished in 1609, built on the foundations of the old Palace of the Grand Dukes that stood there, and the time of it's construction is represented in it's style, built as a mixture of late Renaissance and early Baroque techniques. While, obviously, it's primary function was to house the Emperors of Lithuania, it served as much more than that. This was where the Emperor would meet foreign diplomatic missions and visiting heads of state, organize meetings with his advisors and other important domestic figures, and the palace was also a major culture hub. It hosted a cathedral and the Imperial Library, the largest of such institutions in the Empire, which held well over two million texts. Outside of the splendid royal palace, Vilnius was famous as the "city of a hundred churches", and this expression was not far from the truth. With so many cultures and religions living in the capital, each of them needed their own religious buildings and shrines, and outside of the two dozen or so Orthodox churches, the most famous of which was the Sobor of St. Peter and Paul, one of the new World Wonders, Vilnius also hosted a number of synagogues, many Catholic, Reformist, Volanite and Flammantian churches, three mosques and a number of other holy sites for less famous religions and branches like Karaites. The capital's importance as a center of learning is not to be underestimated, either, most notably in the presence of the University of Vilnius, the supreme institution of higher education in Eastern Europe. While it mostly accepted students from within the Empire, foreign students were also appreciated, although their number always remained small in comparison to, say, French or Italian universities. The University was the alma mater of a number of Emperors, many advisors, magnates and nobles, poets and artists, inventors and scientists, philosophers and businessmen, and it always held a major place in the Lithuanian education system.
Vilnius was always known as a very multicultural city, and the Industrial Revolution only increased the intensity of this phenomenon. Even though the surrounding area did not have much in the way of heavy resources - although a major source of iron ore was discovered in Dainava in the late 19th century - but an industrial center nevertheless arose in the city, focused on light, not very resource intensive industry, like woodcutting and woodwork, food and textile production and glass blowing. This industry, and the general higher standard of living in Vilnius when compared to the rest of the nation, meant that it attracted a lot of immigrants from the entire Empire.
In the 1870 national census, Vilnius was counted to house 624 561 permanent residents, divided into a number of ethnicities, as listed here by order of population:
38% Jewish
26% Lithuanian
21% Ruthenian
8% Russian
3% Polish
4% other:
- 1.1% German
- 1% Latgalian
- 0.6% Karaite
- 0.5% Tatar
- 0.3% Estonian
- 0.1% Volgak
- 0.1% Mordvin
- 0.1% Circassian
- 0.1% other not mentioned
Vilnius was one of the few places in the Empire of Lithuania where so many nationalities managed to live together in harmony and peace. It was a glimmering example of an unreachable utopia in a nation drawing closer and closer to ethnic struggles...
A street in 19th century Vilnius
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Štombergas's version was much longer than nowadays is sung, but the shortened, singing version, used for the anthem, is as follows:
English translation (not in rhythm):
Readers of the time enjoyed the power of the anthem when sung, but many were perplexed by it's complexity, and the singing version was also quite shift. Nevertheless, it managed to win the hearts of Lithuanians in the end, following them throughout the many wars of the 20th century.
The National Anthem being performed
---
And it's over! With the next update, we will return to the year 1870 to continue with the TL, and that is when I will also post a map of the world in that year.
Interesting things are going to happen pretty soon. Here are some hints to liven the discussion up a bit:
Special Chapter
A Jewel in the East
The center of the city was undoubtedly the Lower Castle, a part of the Vilnius Castle Complex and usually referred to as the Palace of the Emperors (Lith. "Ciesorių rūmai"). Originally commissioned by Queen Sofija of Lithuania, it was finished in 1609, built on the foundations of the old Palace of the Grand Dukes that stood there, and the time of it's construction is represented in it's style, built as a mixture of late Renaissance and early Baroque techniques. While, obviously, it's primary function was to house the Emperors of Lithuania, it served as much more than that. This was where the Emperor would meet foreign diplomatic missions and visiting heads of state, organize meetings with his advisors and other important domestic figures, and the palace was also a major culture hub. It hosted a cathedral and the Imperial Library, the largest of such institutions in the Empire, which held well over two million texts. Outside of the splendid royal palace, Vilnius was famous as the "city of a hundred churches", and this expression was not far from the truth. With so many cultures and religions living in the capital, each of them needed their own religious buildings and shrines, and outside of the two dozen or so Orthodox churches, the most famous of which was the Sobor of St. Peter and Paul, one of the new World Wonders, Vilnius also hosted a number of synagogues, many Catholic, Reformist, Volanite and Flammantian churches, three mosques and a number of other holy sites for less famous religions and branches like Karaites. The capital's importance as a center of learning is not to be underestimated, either, most notably in the presence of the University of Vilnius, the supreme institution of higher education in Eastern Europe. While it mostly accepted students from within the Empire, foreign students were also appreciated, although their number always remained small in comparison to, say, French or Italian universities. The University was the alma mater of a number of Emperors, many advisors, magnates and nobles, poets and artists, inventors and scientists, philosophers and businessmen, and it always held a major place in the Lithuanian education system.
Vilnius was always known as a very multicultural city, and the Industrial Revolution only increased the intensity of this phenomenon. Even though the surrounding area did not have much in the way of heavy resources - although a major source of iron ore was discovered in Dainava in the late 19th century - but an industrial center nevertheless arose in the city, focused on light, not very resource intensive industry, like woodcutting and woodwork, food and textile production and glass blowing. This industry, and the general higher standard of living in Vilnius when compared to the rest of the nation, meant that it attracted a lot of immigrants from the entire Empire.
In the 1870 national census, Vilnius was counted to house 624 561 permanent residents, divided into a number of ethnicities, as listed here by order of population:
38% Jewish
26% Lithuanian
21% Ruthenian
8% Russian
3% Polish
4% other:
- 1.1% German
- 1% Latgalian
- 0.6% Karaite
- 0.5% Tatar
- 0.3% Estonian
- 0.1% Volgak
- 0.1% Mordvin
- 0.1% Circassian
- 0.1% other not mentioned
Vilnius was one of the few places in the Empire of Lithuania where so many nationalities managed to live together in harmony and peace. It was a glimmering example of an unreachable utopia in a nation drawing closer and closer to ethnic struggles...
A street in 19th century Vilnius
We Were Born as Lithuanians
Originally composed by Saulius Štombergas in 1831, "Lietuviais esame mes gimę", ("We Were Born as Lithuanians") was meant to be a song upholding and presenting the renaissance of interest in Lithuanian culture that was the National Revival, as well as the endurance the Lithuanian language will need to avoid extinction, but it eventually became the unofficial anthem of the Empire of Lithuania - or at least it's ethnic Lithuanian parts. It's unofficial status was later lifted and the song itself ascended to become the official anthem of Lithuania in the 20th century.
Štombergas's version was much longer than nowadays is sung, but the shortened, singing version, used for the anthem, is as follows:
English translation (not in rhythm):
Readers of the time enjoyed the power of the anthem when sung, but many were perplexed by it's complexity, and the singing version was also quite shift. Nevertheless, it managed to win the hearts of Lithuanians in the end, following them throughout the many wars of the 20th century.
The National Anthem being performed
And it's over! With the next update, we will return to the year 1870 to continue with the TL, and that is when I will also post a map of the world in that year.
Interesting things are going to happen pretty soon. Here are some hints to liven the discussion up a bit:
"[...] is the world's largest cake, and all we want is our own slice."
"For the Fatherland! For that Fatherland, more valuable than all of our lives!.. For if you die for the eternal Wiedererstehung [...] you will live forever!"
"The end goal of the [...] alliance is national self-determination, particularly in the hives of evil known as [...] and [...]"
"We, the Provisional Government of [...] call all of the peoples of our nation to unite, to destroy this centuries-long yoke that only now we have the chance to break [...]"
"War has changed"
"For the Fatherland! For that Fatherland, more valuable than all of our lives!.. For if you die for the eternal Wiedererstehung [...] you will live forever!"
"The end goal of the [...] alliance is national self-determination, particularly in the hives of evil known as [...] and [...]"
"We, the Provisional Government of [...] call all of the peoples of our nation to unite, to destroy this centuries-long yoke that only now we have the chance to break [...]"
"War has changed"
- Augenis
- Word Count: 1.1k