Lithuania Minor

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Lithuania Minor (or Prussian Lithuania, (German: Kleinlitauen or Preußisch-Litauen, Lithuanian: Mažoji Lietuva or Prūsų Lietuva) is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Symbols
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Image:Gvardeisk town russia view .jpg Lithuania Minor was comprised of the current so-called Kaliningrad Oblast (excluding the city of Kaliningrad and its surroundings), a few territories in northern Poland as well as the following territories in modern-day Lithuania: the Klaipėda district municipality, the Šilutė district municipality, Klaipėda city, Pagėgiai municipality, and Neringa municipality. Although now divided amongst different countries, when Lithuania Minor was intact, all these areas were once part of Prussia and thus separated from the independent nation of Lithuania.

A part of Old Prussianland, later called East-Prussia, had taken in religious refugees and settlers from nearby Lithuania and thus this part of East-Prussia was at times referred to as Lithuania Minor by the Prussian kings. It was a region outside of Lithuania-proper. The ethnic Lituanian-Prussians were Protestants in contrast to the inhabitants of Lithuania-proper, who were Catholics.

After the Treaty of Versailles had divided East-Prussia into four parts, Polish, German, Free City of Danzig and Lithuanian, Lithuania brought Lithuanians into the East-Prussian area, since then referred to as Memelland. In the Memelland census[1] of 1925[2], less than 27% declared themselves Lithuanian, compared to over 41% German, plus over 24% simply as Memellandish.

The major cities in the former Lithuania Minor are, as shown by their Lithuanian-language name (and in their Prussian German-language name), Klaipėda (Memel) and Tilžė (Tilsit). Other towns include Ragainė (Ragnit), Šilutė (Heydekrug), Gumbinė (Gumbinnen), Įsrutis (Insterburg), Stalupėnai (Stallupönen).

[edit] History

As a distinctive ethno-cultural region, Lithuania Minor emerged during the 16th century. The substratum of local inhabitants comprised ethnic Baltic tribes (Old Prussians and Curonians), Germans and colonists from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who settled in this territory after the war between Teutonic Order and Lithuania ended in 1422.

The territory today known as Lithuania Minor had been distinguished in administrative terms first as (Old Prussian) Nadruvia and Skalva, later the names Lithuanian counties or Lithuania (Litauische Kreise or Litt(h)auen) became predominant.

The name Mažoji Lietuva in Lithuanian language (Lithuania Minor in English and Klein Litauen - first used by Simon Grunau in German in the 16th century) was applied during the 19th century and used more widely during the 20th century, mostly among historians and ethnographers. Back then Lithuania Minor was part of Prussia and Germany, and the ethnic Lithuanian inhabitants of Lithuania Minor were called by Lithuanians Lietuvininkai. Some sources use the term Lietuvininkai (Litauer) to refer to any inhabitant of Lithuania Minor irrelevant of their ethnic adherence. Other sources indicate that Lietuvininkai is one of two historical ways to call all Lithuanians. In what had been the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the word lietuvis became more popular, while in Lithuania Minor "lietuvininkas" was preferred. Prussian-Lithuanians also called their northern neighbours in Samogitia Russian-Lithuanians and their south-eastern neighbours of the Suwalki region Polish-Lithuanians.

This region always was an important center for Lithuanian culture, which was persecuted in Lithuania proper, especially in the first half of the 19th century, when it was occupied by Russia and had previously been polonized. During the ban on Lithuanian printing in Russia from 1864 till 1904, Lithuanian books were printed in Tilsit, Ragnit, Memel, Königsberg, etc. The first book in Lithuania, prepared by Martynas Mažvydas, was printed in Königsberg in 1547 and the first Lithuanian grammar (Grammatica Litvanica) by Daniel Klein was printed there in 1653. By 1800 most Prussian-Lithuanians were literate and bilingual (Lithuanian and German). The Germanisation process accelerated in the second half of the 19th century, when German was made compulsory in the education system at all levels.

Image:Tilsit Act.jpg Lithuania declared its independence from Russia in 1918 and claimed Lithuania Minor (see also act of Tilsit). The part north of Memel river up to Memel town was separated from Germany by the treaty of Versailles in 1920, and was called the Memel territory. This Memelland was occupied by Lithuania in 1923 in violation of the treaty and was forcibly annexed as the Klaipeda region.

At the end of WWII, East Prussia was ethnically cleansed and its former population -- both German and Lithuanian -- was expelled to the western parts of Germany.

The Kaliningrad Oblast portion of former Lithuania Minor was colonized by Russians. In the Klaipėda Region a major population change was caused by its people fleeing, being exiled to Siberia and by the Germanised Lietuvininkai emigrating to Germany in 1958-1960. In modern Lithuania the Klaipėda Region is mainly populated by descendants of Lithuanians from other regions. During Soviet occupation of Lithuania from 1940 to 1991, the historical existence of Lithuania Minor was denied altogether, the Communist government saying that the Lithuanian nation had only 4 ethnographic regions. In the Museum of Lithuanian people's lifestyle in Rumšiškės, which was opened during the long Soviet occupation, only 4 regions are represented.

As the Kaliningrad Oblast is an isolated and under-populated enclave, some Lithuanians have proposed that it be united with Lithuania and all former residents invited to return, with the Russian settlers allowed to remain. However, it is doubtful that Russia would agree to give up this portion of Lithuania Minor.

[edit] Symbols

Lithuania Minor has a flag which is a horizontal tricolor of green, white and red, first mentioned in 1660 (see Flag of Lithuania Minor). Lithuania Minor is the only ethnographic region of Lithuania which has flag separate from coat of arms, rather than having it based on coat of arms.

The coat of arms of Lithuania Minor is divided into two parts, left and right. The right part has an image of horse on diagonally striped surface. The left side is further dubdivided in two parts, upper and lower. The lower part is all white. The upper part is vertically striped.

The Anthem of Lithuania Minor is based on a text written by Georg Sauerwein in 1879, and called Lietuvninkais mes esam gimę (Meaning "Lietuvininks we are born"). It is the only ethnographic region of Lithuania with its own anthem. This anthem was suggested as a possible anthem for whole Lithuania when it (not Lithuania Minor) got independence in 1918. Under this proposal, the word Lietuvninkais would have been changed to Lithuanian throughout. This proposal had the drawback that some text which was referred only to Lithuania Minor. Tautiška giesmė written by Vincas Kudirka was adopted instead.

[edit] References

Simon Grunau, Preussische Chronik. Hrsg. von M. Perlbach etc., Leipzig, 1875.
Adalbert Bezzenberger, Die litauisch-preußische Grenze.- Altpreußische Monatsschrift, XIX–XX, 1882–1883.
K. Lohmeyer, Geschichte von Ost- und Westpreußen, Gotha, 1908
R. Trautmann, Die Altpreußischen Sprachdenkmaler,Göttingen, 1909
L. David. Preussische Chronik. Hrsg. von Hennig, Königsberg, 1812
M. Toeppen, Historische-comparative Geographie von Preußen, Gotha, 1958