9. Amber in Lithuania

Today's Europe was very different from the Europe of about 50 million years ago. Europe, including Lithuania, was covered in forest. The resin droplets that fell from the trees did not dissolve in the water and were carried by rivers into the sea. After thousands of years at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, these bits of fossilised resin became Lithuania's 'gold'. As far back as 2000-1800 BC, Baltic tribes have used amber to create jewellery, various weaving tools, to treat diseases and to protect themselves against evil spirits.

Gladly coming to us in all shapes and sizes, Baltic amber accounts for around 70-80% of the world's supply. In Lithuania, even today people find amber walking along the Baltic Sea. It usually hides in seaweed and requires a keen eye to spot it among the pebbles on the coast. The most popular cities in Lithuania to look for amber are Klaipeda, Palanga, and the surrounding towns.

The city of Palanga has an Amber Museum (Palangos gintaro muziejus). This museum belongs to the Lithuanian National Art Museum and was opened in 1963 in a palace of Count Feliksas Tiškevičius. The museum is located in Birute Park and is one of the most visited museums in Lithuania. In the museum you can see amber pieces of all sizes, some pieces are up to 1 m in diameter. Rare amber pieces with insect inclusions, branches and leaves can be admired. The museum contains one of the world's largest amber collections with over 25,000 exhibits. Alongside cultural and artistic exhibits from ancient centuries, there are also selections of modern amber works by Lithuanian artists Horstas Taleikis, Dionyzas Varkalis, Jonas Urbonas and others. The museum provides information on the formation of amber, trade routes, extraction and processing.

In addition, amber jewellery and decorations are very popular in Lithuanian culture. In Smiltyne harbour, near the ferry, you can meet locals selling amber products such as rings, earrings, bracelets, amber necklaces and even paintings with amber pieces.

Amber is important in Lithuanian tradition. As I have written in previous articles, according to Lithuanian mythology, Jurate, the goddess of the sea, lived in an amber palace with a roof made of fish scales. Jurate fell in love with a simple fisherman named Kastytis, and her father, Perkunas, the god of thunder, smashed his palace to pieces in anger. When the goddess Jurate weeps, the sea becomes stormy, washing away her amber tears and the fragments of her destroyed palace on the beach. This is why amber is best gathered after a storm. However, the authenticity of this myth is questionable, as mermaids have not been common in Lithuanian mythology throughout the ages. Some believe that this story originated due to the popularity of romantic literature and the Lithuanian poet Maironis (Jonas Mačiulis). The first known recording of this story was in 1842. However, the story of Jurate and Kastytis is still one of the most popular Lithuanian folk tales to this day.