Kaunas Gallery
Picture this: It’s the 13th century and you live in Lithuania, a fiercely independent Grand Duchy and hugely successful state that is the largest in Europe. Yet later it becomes a pawn between three bigger players, the Prussian Empire, Habsburg Austria and the Russian Empire, erasing it from the map. Lithuania only gains independence again in 1918 but loses it after the Second World War, when the Soviet Union holds occupies it for 50 years. Finally, independence is regained in 1990. A rough ride considering the stronghold Lithuania once was.