History
More than 150 ethnic communities live in Lithuania, and their linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity is an integral part of the country’s history and culture. A particularly important place in Lithuania’s history is occupied by its oldest historical ethnic minorities—the Tatars and the Karaims, who settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the end of the 14th century. They are among the longest continuously residing Muslim and Karaim communities in Europe, having preserved their identities and developed a distinctive cultural heritage over the centuries. Together with other national, ethnic, and religious minorities living in Lithuania and, in part, in Poland, they have made a significant contribution to the cultural, social, political, and economic life of these countries, enriching its multicultural heritage.
The 5th International Scientific Conference “Cultural Heritage of National, Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania” continues the tradition of international scholarly conferences dedicated to commemorating significant anniversaries in the history and culture of national, ethnic, and religious minorities in Lithuania. This year’s conference places particular emphasis on the 630th anniversary of the settlement of Turkic peoples in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while also inviting researchers to explore the history, languages, cultures, and heritage of other national, ethnic, and religious minorities.
Previous International Conferences
610th Anniversary of the Settlement of Tatars and Karaims in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
the 13th–15th of September 2007, Vilnius University
Turks’ History and Culture in Lithuania. Dedicated to the 615th Anniversary of the Settlement of Tatars and Karaims in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
the 29th–31st of May 2013, Vilnius University
Tatars-Muslims in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Past, Present and Future. Commemorating the 620th Anniversary of Tatars’ History, Religion and Culture in Belarus, Lithuania and Poland
the 29th–30th of June 2017, Vilnius University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Tatar Community of Vilnius County
“Tatars in the History and Culture of Lithuania from the 14th to the 21st Century: Recent Research,” held to commemorate the Year of the Lithuanian Tatars 2021
9–11 September 2021, Vilnius University, in cooperation with Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Vilnius County Tatar Community
The series of international scholarly conferences “The Cultural Heritage of National, Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania”, held regularly, has become an important tradition dedicated to commemorating significant anniversaries in the history and culture of the national communities of Lithuania and Poland. In the periods between these anniversary conferences, thematic international scholarly events are also regularly organised, focusing on specific aspects of the history, languages, religions, and cultures of national minorities.
Thematic International Scholarly Events
- Manuscripts of Lithuanian Tatars – National Treasure, dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Ivan Lutskevich’s Kitab (the 19th–20th of May 2015, Vilnius University)
- International Seminar “Cultural Heritage of the Turkic Peoples of Lithuania: Oriental Materials in the Collections of Vilnius University” (19–22 May 2016, organized in cooperation with the Faculty of History of Vilnius University and the University of Tübingen)
- History and culture Interfaces. Conference is Dedicated to Celebrate the 50 years of monography “Belarussian Texts Written in Arabic Scripts”, written by the professor of Vilnius University A. Antonovich (the 1st–2nd of June 2018, Vilnius Tatar Community of Vilnius County together with Vilnius University)
- International Scientific Conference “The Development of Turkish–Lithuanian Relations” (26–31 May 2019, Vilnius University, in cooperation with the Ankara Folklore Research Institute)
- International Scientific Conference “Kitabistics: Research Methodology and Publication of Sources” (5–6 October 2023, Vilnius University, in cooperation with Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language)
- “Orient in Lithuania and Turkology Studies” — Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) within the Erasmus+ Programme (12–16 May 2025, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University)