Vanished World 2023 Calendar For Free Download

Posted on November 24, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania, Media

2021 had been a difficult year for me and I hoped for a better 2022. The hope was in vain. On 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine, a country where I have many friends, where I have travelled a lot and which I love. I had also planned a trip to Ukraine for spring 2022. It was not possible. Instead, I went to Lithuania twice to take photos for my book “Grenzland | Borderlands”, which will be published in early 2023. However, the trips to Lithuania were more than a substitute for Ukraine. The country looks back on an incredibly rich Jewish history. A selection of the photos taken during these trips can be seen in the new Vanished World calendar. May 2023 be better than 2022!

Vanished World Calendar 2023 - September

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From Joniškis back to Vilnius

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

Our road trip through Lithuania came to an end on 7 April with a long drive back to Vilnius. Yuliya, Anna and I first returned to Žagarė, because this shtetl had caught our attention. Then we continued via Joniškis to Šiauliai, Lygumai, Pakruojis, Linkuva, Rozalimas and Šeduva.

Lygumai - backyard next to the synagogue

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From Klaipeda to Joniškis

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

Day 5 of our journey through Lithuania. After a rest day by the sea, my friends and I continued on 6 April towards the border with Latvia. Kretinga, Salantai, Plungė, Alsėdžiai, Telšiai, Seda, Tirkšliai and Žagarė were on the way. Žagarė turned out to be a remarkable time capsule.

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From Kaunas to Klaipeda

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

4 April, the third day of our road trip through Lithuania. When Yuliya, Anna and I left Kaunas in the morning, the sky was still cloudless. In the course of the morning clouds came up, then it started to snow. Winter was back. On our route to Klaipeda were Čekiškė, Skaudvilė, Kaltinėnai, Laukuva, Rietavas, Veivirzenai and Švėkšna.

Švėkšna - massgrave and Holocaust memorial

Klaipeda - Jewish cemetery, synagogue and community center

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From Alytus to Kaunas

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

Yuliya, Anna and I continued our journey through Lithuania on 3 April. It was a sunny, spring-like day. We visited Jewish remembrance sites in Miroslavas, Veisiejai, Lazdijai, Simnas, Kalvarija, Marijampolė and Garliava. It was a day when we saw the efforts that have been made since Lithuania’s independence to preserve its Jewish heritage.

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From Vilnius to Alytus

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

On the morning of 2 April, Yuliya, Anna and I set off for Alytus. A 6-day road trip to Jewish places of remembrance in Lithuania lay ahead of us. The first day took us through the border region of Belarus. Eišiškės, Varėna, Merkinė, Daugai, Butrimonys, Balbieriškis and Alytus were on our route.

Eišiškės - Jewish cemetery and Holocaust memorial

Alytus - mass killing site and Holocaust memorial

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Back to Vilnius

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

It should have been a trip to Ukraine and became another trip to Lithuania. From 31 March to 9 April, I was once again on the road in the Baltic region – from Lithuania’s capital Vilnius up to the Curonian Spit and back.

Vilnius Holocaust Museum - grindstone made from a Jewish tombestone

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You can’t tell the story of Jewish Vilnius without talking about Paneriai

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

The visit to the memorial in Paneriai on 4 March was the most difficult part of the trip through Lithuania. Paneriai is a suburb of Vilnius with extensive forests. The German occupiers turned it into a murder site. More than 100,000 people were killed there – mainly Jews, many of them from Vilnius ghetto, but also Soviet prisoners of war, Poles, Roma and Lithuanians.

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From Biržai back to Vilnius

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

3 March, the last day of the road trip through Lithuania. Yuliya and I made our way back to Vilnius. Finally, a grey sky and no more sunshine. Maybe the clouds will protect my friends in Ukraine from the Russian bombings, I thought. Probably that’s nonsense. But I couldn’t fight this thought. Our route today was not as long as in the last few days. Synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Vabalninkas, Kupiškis, Anykščiai, Kurkliai, Alanta and Moletai were on our way.

Vabalninkas, Kloyz of Shamashim and Great Beit Midrash

Anykščiai, Synagogue at 11 Šaltupio Street

Moletai, built over territory of the Old Jewish Cemetery

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From Panevėžys to Biržai

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Christian Herrmann under Lithuania

2 March, day 4 of the journey through Lithuania, day 7 of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yuliya and I continued our journey. We headed northwest, close to the border with Latvia. On our route were Jewish memorial sites in Krekenava, Pušalotas, Pumpėnai and, of course, Panevėžys and Biržai.