Culture, Education and Science, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania

Photo: lrp.lt

The President of the Republic of Lithuania met with the teachers, the students, the Lithuanian community in Germany and the main sponsors of the gymnasium – State Secretary in the Hesse Ministry of the Environment Mark Weinmeister, Mayor of Lampertheim Gottfried Stormer, Diocesan General Vicar Prelate Dietmar Giebelmann and the representatives of the Gemeinden of the Huttenfeld and the Bergstrasse county.

According to the President, the fact that the Lithuanian February 16 High School was supported not only by Lithuania but Germany as well was the example of the wonderful countries' cooperation and the reciprocal understanding and the concrete result of the strong Lithuania-Germany political relations. Grybauskaite thanked everyone for the nurturance of the nationality and the support for the gymnasium.

"The Lithuanian February 16 High School has a very special mission – to help maintain the relation with Lithuania not only for Lithuanians living in Germany but the Lithuanians living around the entire world as well, to educate the youth and to cherish the mother tongue, culture and traditions. I am glad that the Germany's Government understands the significance of the mission," said Grybauskaite.

The Lithuanian High School in Germany is known in German as the Privates Litauisches Gymnasium and in Lithuanian as Vasario 16-osios gimnazija. In Lithuanian the name refers to the founding of the Lithuanian Republic on February 16 (Vasario 16-oji), 1918.

The Lithuanian High School is the only full-time, state-accredited Lithuanian educational institution in Western Europe. Students from all over the world come to this unique place to learn Lithuanian or to refresh and improve their Lithuanian language skills. Here they can acquaint themselves with Lithuanian history and culture in the context of European history and culture and meet others who share their interest in Lithuania's heritage. In addition, students study the German language and culture and enjoy the opportunity to learn and live in the heart of Western Europe.

Grybauskaite and the representatives of the Germany's community discussed the maintenance of the relation with Lithuania and the significant projects of the nurturance of the nationality.

She invited members of the community to share their experience, knowledge and contacts and thus actively contribute to promoting Lithuania's economic, business and cultural cooperation with Germany. And to participate by all means in the Lithuanian Song Festival "Here is my home" and the Lithuanian World Community Congress to be held this coming summer.