Scandinavian Heads of State at 1000th Year Celebrations in Lithuania

On Monday, July 6th 2009, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia, and Norway’s King Harald V attended celebrations marking Lithuania’s millennium anniversary in Vilnius.

The Baltic nation of Lithuania is bracing for a nationwide party as it prepares to mark its symbolic 1,000th birthday.

Several other Heads of State also attended the celebrations:for example: President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland, President Valdis Zatleras of Latvia, President Lech Kaczyński of Poland, President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, President Tarja Halonen of Finland, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Legate of Pope Benedict XVI and Dean of the College of Cardinals, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip of Estonia, and Russia’s Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, Minister of Defence Franz Josef Jung of Germany, and Minister of Culture Pavel Latushko of Belarus.

The celebrations started with the Flag Hoisting Ceremony on the Daukanto Squareand and a Mass at the Vilnius Cathedral. After the mass, the Palace of Rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was symbolically opened. In the courtyard of the Palace of Rulers, rulers from Lithuania and foreign countries were greeted by the State Choir of Kaunas.

Later the guests visited the exhibitions “Lithuania in Ancient Historical Sources”, “Wawel in Vilnius. From the Jagiellonian Dynasty to the end of the Republic”, and “The Art of Balts” in the Museum of Applied Arts. After that, they attended a lunch hosted by the President.

In the afternoon, heads of states from Lithuania and foreign countries watched “The Song of the Centuries” concert in the Vingio Park. After the concert, the President hosted a gala reception.

You can read more about the program here.

A thread where you can find pictures of the Royals attending the celebrations can be found here.

Filed under Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Tagged Anniversary, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Harald V of Norway, Lithuania, Margrethe II of Denmark, Official Visit, Queen Silvia of Sweden.