From the 13th century to the end of the 18th century, all of modern
Belarus belonged to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This facilitated the freer movement of
Lithuanian and
Belarusian populations. In addition, Lithuania's capital Vilnius itself was home to the Belarusian intellectual elite and became one of the most important centers of Belarusian culture. It was here that
Francysk Skaryna published his
Little Travel Book (c. 1522) and
Apostol (1525). The printing house of
Pyotr Mstislavets also operated there, where the
Statute of Lithuania (1588) was printed, including in the
Ruthenian (also called Old Belarusian) version. Many prominent Belarusians and figures originating from Belarusian lands graduated from
Vilnius University:
Adam Mickiewicz,
Jan Czeczot,
Ignacy Domeyko,
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski,
Teodor Narbutt,
Władysław Syrokomla. Vilnius was also associated with
Symeon of Polotsk,
Lew Sapieha,
Konstanty Kalinowski,
Branisłaŭ Taraškievič,
Anton and
Ivan Luckievič,
Yanka Kupala,
Yakub Kolas,
Francišak Bahuševič,
Vaclaŭ Lastoŭski,
Maksim Bahdanovič — practically the entire Belarusian elite of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The newspaper
Nasha Niva was published here, and numerous books by Belarusian writers and poets were printed. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city became the most important center for the formation of the
Belarusian national movement, and it was here during
World War I that the idea of creating a
unified Belarusian-Lithuanian state arose. In 1923, there were 30 state Belarusian schools in the Wilno School District (compared to 1,057 Polish state and 51 private schools, 20 state Lithuanian and 40 private, 53 private Jewish schools), the
Belarusian Gymnasium existed in Vilnius, 12 Belarusian newspapers were published with a total circulation of about 9,500 copies (as of 1937), and the
Belarusian Deputies' Club was active.
Soviet occupation (1940–1990) With the beginning of
Soviet occupation, the destruction of Belarusian schooling and all forms of social and cultural activity began. Belarusian activity revived only in the 1980s. By 1990, 20 Belarusian organizations had been registered, and Belarusian schools began to open.
Current-day Lithuania As of 2012, about 45,000 Belarusians lived in Lithuania, constituting 1.5% of the population (Russians – 8.2%, Poles – 6.9%). The Belarusian minority is very active in Lithuania. == Study of Belarusian dialects ==