Europe is a continent of varying facets that are both fascinating and full of developmental potential. One of the more unknown European treasures is the small Baltic country of Lithuania, with just 3.7 million inhabitants. Once Europe’s most extensive empire, Lithuania went through a turbulent 20th century. It was one of the first victims of Russian expansion into Eastern Europe and half a century later a spearhead in the liberation of the new empire. Today it is a new member of the European Union.

The exhibition ‘The Baltic Camera Lense’ in the Tower of Schloss Holligen on the Loryplatz in Bern documented this development in 900 impressive photographs, that for the most part were seen for the first time in Switzerland. The pictures provide insights into the life of the people in Lithuania over the past 40 years. At the same time, they testified to the rich and varied work of the committed and creative photographers from various generations. Some are already prize possessions of international collectors, others belong to the Lithuanian avant-garde. The exhibition was supplemented by an additional programme with Baltic films in the Lichtspiel Cinema Bern as well as lectures on Lithuania in the Swiss Library of Eastern Europe in Bern.

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