Lena: Vilnius

Part of Lena's story takes place/references Vilnius and in particular the Vilnius University (shown here), one of the oldest universities in Europe, established 1579. Back in those days Vilnius was the burgeoning capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which in turn was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a federation of sorts and one of the largest and most powerful states in 16th and 17th century Europe. The Commonwealth was later swallowed by the Russian and Prussian empires and Lithuania ceased to exist for over a century. The country was then briefly reinstated for several decades in the early 20th century, only to yet again become a satellite of Russia during the Soviet era. Lithuania became independent in 1990 during the collapse of the USSR and later joined the EU in 2004. This rich cultural heritage plays an important part in Lena's story and is integral to her character.