BALTICS

Since the demise of the USSR in 1989 the countries of the Baltic region - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have gone their own way since gaining independence. Despite turning their back on their common Soviet communist past, Russian cultural influences remain throughout the region. Latvia remains a country with a mixed Russian and Baltic population, while eccentric Lithuania to the south is keen to rediscover its Catholic past.

Hill of Crosses

The remarkeable Hill of Crosses near to Siauliai in northern Lithuania is not a graveyard but a pilgrimage site that probably dates back to pre-Christian times. Thousands of wooden crosses - large and small, simple and elaborate - have been planted here by pilgrims over the years. The site represents Lithuanian national sentiment as much as it does religious expression. Because of this, the site was bulldozed repeatedly during the 1960s as it symbolised a threat to Soviet hegemony.

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Siauliai, Lithuania

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