You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (February 2015) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the Russian article.
Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 926 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:История почты и почтовых марок Литвы]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|ru|История почты и почтовых марок Литвы}} to the talk page.
The postal history of Lithuania started around the 10th or 12th century or even earlier, with a pre-Christian messaging system known as krivūlė. The first mail service was introduced in 1562, connecting Vilnius with Kraków, and Venice.
German occupation, 1916-1919
Lithuania was under the rule of the Russian Empire until the 20th century. After the outbreak of World War I, Germany occupied Lithuania and Courland in 1915. The civil administration of the Oberbefehlhaber Ost was created in the German-occupied territory of the Russian Empire. Stamps of Germany overprinted "Postgebiet Ob. Ost" were issued in 1916.
Stamp issued for use in Ober Ost during WWI, overprinted on German stamp, 1916
Stamp issued for use in Ober Ost during WWI, overprinted on German stamp, 1916
First stamps of the Republic
The First stamps of Lithuania - First Vilnius Issue (date of issue: December 27, 1918; Michel cat. No. 1-2)A 1919 stamp of Lithuania
The Act of Independence of Lithuania was adopted on 16 February 1918, proclaiming Lithuania as an independent republic. The first Lithuanian postage stamps ("Baltukai" issue) were issued in Vilnius in 1918. A total of 768 stamps of different designs were issued by the Republic of Lithuania between 1918 and 1940, with more than 2,000 variations due to errors, misprints or perforations. The first airmail stamps were issued in 1921.[1]
Soviet occupation, 1940-1941
After the 1940 occupation by the Soviet Union, Lithuanian postage stamps were overprinted "LTSR" (Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika, Lithuanian for Lithuanian Socialist Soviet Republic). These were then replaced by Soviet stamps.
Lithuanian stamp overprinted "LTSR", 1940
Lithuanian stamp overprinted "LTSR", 1940
Lithuanian stamp overprinted "LTSR", 1940
German occupation, 1941-1945
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Following the German occupation, Soviet stamps were overprinted "Nepriklausoma Lietuva 1941-VI-23" (Independent Lithuania 1941-VI-23) in 1941. Lithuania became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, the German occupation administration. Stamps were issued for use in the Reichskommissariat Ostland by overprinting "Ostland" on stamps of Germany.
Soviet stamp overprinted "NEPRIKLAUSOMA LIETUVA 1941-VI-23"
Soviet stamp overprinted "VILNIUS", local issue for the Vilnius region, 1941
Soviet stamp overprinted "Raseiniai 1941.VI.23", local issue for Raseiniai, 1941
The 1990 issue of Lithuania featuring an angel and the map of Lithuania
Soviet era
After the war, the Soviet Union reestablished occupation over Lithuania and Soviet stamps came into use again.
Restoration of independence
After Lithuania declared the restoration of independence on 11 March 1990, Lithuania again issued own stamps. Lithuania's independence was recognized by the Soviet Union on September 6, 1991.
Local issues
There were also several local issues, including the Raseiniai local issue (1919), Telšiai Postmaster's provisional issue (1920), Grodno issue (1919), and others.
Central Lithuania
In the course of the Polish–Soviet War, pro-Polish separatists proclaimed the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuania (Litwa Środkowa) centered around Vilnius in October 1920. Central Lithuania issued stamps from 1920 until annexation by Poland in 1922.[2]