Roma in Lithuania
History of Roma in Lithuania
By the 16th century, Roma people were already living in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). It is believed that they arrived from Poland and Belarus.
For a long time, it was thought that on May 25, 1501, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander, granted a privilege allowing Roma to freely roam the lands of the GDL. However, it is now known that this document was forged. Although the privilege was falsified, not all Roma wished to be nomadic—some lived a settled life. Those who settled in the estates of the nobility and in towns engaged in crafts, trade, horse care, and agriculture, and they were considered an integral part of society.
As in many other countries, the status of Roma in Lithuania was regulated by various legal acts. Unlike in Western European countries, where strict anti-Roma laws were introduced, Lithuania did not impose such severe restrictions. However, the Second and Third Statutes of Lithuania (1566, 1588) established the punishment of expulsion from the country for Roma who engaged in a nomadic lifestyle.
After the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, when Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire, Roma were classified as state peasants, and increasingly strict laws were enacted to prohibit their nomadic way of life. Nevertheless, it is believed that the majority of Roma living in Lithuanian territory continued to follow a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the independent Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940), according to the most prominent interwar researcher of Roma culture, Izidorius Kisin, Roma were considered "full-fledged citizens." They held Lithuanian passports but were required to reside within the boundaries of the administrative districts where they were registered. No administrative measures were taken to restrict their traditional way of life.
A Roma encampment near Rėkyva, photograph by Peliksas Bugailiškis, circa 1936. Photo from Šiauliai "Aušros" Museum (www.limis.lt)
World War II was a devastating tragedy for the Roma community in Lithuania.
In 1942, mass arrests of Roma began in Nazi-occupied Lithuania. Those of Roma descent were deported to concentration camps or sent to work in Germany and France. In total, approximately one thousand Roma were deported from Lithuania. Alongside Jews, Roma were also murdered within Lithuanian territory. According to official data, around 500 Roma—about one-third of Lithuania's Roma population—were killed during the Nazi occupation. However, due to the lack of detailed records on nomadic Roma victims of the Holocaust, it is believed that the actual number of victims may have been higher.
A letter from a German security police and SD officer, Hiss, dated April 5, 1943, suggests that Lithuanian Roma were held in camps in Pabradė, Pravieniškės, and the Ežerėlis peat bog. From July 1, 1943, another forced labor camp began operating in the Kazlų Rūda district, at the Raudonplynė peat bog, where it is likely that Roma were also forced to work. The majority of Lithuanian Roma were imprisoned and killed in the Pravieniškės forced labor camp. Additionally, it is known that up to 100 Lithuanian Roma may have been murdered in Paneriai (Vilnius).
Lithuanian Roma in 1940–1942 — some of the individuals in the photograph were killed in Pravieniškės, others were imprisoned in German concentration camps. Photo from the V. Beinortienė archive
The Soviet Era
During the Soviet era, following a decree issued by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1956, titled "On the Inclusion of Wandering Gypsies into Work," Roma were forced to settle permanently. As a result, approximately one-quarter of Lithuania's Roma community settled in the Kirtimai settlement in Vilnius, which existed until its closure in 2020.
