The volume of articles is dedicated to the study of the history, culture, heritage of Lithuanian little towns in the interwar period, and what can be generally called town-ness. The articles in the volume consciously emphasize the element miestel- (little town, townspeople, town-ness), thereby testifying to the aspiration or at least the expectation to reveal little towns as a unique and special phenomenon, and not to treat them simply as a large village or a smaller city. Littel towns are considered here as the living heritage of Lithuania, the history of which probably began more than 600 years ago and, despite the difficult times, still lives on to this day. And what makes them a living heritage is not only the legalization of little towns in the current territorial administrative system of Lithuania, but precisely their living content – the townspeople, who cherish and create new town-ness memories.
The people of interwar littel towns and their roles, space and its elements, events and everyday life, heritage, as well as issues of self-perception and identity of today's townspeople - these are the main aspects and themes through which it is hoped to reveal a more complete and general picture of interwar Lithuanian little towns.
Edited by Salvijus Kulevičius
