Why is Lithuania called the "European Sex Den"? Take you to see this pathetic little country in Central Europe

In the summer of 2023, the streets of Vilnius are crowded with tourists, the spire of the Gothic Santa Anna Church glows red in the sun, and the baroque Vilnius University stands silently there, telling the glory of the Middle Ages like an old man.

But if you look closely, half of the tourists don't have churches or history in their hands, but "Sex Museum" and "Elysium".

How did a medieval power slip step by step to where it is today?

The tortuous fate of Lithuania

If you want to talk about Lithuania's past, you have to start from the 14th century.

At that time, Grand Duke Vytautas was a well-known figure, and he swept through Eastern Europe with his men, and he was extremely imposing.

In 1398, he led his army all the way to the shores of the Black Sea, and the whole territory of Lithuania was a million square kilometers, and the neighbors trembled when they heard it.

During his reign from 1392 to 1430, the Teutonic Knights did not often deal with him, but each time he was obedient.

The cavalry of the Golden Horde did not dare to approach easily, and when they encountered his army, they had to take a detour.

In those days, the Lithuanian warriors rode tall horses, wielded spears in their hands, and their shields were engraved with the family coat of arms.

In 1569, Lithuania signed the Lublin Union with Poland, and the two countries together became the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was simply a superpower in Europe.

As soon as their cavalry appeared, the soldiers of the Grand Duchy of Moscow could not even run in order, and they trembled with fear.

Vilnius at that time was full of guards, the watchtower of Gediminas Castle was staring into the distance day and night, and the streets were filled with knights in armor and merchants carrying goods.

The history of Lithuania is like an old carriage that has been flipped several times as it runs.

By the end of the 18th century, between 1772 and 1795, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was divided among Russia, Prussia and Austria.

At the time of the first partition, the angry quarrels of the nobles could still be heard on the streets of Vilnius, but after the third partition in 1795, Lithuania was completely gone, and it did not even retain the name of an independent country, so it could only become a follower of Tsarist Russia.

At that time, the castle of Gediminas was still standing on the banks of the Neris River, but the guards on the city walls had long since been replaced by Russians, and the castle was no longer the trumpets of knights, but the rebukes of Russian officials.

In the summer of 1940, Soviet tanks rumbled into Vilnius, and the people on the streets were so frightened that they didn't dare to go out, the shops were closed, and the church bells didn't dare to ring casually.

The following year, in 1941, Nazi boots stepped into Kaunas again, and the city's Jewish quarter was surrounded by black smoke drifting in the distance, and panicked faces were all over the streets.

It took decades until March 11, 1990, when the Lithuanians finally gathered the courage to shout the Declaration of Independence in the parliament building in Vilnius.

On that day, the castle of Gediminas on the banks of the Neris River seemed to be straightened up, and the river reflected the cheers of the people, but the neon lights were already lit up on the opposite bank, indicating that the new troubles were not over.

Abnormal transformation in the face of economic difficulties

When Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004, the big guys were very beautiful in their hearts, and they felt that they had finally caught the big ship of Europe.

The blue flag of the European Union is hoisted on the streets of the capital, Vilnius, and people in bars are chatting about the good days ahead with beer glasses. But within a few years, as soon as the wind of globalization blew, the bottom of Lithuania was exposed.

This place has a population of only 2.87 million, and the stalls are very small, and the manufacturing industry together accounts for 15% of the economy.

As for agriculture, and the freezing weather on the Baltic Sea, everything you plant in the field depends on God's face, and you can't grow much.

In 2015, Lithuania squeezed into the eurozone and became the 19th country to use the euro.

In 2018, the Vilnius Tourism Bureau made a big move and made a "European G-spot" advertisement, drawing the outline of the country to resemble the shape of a woman.

As a result, there were more tourists, but Eurostat later threw out a bunch of numbers that startled everyone: 23.6% of Lithuanian women between the ages of 18 and 35 said they had worked in the sex trade, not to mention 15% who stepped on the threshold before the age of 16.

On the streets of Vilnius, tourists take pictures of the old town during the day, but at night you can see girls dressed in fancy clothes standing on the side of the road, beckoning passing cars.

The economy seems to be rising, but what is hidden underneath is a chilling reality.

The Lithuanians used to fight the world with spears on horseback, but now they rely on these deformed methods to support GDP, and life is like walking on a tightrope, shaking.

The shadow and scandal of the sex industry

In February 2021, a big explosion broke out in the city of Kaunas in Lithuania.

The director of an orphanage was arrested for colluding with traffickers to sell the girls in the home. As soon as this matter was exposed, the whole of Europe exploded.

The police and investigators searched through the files, searched for clues, and tossed and turned for a while, until they finally unearthed a jaw-dropping figure: 37 girls from the orphanage had been packed up and sent to facilities in Germany and the Netherlands over the past five years.

Some of the girls are still in school, some can't even tie their shoes, and the youngest is only 14 years old.

When the news broke, the streets of Kaunas were deserted, the entrance to the orphanage was crowded, reporters were crowded with cameras, and locals passing by couldn't help but slow down and stare at the gray building.

In the courtroom, the prosecutor pulled out a stack of documents full of the girls' names, ages, and when and where they were sent away.

The dean sat in the dock, his head bowed and silent, while the lawyer next to him flipped through the folders, scrambling to find reasons for his defense.

Before the investigation was over, the International Labour Organization (ILO) also handed over a report that shook Lithuania's family to the ground. The report makes it clear that the country's sex industry earns 1.2 billion euros a year, or 1.7% of GDP.

As soon as this figure came out, there was a comparison next to it that made people frown: in the same year, Lithuania only earned 830 million euros from selling auto parts, which is less than half of the sex industry.

What is the concept of 1.2 billion euros? In those days, the streets of Vilnius, neon-lit clubs and massage parlors crowded the alleys, and young people in fancy clothes stood at the door, leaflets in their hands, and they were crowded when they saw people.

In the Kaunas bar, waiters walk around with beer glasses, but someone under the table secretly hands a small note, discussing the "business" of the evening.

The money piled up and stretched out a piece of Lithuania's economic ledger, and anyone who read it had to be stunned for a few seconds.

Besides, on the side of the E28 highway, there is a "health and entertainment area" in that place, which sounds quite formal, but it is actually a signboard that covers people's ears.

There were rows of low houses on the side of the road, with red lanterns hanging at the doors, and thick curtains on the windows.

The government has set up a mandatory medical examination station here, and the people who work in it have to be checked every week.

There were several white vans parked in front of the medical examination station, and the nurses were wearing white coats and holding forms in their hands, registering their names one by one.

The traffic on the highway whizzed by, and drivers sometimes slowed down, poked their heads out to take a second look, and then stepped on the gas pedal and ran away.

Just ten kilometers north of this road, Trakai Castle stands quietly on the edge of the lake, and every summer, tourists crowd the castle and take pictures around the display cases, and the guide tells the story of how the Lithuanian knights rode horses to defeat the enemy.

But after leaving the castle and walking a few steps along the E28 road, the lights of the "health and entertainment area" come into view, and the red light makes people dizzy.

In 2024, the Lithuanian Ministry of Health will throw out a bunch of data and spread out the situation in the past few years for everyone to see.

The report makes it clear that the rate of syphilis infection is frighteningly high, 3.2 times the EU average.

AIDS is even less optimistic, with 72% of new cases being linked to the sex industry.

Swings and costs in geopolitical games

Lithuania's geopolitics has really been tossed enough in recent years.

In November 2021, Vilnius decided to let the "Taiwan Representative Office" settle down, and as soon as the news came out, Beijing was immediately unhappy and directly downgraded diplomatic relations to the level of chargé d'affaires.

The next day, there were fewer cars in front of the Chinese embassy, and a few reporters could be seen running around on the street with their cameras, trying to catch some news.

Not long after, German car manufacturers heard that the Chinese market was not easy to mix, so they simply packed up their things and withdrew from Lithuania, the factory gate was locked, and the security booth at the gate was empty.

When the production line stopped, workers stood on the side of the road with toolboxes, chatting with each other about where to look for work next.

But at this time, the streets of Vilnius were bustling with activity, with 23 new strip clubs opening in the alleys of the old town.

The club's colourful signs illuminate half the street at night, and young men in leotards stand at the door, waving glow sticks to greet customers.

In the club, DJs DJed on stage, waiters at tables carried wine bottles, and the floor hummed with the bells of Santa Anna's Church not far away.

In 2024, the newly inaugurated president, Kintautas Palutkas, led a team of men to mend relations with China, the Foreign Ministry building was brightly lit, officials flipped through documents for meetings until midnight, and sent people to Beijing for several rounds of talks.

On the day of the expulsion, several black cars were parked at Vilnius airport, diplomats dragged their suitcases through security, and the surrounding police stood staring.

At this point, the plan for economic recovery was dashed again, and businessmen could be heard in street cafes discussing losses.

This way of leaning on the east side and dangling on the west side is really similar to the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 15th century.

At that time, while sending troops to crush Moscow's tail, they also sat down with the Hungarian envoys to drink, trying to pull an ally. Therefore, the fate of Lithuania is completely self-inflicted.

References:[1]Sun Yun,Xue Zhenwei. The change of Lithuania's policy toward Taiwan from the perspective of small countries: causes, ways and influences[J].Taiwan Studies Collection,2024(6):32-49.)