Lithuanians in Chicago

Arts & Culture

While living abroad, many Lithuanian-Americans felt that they needed to preserve their cultural heritage. In Chicago, the Lithuanian community organized choirs, folk dance groups, and included cultural heritage in the curriculum of the weekly Saturday school for children. In 1957, the community organized the first Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival which 1,000 dancers from across the United States and Canada. This tradition still continues today. In 1966, the Balzekas Museum, home to one of the largest Lithuanian cultural heritage collection outside of Lithuania, was founded.

Explore the collection below to discover more about the cultural activities of the Chicago Lithuanian community.

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