Vilkaviskis, Lithuania

Capital City

Living in Vilkaviskis is a far cry from the glossy Instagram posts - the population of just 10,286 faces persistent bureaucratic headaches and the lingering scars of war. The city's Jewish community, once 4,417 strong, was entirely wiped out by the Nazis and their local collaborators during World War II. Even today, the urban landscape bears the marks of past destruction, with many buildings reduced to "huts made partly of straw, old boards and clay" in the aftermath of the fighting. For those intrigued by Vilkaviskis' turbulent history, the reality on the ground may prove a sobering counterpoint to romantic notions of life in rural Lithuania.