Present-day Lithuanians are descendants of the Balts, an Indo-European ethnic group that settled on the Baltic coast 4000 years ago. At the Union of Lublin in 1569, a full-scale merger between Lithuania and Poland took place. EU membership has catapulted Lithuania onto the global stage, with more and more people becoming aware of the country's rich panoply of castles, lakes and forests, and more people flocking to see Vilnius, one of Europe's most enchanting cities. The second city of the country is Kaunas with its Basilica, the largest Gothic building in Lithuania and the Pažaislis abbey. Klaipėda Seaport is the ice-free port on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is the most important and the biggest Lithuanian transportation hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West.