Vilnius
Template:Short description Template:Pp-move Template:Redirect-multi Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement Vilnius (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, Template:IPA) is the capital of and largest city in Lithuania and the most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population was 607,667,<ref name="pop.lt" /> and the Vilnius urban area (which extends beyond the city limits) has an estimated population of 747,864.<ref name="FUA,Euro" />
Vilnius is notable for the architecture of its Old Town, considered one of Europe's largest and best-preserved old towns. The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.<ref name="archive.org">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TheCapital" /><ref name="VWH" /><ref name="Lurk" /> The architectural style known as Vilnian Baroque is named after the city, which is farthest to the east among Baroque cities, next to Vitebsk, Mogilev and Minsk.<ref name="unesco" />
The city was noted for its multicultural population during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with contemporary sources comparing it to Babylon. Before World War II and the Holocaust, Vilnius was one of Europe's most important Jewish centers. Its Jewish influence had led to its being called "the Jerusalem of Lithuania", and Napoleon called it "the Jerusalem of the North"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> when he passed through in 1812.
Vilnius was a 2009 European Capital of Culture with Linz in Austria.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021, the city was named one of fDi's 25 Global Cities of the Future.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Vilnius is considered a global financial centre, ranked 76th globally and 29th in Europe on the Global Financial Centres Index.<ref>The Global Financial Centres Index 28, September 2020, page 5</ref> The city is an important center for the global fintech industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It hosted the 2023 NATO Summit. In 2025 Vilnius was the European Green Capital.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius is a member of Eurocities<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Etymology and other names
[edit]The name of Vilnius first appeared in Latin-edited letters by Gediminas from the year 1323, in the form Vilna (in civitate nostra regia, dicta Vilna).Template:Sfn In another letter from 1325, the form Wilno also appears (Datum Wilno).Template:Sfn Both forms ultimately originate from the old Lithuanian name of the tributary river Vilnia (meaning ripple),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which flows into the Neris River in the center of old Vilnius, near the Castle Hill. The name of the river was transferred to the city.Template:Sfn The form Wilno is still used in the Polish language today. The Lithuanian form Vilnius, which is used today, was recorded at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries in Mikalojus Daukša's “Postil,” but it only became widespread during the Lithuanian national revival at the end of the 19th century.Template:Sfn
The form Vilna made its way into Western European languages and for a long time served as the standard designation for the city of Vilnius, especially in historical and diplomatic texts. The most notable non-Lithuanian names for the city include Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx (Vilnia), Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx (Vilno), Template:Langx (Vilne), Template:Langx (Vilna). A Russian name dating to the Russian Empire was Вильна (Vilna),<ref>Template:Cite journalTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> although Вильнюс (Vilnyus) is now used.
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According to a legend recorded around the 1530s, Grand Duke Gediminas (c. 1275–1341) was hunting in the sacred forest near Šventaragis' Valley, where the Vilnia River flows into the Neris. The successful hunt for a wisent lasted longer than expected, and Gediminas decided to spend the night in the valley. That night, he dreamed of a huge Iron Wolf standing on top of a hill, howling loudly. Upon awakening, the Duke asked the krivis Lizdeika to interpret the dream. The chief priest explained:
What is destined for the ruler and the State of Lithuania, is thus: the Iron Wolf represents a castle and a city which will be established by you on this site. This city will be the capital of the Lithuanian lands and the dwelling of their rulers, and the glory of their deeds shall echo throughout the world.
Gediminas, obeying the gods, built two castles: the Lower Castle in the valley, and the Crooked Castle on Bald Hill. He moved his court there, declared it his permanent seat and capital, and developed the surrounding area into a city he named Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed<ref name="leg">Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Clear left
History
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Vilnius' history dates to the Stone Age.<ref name="ViVle">Template:Cite web</ref> The city at least from 1323 until 1795 was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Later Vilnius was ruled by imperial and Soviet Russia, Napoleonic France, imperial and Nazi Germany, interwar Poland, and again became a capital of Lithuania in the 20th century.<ref name="ViVle"/>
A Baltic settlement since its foundation, Vilnius became significant in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="ViVle"/> The city was first mentioned in letters by Grand Duke Gediminas, who invited Jews and Germans to settle and built a wooden castle on a hill.<ref name="ViVle"/> Vilnius became a city when it was given city rights in 1387, after the Christianization of Lithuania, and was settled by craftsmen and merchants of a variety of nationalities.<ref name="ViVle"/> It was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (until 1795) within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.<ref name="ViVle"/> Vilnius flourished under the Commonwealth, especially after the 1579 establishment of Vilnius University by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Stephen Báthory.<ref name="ViVle"/> The city became a cultural and scientific center, attracting migrants from east and west.<ref name="ViVle"/> It had diverse communities, with Jewish, Orthodox, and German populations.<ref name="ViVle"/> The city experienced a number of invasions and occupations, including by the Teutonic Knights, Russia and, later, Germany.<ref name="ViVle"/>
Under imperial Russian rule, Vilnius became the capital of Vilna Governorate and had a number of cultural revivals during the 19th and early 20th centuries by Jews, Poles, Lithuanians, and Belarusians.<ref name="ViVle"/> After World War I, the city experienced conflict between Poland and Lithuania which led to its occupation by Poland before its annexation by the Soviet Union during World War II.<ref name="ViVle"/> After that war, Vilnius became the capital of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.<ref name="ViVle"/>
Independence
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On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR announced its secession from the Soviet Union and intention to restore an independent Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 9 January 1991, the Soviet Union sent in troops; this culminated in the 13 January attack on the State Radio and Television Building and Vilnius TV Tower which killed 14 civilians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Soviet Union recognised Lithuanian independence in September 1991.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the Constitution of Lithuania, "the capital of the State of Lithuania shall be the city of Vilnius, the long-standing historical capital of Lithuania".
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Vilnius has become a modern European city. Its territory has been expanded with three acts since 1990, incorporating urban areas, villages, hamlets, and the city of Grigiškės.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Most historic buildings have been renovated and a business and commercial area became the New City Centre, the main administrative and business district on the north side of the river Neris. The area includes modern residential and retail space, with the municipal building and the Template:Cvt Europa Tower its most prominent buildings. The construction of Swedbank's headquarters indicates the importance of Scandinavian banks in Vilnius. The Vilnius Business Harbour complex was built and expanded. Over 75,000 flats were built from 1995 to 2018, making the city a Baltic construction leader.
Vilnius was selected as a 2009 European Capital of Culture with Linz, the capital of Upper Austria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The 2008 financial crisis led to a drop in tourism, which prevented many projects from completion; allegations of corruption and incompetence were made;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> tax increases for cultural activity led to protests,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and economic conditions sparked riots.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 28–29 November 2013, Vilnius hosted the Eastern Partnership summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Many European presidents, prime ministers, and high-ranking officials participated.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In 2015, Remigijus Šimašius became the city's first directly elected mayor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2023 NATO summit was held in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
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Vilnius is at the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers in southeastern Lithuania. Several countries say that the geographical midpoint of Europe is within their territory. The midpoint depends on the definition of European extent, and the Guinness Book of World Records recognises a point near Vilnius as the continental centre.<ref name="gcentre">Template:Cite web</ref> After a 1989 re-estimation of European boundaries, Jean-George Affholder of the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute) determined that its geographic centre was at Template:Coord.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The method used to calculate the point was the centre of gravity of the European geometrical figure, and is near the village of Girija (26 kilometres from Vilnius). A monument by sculptor Gediminas Jokūbonis, a column of white granite surmounted by a crown of stars, was built there in 2004.<ref name="gcentre" />
Vilnius is Template:Cvt from the Baltic Sea and Klaipėda, the main Lithuanian seaport. It is connected by road to other major Lithuanian cities, such as Kaunas (Template:Cvt away), Šiauliai (Template:Cvt away) and Panevėžys (Template:Cvt away).
Vilnius has an area of Template:Cvt. Buildings cover 29.1 percent of the city; green space covers 68.8 percent, and water covers 2.1 percent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city has eight nature reserves: Vokės Senslėnio Slopes Geomorphological Reserve, Aukštagiris Geomorphological Reserve, Valakupių Klonio Geomorphological Reserve, Veržuva Hydrographic Reserve, Vokė Hydrographic Reserve, Cedronas Upstream Landscape Reserve, Tapeliai Landscape Reserve, and Šeškinė Slopes Geomorphological Reserve.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Several lakes, including Balžis, are located on the north-eastern outskirts of Vilnius.
Climate
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Vilnius has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with temperature records since 1777.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The average annual temperature is Template:Cvt; the average January temperature is Template:Cvt, and the July average is Template:Cvt. Average annual precipitation is Template:Cvt. Temperatures in the city have increased significantly during the last 30 years, a change which the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service attributes to human-induced global warming.<ref name=meteo>Template:Cite web</ref>
Summer days are warm to hot, especially in July and August, with daytime temperatures above Template:Cvt during periodic heat waves. Outdoor bars, restaurants and cafés are frequented during the day.
Winters can be very cold, although temperatures above Template:Convert; still occasionally occur. Temperatures below Template:Cvt are recorded every other year. Vilnius's rivers freeze in particularly cold winters, and the lakes surrounding the city are almost always frozen from December to March, and even April, in the most extreme years. The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, headquartered in Vilnius, monitors the country's climate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Weather box
Culture
[edit]Painting and sculpture
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Vilnius was an artistic centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, attracting artists across Europe. The oldest surviving early Gothic artworks (14th century) are paintings dedicated to churches and liturgy, such as frescoes in the crypts of Vilnius Cathedral and decorated hymnbooks. Sixteenth-century wall paintings are in the city's Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard and the Church of Saint Nicholas.<ref name="tapybavle">Template:Cite web</ref> Gothic wooden polychrome sculptures decorate church altars. Some Gothic seals from the 14th and 15th centuries still exist, including those of Kęstutis, Vytautas the Great and Sigismund II Augustus.<ref name="skulptura">Template:Cite web</ref>
Renaissance sculpture appeared during the early 16th century, primarily by the Italian sculptors Bernardinus Zanobi da Gianotti, Giovani Cini, and Giovanni Maria Padovano. During the Renaissance, portrait tombstones and medals were valued; examples are the marble tombs of Albertas Goštautas (1548) and Paweł Holszański (1555) by Bernardino de Gianotis in Vilnius Cathedral. Italian sculpture is characterized by its naturalistic treatment of forms and precise proportions. Local sculptors adopted the iconographic scheme of Renaissance tombs; their works, such the tomb of Lew Sapieha (Template:Circa) in the Church of St. Michael, are stylized.<ref name="skulptura" /> During this period, local and Western European painters created religious and mythological compositions and portraits with late Gothic and Baroque features; illustrated prayerbooks, illustrations, and miniatures have survived.<ref name="tapybavle" />
During the late-16th-century Baroque, wall painting developed. Most palaces and churches were decorated in frescoes with bright colors, sophisticated angles, and drama. Secular paintingTemplate:Sndrepresentational, imaginative, epitaph portraits, scenes of battles and politically important events in a detailed, realistic styleTemplate:Sndalso spread at this time.<ref name="tapybavle" /> Baroque sculptures dominated sacred architecture: tombstones with sculpted portraits and decorative sculptures in wood, marble, and stucco. Italian sculptors such as G. P. Perti, G. M. Galli, and A. S. Capone, key figures in the development of sculpture in the 17th-century grand duchy, were commissioned by Lithuanian nobility. Their works exemplify the mature Baroque, with expressive forms and sensuality. Local sculptors emphasized Baroque decorative features, with less expression and emotion.<ref name="skulptura" />
Lithuanian painting was influenced by the Vilnius Art School during the late 18th and 19th centuries, which introduced classical and romantic art. Painters had internships abroad, mainly in Italy. Allegorical, mythological compositions, landscapes, and portraits of representatives of various circles of society began, and historical themes prevailed. The era's best-known classical painters are Franciszek Smaglewicz, Jan Rustem, Józef Oleszkiew, Template:Ill, Józef Peszka, and Wincenty Smokowski. Romantic artists were Jan Rustem, Jan Krzysztof Damel, Wincenty Dmochowski and Kanuty Rusiecki.<ref name="tapybavle" /> After the 1832 closure of Vilnius University, the Vilnius Art School continued to influence Lithuanian art.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Lithuanian Art Society was established in 1907 by Petras Rimša, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius and Antanas Jaroševičius, and the Vilnius Art Society was founded the following year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Artists included Jonas Šileika, Template:Ill, Template:Ill, Vytautas Kairiūkštis, and Vytautas Pranas Bičiūnas, who employed Western European symbolism, realism, Art Nouveau and modernism.<ref name="tapybavle" /> Socialist realism was introduced after World War II, with propaganda paintings, historical and household works, still lives, landscapes, portraits, and sculptures.<ref name="tapybavle" /><ref name="skulptura" /> Late 20th- and 21st-century painters are Žygimantas Augustinas, Eglė Ridikaitė, Eglė Gineitytė, Patricija Jurkšaitytė, Jurga Barilaitė, and Solomonas Teitelbaumas.<ref name="tapybavle" />
The Užupis district near the Old Town, a run-down district during the Soviet era, hosts bohemian artists who operate a number of art galleries and workshops.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In its main square, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet symbolises artistic freedom.
The world's first bronze memorial to Frank Zappa<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was installed in the Naujamiestis district in 1995. In 2015, the Vilnius Talking Statues project was introduced. Eighteen statues around the city interact by smartphone with visitors in several languages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Museums and galleries
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Vilnius has a variety of museums.<ref name="GoVilniusMuseums">Template:Cite web</ref> The National Museum of Lithuania, in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Gediminas' Tower and the arsenals of the Vilnius Castle Complex, has exhibits about the history of Lithuania and Lithuanian culture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Museum of Applied Arts and Design displays Lithuanian folk and religious art, objects from the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, and 18th- to 20th-century clothing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other museums are the Vilnius Museum, the House of Histories, Church Heritage Museum, Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, Fight for Freedom Museum in the Vilnius TV Tower, M. K. Čiurlionis House, Samuel Bak Museum, Centre for Civil Education, Toy Museum, Vilnil (Museum of Illusions), Energy and Technology Museum, House of Signatories, Tolerance Center, Railway Museum, Money Museum, Kazys Varnelis House-Museum, Liubavas Manor Watermill-Museum, Museum of Vladislovas Sirokomlė, Amber Museum-Gallery, and the Paneriai Memorial visitor information centre.<ref name="GoVilniusMuseums"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius has a number of art galleries. Lithuania's largest art collection is housed in the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius Picture Gallery, in the city's Old Town, houses a collection of Lithuanian art from the 16th to the early 20th centuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Across the Neris, the National Art Gallery has a number of exhibitions of 20th-century Lithuanian art.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Contemporary Art Centre, the largest contemporary-art venue in the Baltic States, has an exhibition space of Template:Convert. The centre develops international and Lithuanian exhibitions and presents a range of public programs which include lectures, seminars, performances, film and video screenings, and live music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 10 November 2007, the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center was opened by avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas; its premiere exhibition was The Avant-Garde: From Futurism to Fluxus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, the MO Museum opened as an initiative of Lithuanian scientists and philanthropists Danguolė and Viktoras Butkus. Its collection of 5,000 modern pieces includes major Lithuanian artworks from the 1950s to the present.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Literature
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Around 1520, Francysk Skaryna (author of the first Ruthenian Bible) established eastern Europe's first printing house in Vilnius. Skaryna prepared and published the Little Traveller's Book (Ruthenian: Малая подорожная книжка), the first printed book of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in 1522. Three years later, he printed the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles (the Apostle).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Vilnius Academy Press was established in 1575 by Lithuanian nobleman Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł as the Vilnius Academy printing house, delegating its management to the Jesuits. It published its first book, Piotr Skarga's Pro Sacratissima Eucharistia contra haeresim Zwinglianam, in May 1576. The press was funded by the Lithuanian nobility and the church.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1805, Józef Zawadzki bought the press and founded the Józef Zawadzki printing shop. Operating continuously until 1939, it published books in a number of languages;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Adam Mickiewicz's first poetry book was published in 1822.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Mikalojus Daukša translated and published a catechism by Spanish Jesuit theologian Jacobo Ledesma in 1595, the first printed Lithuanian-language book in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He also translated and published Jakub Wujek's Postilla Catholica in 1599.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Many writers were born in Vilnius, lived there, or are alumni of Vilnius University; they include Konstantinas Sirvydas, Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Antoni Gorecki, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Antoni Edward Odyniec, Michał Józef Römer, Adam Mickiewicz, Władysław Syrokomla, Józef Mackiewicz, Romain Gary, Juliusz Słowacki, Simonas Daukantas, Mykolas Biržiška, Petras Cvirka, Kazys Bradūnas, Nobel laureate Czesław Miłosz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius Academy of Arts alumnae have also added to the internationally acclaimed contemporary writers such as Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Undinė Radzevičiūtė and Kristina Sabaliauskaitė. The first consideration of the First Statute of Lithuania took place in 1522 at the Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The code was drafted under the guidance of Grand Chancellor of Lithuania Albertas Goštautas in accordance with customary law, legislation, and canon and Roman law. It is Europe's first codification of secular law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Albertas Goštautas supported the use of Lithuanian in literature and protected Lithuanian authors (including Abraomas Kulvietis and Michael the Lithuanian) who criticised the use of Old Church Slavonic, and called refugees Old Believers in De moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum.<ref name="Dubonis2002">Template:Cite web</ref>
Since the 16th century, the Lithuanian Metrica has been kept at the Lower Castle and safeguarded by the State Chancellor. Due to the deterioration of the books, Grand Chancellor Lew Sapieha ordered the Metrica recopied in 1594; the recopying continued until 1607. The recopied books were inventoried, rechecked, and transferred to a separate building in Vilnius; the older books remained in the Castle of Vilnius. According to 1983 data, 665 books remain on microfilm at the Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Over 200 tiles and plaques commemorating writers who lived and worked in Vilnius and foreign authors connected to Vilnius and Lithuania adorn walls on Literatų Street (Template:Langx) in the Old Town, outlining the history of Lithuanian literature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore and the Lithuanian Writers' Union are in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius book fair is held annually at LITEXPO, the Baltics' largest exhibition centre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cinema
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The first public film session in Vilnius was held in the Botanical Garden (now the Bernardinai Garden) in July 1896. It was held after 1895 film sessions by Auguste and Louis Lumière in Paris. The session in Vilnius showed the Lumière brothers' documentary films. The first films shown were educational, filmed outside Vilnius (in India and Africa), and introduced other cultures. Georges Méliès' film, A Trip to the Moon, was first shown at the Lukiškės Square movie theater in 1902; it was the first feature film shown in Vilnius.<ref name="cinemaLRT">Template:Cite web</ref>
The first movie theater in Vilnius, Iliuzija (Illusion), opened in 1905 at 60 Didžioji Street.<ref name="cinemaMIV">Template:Cite web</ref> The first movie theaters, similar to theatres, had boxes with more-expensive seats. Because early films were silent, showings were accompanied by orchestral performances. Cinema screenings were sometimes combined with theatrical performances and illusion shows.<ref name="cinemaLRT" />
On 4 June 1924, the Vilnius magistrate established a 1,200-seat movie theater in the city hall (Template:Langx, City Movie Theater) to provide cultural education for students and adults. In 1926, 502,261 tickets were sold; 24,242 tickets were given to boarding children, 778 to tourists, and 8,385 to soldiers. In 1939, Lithuanian authorities renamed it Milda. The last city government gave it to the People's Commissariat of Education, which established the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, the following year.<ref name="cinemaMIV" />
In 1965, Lithuania's most modern movie theater (Lietuva) opened in Vilnius; it had over 1.84 million visitors per year, and an annual profit of over 1 million roubles. After reconstruction, it had one of Europe's largest screens: Template:Convert.<ref name="cinemaMIV" /> Closed in 2002, it was demolished in 2017 and replaced by MO Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kino Pavasaris is the city's largest film festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian Film Centre (Template:Langx), tasked with promoting the development and competitiveness of the Lithuanian film industry, is in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Music
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Musicians performed at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania as early as the 14th century, since Grand Duke Gediminas' daughter Aldona of Lithuania was known to be enthusiastic about music. Aldona brought court musicians and singers to Kraków after marrying King Casimir III the Great.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the 16th century, composers such as Wacław of Szamotuły, Jan Brant, Heinrich Finck, Cyprian Bazylik, Alessandro Pesenti, Luca Marenzio, and Michelagnolo Galilei lived in Vilnius; the city was also home to virtuoso lutist Bálint Bakfark. One of the first local musicians in written sources was Steponas Vilnietis (Stephanus de Vylna). The first textbook of Lithuanian music, The Art and Practice of Music (Template:Langx), was published in Vilnius by Žygimantas Liauksminas in 1667.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Italian artists produced Lithuania's first opera on 4 September 1636 at the Palace of the Grand Dukes, commissioned by Grand Duke Władysław IV Vasa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Operas are produced at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and by the Vilnius City Opera.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, the country's largest and oldest state-owned concert organization, produces live concerts and tours in Lithuania and abroad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, founded by Gintaras Rinkevičius, performs in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Choral music is popular in Lithuania, and Vilnius has three choir laureates (Brevis, Jauna Muzika, and the Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire) at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival in Vilnius has been presented every four years since 1990 for about 30,000 singers and folk dancers in Vingis Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, the festival and its Latvian and Estonian counterparts were designated as a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The jazz scene is active in Vilnius; in 1970–71, the Ganelin/Tarasov/Chekasin trio founded the Vilnius Jazz School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius Jazz Festival is held annually.
The annual Gatvės muzikos diena (Street Music Day) gathers musicians on the city's streets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius is the birthplace of singers Mariana Korvelytė – Moravskienė, Paulina Rivoli, Danielius Dolskis, Vytautas Kernagis, Algirdas Kaušpėdas, Andrius Mamontovas, Nomeda Kazlaus, and Asmik Grigorian); composers César Cui, Felix Yaniewicz, Maximilian Steinberg, Vytautas Miškinis, and Onutė Narbutaitė); conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla), and musicians Antoni Radziwiłł, Jascha Heifetz, Clara Rockmore, and Romas Lileikis).
It was the hometown of 18th-century composers Michał Kazimierz Ogiński, Johann David Holland (colleague of C. Bach), Maciej Radziwiłł, and Michał Kleofas Ogiński. Nineteenth-century Vilnius was known for singer Kristina Gerhardi Frank, a close friend of Mozart and Haydn (who starred in the premiere of Haydn's Creation), mid-19th century guitar virtuoso Marek Konrad Sokołowski and composer Stanisław Moniuszko. The wealthiest woman in Vilnius during the early 19th century was singer Maria de Neri. In the early 20th century, Vilnius was the hometown of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Mikas Petrauskas, and Juozas Tallat-Kelpša. Late-20th- and early 21st-century musicians include Vyacheslav Ganelin, Petras Vyšniauskas, Petras Geniušas, Mūza Rubackytė, Alanas Chošnau, and Marijonas Mikutavičius.
The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, headquartered on Gediminas Avenue, is also located at the Slushko Palace in Antakalnis. Singers who have lectured at the academy include tenors Kipras Petrauskas and Virgilijus Noreika.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Theatre
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The Lithuanian Grand Dukes' entertainment at the castle, rulers' visits abroad and guests' meetings had theatrical elements. During Sigismund III Vasa's residence in Vilnius in the early 17th century, English actors performed at the palace. Władysław IV Vasa established a professional opera theatre in the Lower Castle in 1635, where drammas per musica were performed by the Italian Virgilio Puccitelli. The performances had basic, luxurious scenography.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A Jesuit School Theatre existed between the 16th and 18th centuries, with its first performance (Hercules by S. Tucci) in 1570 in Vilnius. Baroque aesthetics prevailed at the theatre, which also had medieval retrospectives, Renaissance elements, Rococo motifs, and an educational function. Performances were in Latin, but elements of the Lithuanian language were included and some of the works had Lithuanian themes (plays dedicated to Algirdas, Mindaugas, Vytautas and other Lithuanian rulers).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="theatrevle">Template:Cite web</ref>
Wojciech Bogusławski established Vilnius City Theatre, the city's first public theatre, in 1785. The theatre, initially in the Oskierka Palace, moved to the Radziwiłł Palace and Vilnius Town Hall. Plays were performed in Polish until 1845, from 1845 to 1864 in Polish and Russian, and after 1864 in Russian. After the Lithuanian-language ban was lifted, plays were also performed in Lithuanian. The theatre closed in 1914.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the interwar period (when the city was part of Poland), Vilnius was known for the modern, experimental Reduta troupe and institute led by Juliusz Osterwa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius Lithuanian Stage Amateur Company (Template:Langx), established in 1930 and renamed Vilnius's Lithuanian Theatre, performed in the region. In 1945, it was merged with the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre.<ref name="theatrevle" />
After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940, theatre became a means of disseminating Soviet ideology. Performances incorporated socialist realism, and a number of revolutionary plays by Russian authors were staged. A Repertory Commission was established under the Ministry of Culture to direct theatres, control repertoire, and permit (or ban) performances.<ref name="theatrevle" />
Theatre changed after Lithuanian independence.<ref name="theatrevle" /> The independent Vilnius City Opera blends classical and contemporary art. The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, State Small Theatre of Vilnius, State Youth Theatre and a number of private theatre companies (including OKT/Vilnius City Theatre and the Anželika Cholina Dance Theatre) present classical, modern and Lithuanian plays directed by noted Lithuanian and foreign directors. There is also a Russian-language Old Theatre of Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Photography
[edit]
According to the memoirs of architect Bolesław Podczaszyński, published in January 1853 in the Template:Lang, Lithuanian photography began with the daguerreotyping in the summer of 1839 of the reconstructed Verkiai Palace by François Marcillac (governor of the children of Duke Ludwig Wittgenstein).<ref name="photovle">Template:Cite web</ref> The country's unfavorable political situation hampered the development of new technology and cultural activities. The first known daguerreotype-portrait atelier in Vilnius was opened in 1843 by C. Ziegler, and ateliers operated in Lithuania until 1859. One of the best-known photographers was K. Neupert, from Norway.<ref name="photovle"/>
In the 1860s, with the spread of the collodion process, glass negatives and albumen paper were used instead of daguerreotype plates. Photo portraits in standard formats became widespread, and commercial photography ateliers were established in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities. The first landscape and architectural photographs were made by Vilnius photographers Abdonas Korzonas and Albert Swieykowski, who compiled the 32-image Vilnius Album (Lithuania's first set of photographs). In 1862, Provisional Censorship Regulations governing the activities of photographic institutions were adopted in 1862, supervised by the Central Press Board of the Ministry of the Interior. Those who photographed the rebels in the January Uprising were punished; A. Korzonas was deported to Siberia. Other prominent 19th-century photographers were Stanisław Filibert Fleury (a stereoscopic-photography pioneer),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Aleksander Władysław Strauss, and Józef Czechowicz.<ref name="photovle"/>
The world's second photoheliograph was installed in 1865 at the Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory, and photographed sunspots.<ref name="photovle"/> An unprecedented system of photographing solar dynamics began in 1868 in Vilnius.<ref name="Klimka">Template:Cite book</ref> Jan Bułhak founded the country's first photography club in Vilnius in 1927.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1952, Švyturys magazine organized the city's first photography exhibition.<ref name="photovle"/>
Crafts
[edit]Template:Multiple image Iron tools, weapons, brass, glass and silver jewelry have been produced in present-day Lithuania since the first century.<ref name="amatai">Template:Cite web</ref> Pottery wood products, and weaving became widespread in the second and fourth centuries. During the feudal era, home crafts were components of a subsistence economy. During the 13th and 14th centuries, crafts became a branch of the economy separate from agriculture. The Grand Dukes of Lithuania promoted the development of crafts in cities, and weaving, shoemaking, fur-making and other crafts predominated. With the early-14th-century introduction of foreign artisans, the development of crafts accelerated; crafts and trade stimulated the growth of Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities. In the 14th and 15th centuries, crafts were specialized (especially the production of tools, household items, fabrics, clothing, weapons, and jewelry); workshops were established which trained and defended the interests of craftspeople. Production of fine glassware began, goldsmithing was developed, and the level of pottery and weaving rose during the 16th century, and the 1529 and 1588 Statutes of Lithuania identify 25 crafts.<ref name="amatai"/> European goldsmiths worked in the Vilnius Goldsmiths' Workshop (established in 1495), which controlled trade in precious metals and gemstones and served the Daugava and Dnieper regions, the Catholic Church, the Grand Duke, the nobility, and townspeople.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius Mint, the main mint of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, minted the Lithuanian denarius, shillings, groschen, thalers, ducats, and other coins from 1387 to 1666.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Crafting declined in the second half of the 17th century due to the Russo-Polish War, and most goods were imported and sold by Lithuanian and Polish nobles. It revived from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, with Vilnius the largest Lithuanian craft center. After the abolition of serfdom, craft schools were established in Lithuanian cities; crafts have prevailed in clothing manufacturing, goldsmithing, woodworking, food processing, and other fields. Under Soviet occupation, craftspeople worked in artels until 1960 and then in combines. After independence, crafts were produced by small and medium-sized businesses.<ref name="amatai"/>
Language
[edit]
Template:Multiple image A multicultural city, Vilnius' language changed over the centuries. The predominant spoken language in medieval Lithuania was Lithuanian. It had no literary tradition, however, and was not used in writing except for religious texts such as the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary.<ref name="kalbos">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Dubonis2002" /> Vytautas the Great spoke in Lithuanian with Jogaila, whose son Casimir IV Jagiellon also spoke Lithuanian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Saint Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania, knew Lithuanian, Polish, German and Latin.<ref name="VilniusCathedral">Template:Cite web</ref> Fifteenth-century Byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles reported that the Lithuanians had a distinct language.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed
Ruthenian was used after the incorporation of Kievan Rus', forming the basis of 19th-century Ukrainian and Belarusian. Written Ruthenian stemmed from the interaction of Old East Slavic with Ruthenian dialects, becoming the main language of the chancery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th and 15th centuries and maintained its dominance until the mid-17th century.<ref name="kalbos" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Latin and Polish were also widely used in the chancery; Polish replaced Ruthenian in written sources and Lithuanian in public use during the second half of the 17th century. The first state documents in Lithuanian appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the end of its existence.<ref name="kalbos" />
At the Vilnius court of Sigismund II Augustus, the last Grand Duke of Lithuania before the Union of Lublin, Polish and Lithuanian were spoken.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1552, Sigismund ordered that orders from the Magistrate of Vilnius be announced in Lithuanian, Polish, and Ruthenian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Minorities such as Jews, Lipka Tatars, and Crimean Karaites were ruled by the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and their languages were only used among themselves.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Article 14 of the Lithuanian constitution, Lithuanian is the official language; however, interpreter assistance is sometimes provided.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fashion
[edit]Template:Multiple image According to historian Antanas Čaplinskas, wives of merchants and craftsmen wore rings decorated with gemstones. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century property inventories list long, wide-sleeved jackets (known as kontusz), żupans decorated with fur, and kontush belts.<ref name="clothing">Template:Cite web</ref> Buttons, made of pearl, coral, brilliant-cut diamonds and emeralds, were decorated with diamonds and enamel.<ref name="clothing" /> Delias and dolmans were popular with townspeople and nobles.<ref name="ragauskas">Template:Cite web</ref>
Wealthy townspeople in luxurious clothing aroused the envy of Lithuanian nobility, who demanded laws regulating attire. The 1588 Statute of Lithuania limited townspeople to two rings, and Jews could not wear gold chains and brooches.<ref name="clothing" /> Broader restrictions were imposed by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which adopted the 1613 Act of Thrift forbidding non-noble townspeople from wearing expensive furs in public.<ref name="clothing" /> Payment of a fee later removed the limitations.<ref name="clothing" />
During the late 18th century, almost all men shaved; their hair was short, and they wore open-front blue, green or black tailcoats and waistcoats with white or light-yellow trousers;<ref name="ragauskas" /> women's clothing echoed West European styles. In the early 20th century, clothing followed West European fashion trends. The State Art Institute of Lithuania introduced clothing-design studies, and the Vilnius Model House (popularizing apparel and footwear) was established in 1961.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The annual Vilnius spring Mados infekcija (Fashion Infection), Lithuania's largest fashion show, began in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lithuanian clothing designer Juozas Statkevičius usually presents his shows in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Holidays and festivals
[edit]
Catholic holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Saint John's Eve) are widely celebrated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 16 February (anniversary of the Act of Independence of Lithuania) and 11 March (anniversary of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania), festive and religious events take place in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the evening of 12 January, bonfires are lit to commemorate the January Events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kaziuko mugė (Saint Casimir's Fair), held annually in the city's markets and streets on the Sunday nearest to 4 March (the feast of Saint Casimir), attracts many visitors and Lithuanian and foreign craftspeople. Easter palms (Template:Langx) are symbolic of the fair.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Capital Days (Template:Langx), Vilnius' largest festival of music and culture, is held from 30 August to 1 September.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The river Vilnia is dyed green every year for Saint Patrick's Day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the annual Vilnius Culture Night, artists and cultural organisations hold events and performances throughout the city.<ref name="Kulturos Naktos">Template:Cite web</ref>
Administration
[edit]Government
[edit]
Before Magdeburg rights were granted to Vilnius in 1378, the city was ruled by vicegerents. Government was later granted to a magistrate or a city council, subordinate to the ruler. In wartime, it was led by a voivode.<ref name="government">Template:Cite web</ref> The government headquarters was at Vilnius Town Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The magistrate was responsible for the city's economy: collecting taxes, overseeing the treasury, and accumulating stocks of grain to avoid starvation during famine or wars. He was a notary in transactions and testaments, a judge in conflicts involving construction and renovation, and took care of craftspeople; statutes involving workshops were approved by the ruler, but Sigismund II Augustus gave this responsibility to magistrates in 1552. Since a 1522 ruling by Sigismund I the Old, Vilnius magistrates had to protect the city and its residents with 24 armed guards. During wartime, the night watch was conducted by the magistrate, bishop and castle men.<ref name="government" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The chief city administrator was a Catholic vaitas (a vicegerent of the Grand Duke of Lithuania),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> most of whom were beginning their careers in the magistracy, and chaired city-council meetings. He adjudicated criminal cases, with the right to impose capital punishment. Originally examining cases alone, two suolininkai also began examining important cases in the 16th century. At that time, the city council consisted of 12 burgomasters and 24 councilors; half were Catholics, the other half Orthodox). Members were chosen by wealthy townspeople, merchants, and workshop elders. Burgomasters were lifetime appointments; at death, another member of the council with the same religion was chosen. In 1536, Sigismund I the Old signed an edict prohibiting close relatives on the council and requiring prior agreement by the townspeople of new taxes, obligations and regulations.<ref name="government" />
Under the Russian Empire, the city council was replaced with a city duma.<ref name="LRistorija">Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius was the capital of the Lithuania Governorate from 1797 to 1801, the Vilna Governorate-General from 1794 to 1912, and the Vilna Governorate from 1795 to 1915.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Vilnius was the capital of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.<ref name="LRistorija"/>
Vilnius City Municipality
[edit]The Vilnius City Municipality is the representative self-government organ, one of 60 municipalities of Lithuania. In addition to Vilnius proper, it includes the town of Grigiškės, as well as the villages and rural areas of the Template:Ill.Template:Citation needed
The Template:Ill, established in 1990,<ref name="LRistorija"/> is elected to four-year terms, and candidates are nominated by political parties and committees.<ref name="Taryba">Template:Cite web</ref> Beginning with the 2011 elections, independent candidates are permitted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its executive organ is the Template:Ill.
Before 2015, mayors were appointed by the council.<ref name="TV3merai">Template:Cite web</ref> Beginning that year, mayors were elected in a two-round system.<ref name="TV3merai"/> Remigijus Šimašius was the city's first directly elected mayor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Subdivisions
[edit]
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| Eldership<ref name="Seniunijos">Template:Cite web</ref> | Area (km2) | Population<ref>2021m. gyventojų ir būstų surašymas</ref> | Density (per km2) | Map number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antakalnis (includes Valakampiai, Turniškės, and Dvarčionys) |
77.2 | 39,257 | 510 | 2 |
| Fabijoniškės (includes Bajorai) |
4.1 | 37,006 | 9,000 | 4 |
| Grigiškės (a city) | 7.1 | 10,335 | 1,500 | 13 |
| Justiniškės | 3.0 | 25,956 | 8,700 | 6 |
| Karoliniškės | 4.0 | 24,751 | 6,200 | 11 |
| Lazdynai | 9.9 | 30,945 | 3,100 | 14 |
| Naujamiestis (includes bus and train stations) |
4.9 | 28,157 | 5,700 | 16 |
| Naujininkai (includes Kirtimai, Salininkai, and Vilnius International Airport) |
41.1 | 30,030 | 730 | 20 |
| Naujoji Vilnia (includes Pavilnys and Pūčkoriai) |
39.3 | 36,800 | 940 | 18 |
| Paneriai (includes Trakų Vokė and Gariūnai) |
84.8 | 11,149 | 130 | 19 |
| Pašilaičiai (includes Tarandė) |
7.9 | 40,384 | 5,100 | 3 |
| Pilaitė | 13.9 | 28,234 | 2,000 | 5 |
| Rasos (includes Belmontas and Markučiai) |
16.3 | 10,230 | 630 | 21 |
| Senamiestis (Old Town) (includes Užupis) |
4.5 | 21,782 | 4,800 | 17 |
| Šeškinė | 4.4 | 28,137 | 6,400 | 8 |
| Šnipiškės | 3.1 | 16,474 | 5,300 | 9 |
| Verkiai (includes Baltupiai, Jeruzalė, Santariškės, Balsiai, and Visoriai) |
55.7 | 50,754 | 910 | 1 |
| Vilkpėdė (includes Vingis Park) |
10.8 | 19,325 | 1,800 | 15 |
| Viršuliškės | 2.5 | 13,877 | 5,600 | 7 |
| Žirmūnai (includes Template:Ill and Template:Ill) |
5.7 | 43,453 | 8,600 | 10 |
| Žvėrynas | 2.6 | 12,089 | 4,700 | 12 |
Vilnius District Municipality
[edit]
Vilnius District Municipality (Template:Langx), one of the country's largest municipalities, covers Template:Convert and has 23 elderships. There are over 1,000 villages and five towns (Nemenčinė, Bezdonys, Maišiagala, Mickūnai and Šumskas) in the district. It borders Belarus and the Švenčionys, Moletai, Širvintos, Elektrėnai, Trakai and Šalčininkai districts.<ref name="district">Template:Cite web</ref>
The district has a multinational population, of which 52 percent are Poles, 33 percent Lithuanians, and the remainder Russians, Belarusians and other nationalities (including Ukrainians). It has a population of over 100,000; 95 percent live in villages, and five percent live in towns.<ref name="district" /> Vilnius district has Lithuania's highest terrain, with the Aukštojas, Juozapinė and Kruopinė Hills over Template:Convert above sea level.<ref name="district" />
Palm Sunday is celebrated in the district, and Vilnian Easter palms (verbos) are made from dried flowers and herbs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Palm-making dates to the time of St. Casimir.<ref name="district" />
Medininkai Castle, the Liubavas Manor mill and Bareikiškės Manor are the district's best-known historic landmarks.<ref name="district" /> From 1769 to 1795, Vilnius Voivodeship surrounded the independent Republic of Paulava. The microstate, known for its Enlightenment values, had its own president, peasant parliament, army and laws.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
With its large Polish population, the Vilnius District Municipality Council primarily consists of members of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its mayor is Robert Duchniewicz of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Union.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
National government
[edit]
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Vilnius is the seat of Lithuania's national government. The country's two chief officers have their offices in Vilnius. The president resides at the Presidential Palace in Daukanto Square,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the prime minister's seat is at the Government of Lithuania office in Gediminas Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to law, the president has a residence in Vilnius' Turniškės district near the Neris.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The prime minister is also has entitled to a residence in Turniškės district during their term in office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Government ministries are located throughout the city, many in the Old Town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania primarily gathered in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The present-day Seimas meets at the Seimas Palace in Gediminas Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lithuania's highest courts are in Vilnius. The Supreme Court of Lithuania (Template:Langx), which reviews criminal and civil cases, is in Gynėjų Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (Template:Langx), which adjudicates litigation against public bodies, is in Žygimantų Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Constitutional Court of Lithuania (Template:Langx), an advisory body with authority over the constitutionality of laws, meets in the Constitutional Court Palace in Gediminas Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian Tribunal, the highest appellate court for the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and established by Stephen Báthory in 1581, was in Vilnius until the Third Partition of Poland in 1795.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Special services
[edit]Security in Vilnius is primarily the responsibility of the Vilniaus apskrities vyriausiasis policijos komisariatas, the highest police office in the city, and local police offices. Its main responsibilities are ensuring public order and safety, reporting and investigating criminal offenses, and traffic control.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, the city had 1,500 police officers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Public Security Service is responsible for the prompt restoration of public order in special situations and ensuring the protection of important state objects and escorted subjects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilniaus apskrities priešgaisrinė gelbėjimo valdyba is the primary governing body of Vilnius's firefighters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There were 1,287 fire incidents in the first nine months of 2018, killing six people and injuring 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilniaus greitosios medicinos pagalbos stotis is responsible for emergency medical services in the city, and the EMS telephone number is 033.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Established in 1902, it is one of eastern Europe's oldest EMS institutions.<ref name="vgmps">Template:Cite web</ref> Many doctors and other personnel received medals for their assistance to victims of the 1991 January Events.<ref name="vgmps"/> The common number for contacting emergency services in Vilnius and other parts of Lithuania is 112.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cityscape
[edit]Template:See also Template:Scalable image
Urbanism and architecture
[edit]
The Old Town covers about Template:Cvt, and its history dates to the Neolithic. The glacial hills were intermittently occupied, and a wooden castle was built at the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia Template:Circa to fortify Gedimino Hill. The settlement developed into a town in the 13th century, when the pagan Baltic people were invaded by Western Europeans during the Lithuanian Crusade. Around 1323 (the first written sources about Vilnia), it was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and had a few brick buildings. By the 15th century, the duchy extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea (primarily present-day Belarus, Ukraine and Russia). The historic centre consists of three castles (Upper, Lower and Curved) and the area previously encircled by the Wall of Vilnius. It is mainly circular, centered on the original castle site. Streets are small and narrow, with large squares later developed.<ref name="unesco" /> Pilies Street, the main artery, links the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania with Vilnius Town Hall. Other streets are lined with the palaces of feudal lords and landlords, churches, shops and craftspeople's workrooms.
Historic buildings feature Gothic,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Renaissance,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Baroque<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and classical architecture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The variety of preserved churches and former palaces of the Lithuanian nobility exemplifies Vilnius' multicultural heritage.<ref name="unesco" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lithuanians and others shaped the development of the capital, with Western and Eastern influences. Lithuania was Christianized in 1387, but Eastern Orthodoxy and the growing importance of Judaism led to construction of the Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos and the Great Synagogue of Vilna).<ref name="unesco" />
Disasters resulted in building reconstructions in Vilnian Baroque style, which later influenced the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="unesco" /><ref name="VilniusBaroqueVWH">Template:Cite web</ref> Artists such as Matteo Castelli and Pietro Perti) from the present-day Canton of Ticino were preferred by the Grand Duke and local nobility, and designed the Chapel of Saint Casimir.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian Laurynas Gucevičius was a noted classical architect in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Template:Convert Old Town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The Vilnius Historic Centre is noted for maintaining its medieval street pattern with no significant gaps. Some places were damaged during Lithuania's occupations and wars, including Cathedral Square (demolished in 1795) and a square east of the Church of All Saints where the Convent of the Barefoot Carmelites stood with Vice-Chancellor Stefan Pac's Baroque Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed (both demolished by the tsar. The Great Synagogue and part of the buildings in Vokiečių Street were demolished after World War II.<ref name="unesco" />
Vilnius covers Template:Convert, of which one-fifth is developed; the remainder is greenspace and water. The city is known as one of Europe's "greenest" capital cities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Crypts
[edit]Notable Lithuanian Catholics are interred in the crypts of Vilnius Cathedral. Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon, Queen Elizabeth of Austria, Barbara Radziwiłł, and the heart of Grand Duke Władysław IV Vasa are buried at the Royal Mausoleum. These crypts have one of the country's oldest frescoes, painted in the late 14th or early 15th century after Lithuania was Christianized.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Housing
[edit]
Vilnius Old Town (Template:Langx), with medieval stone-paved streets, and Užupis have prestigious housing, with apartments featuring views of iconic churches and urban landmarks (particularly Gediminas Tower), enclosed inner courtyards, high ceilings, attics, non-standard layouts and luxurious interiors;<ref name="asa">Template:Cite web</ref> Flats in these neighbourhoods may cost millions of euros.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Traffic jams, expensive parking, air pollution, high maintenance costs and limitations on renovation, however, also encourage wealthy Vilnians to buy or build private houses in outlying parts of the city such as Balsiai, Bajorai, Pavilnys, Kalnėnai and Pilaitė or the nearby Vilnius District Municipality.<ref name="asa" /> Around 21,000 residents live in the Old Town, and 7,000 in Užupis.<ref name="Mikrorajonai">Template:Cite web</ref>
Valakampiai and Turniškės are prestigious neighborhoods, with private houses on large lots surrounded by pine forests which are easily accessible from the city centre. Wealthy people and heads of state (such as the president) live there, and most of the larger private houses costs millions of euros.<ref name="asa" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Part of the Žvėrynas neighbourhood has luxurious private houses near Vingis Park, but it also has Soviet-era apartment buildings and wooden houses in poor condition.<ref name="Mikrorajonai" /><ref name="asa" />
Neighbourhoods around the Old Town (Antakalnis, Žirmūnai, Naujamiestis, and Žvėrynas) have a variety of flats and green space, and are popular with middle-class residents. Wealthier people live in a new construction or renovated Soviet-era apartments.<ref name="asa" /> The government is supportive of renovation, and reimburses 30 percent or more of the cost.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Poorer residents and low-income pensioners, however, foster regionalism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
More-distant neighbourhoods, such as Lazdynai, Karoliniškės, Viršuliškės, Šeškinė, Justiniškės, Pašilaičiai, Fabijoniškės and Naujininkai, have more-affordable housing. Their disadvantages are a longer commute, unrenovated Soviet-era high-rise buildings, traffic congestion and a shortage of parking spaces near older apartments.<ref name="asa" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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The Šnipiškės eldership has received significant investment during the 2010s. The area was first mentioned in 1536, when Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old ordered Ulrich Hosius to build a wooden bridge over the Neris and a suburb developed around the bridge. That century, a building for Muscovite and Tatar messengers was built by the magistrate of Vilnius north of Šnipiškės.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Jesuit Church of St. Raphael the Archangel and monastery and housing for wealthy and middle-class townspeople were built in Šnipiškės during the 18th century. Craftspeople lived on the outskirts, where a smoking-pipe factory, sawmills and a small candy factory were built. The Template:Convert Skansenas neighbourhood, west of the Kalvarijų market,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> has late-19th-century wooden houses. Nearby Piromontas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was built at the same time.
During the 1960s, Šnipiškės was renamed the New City Centre. It had the city's first pedestrian zone and a number of buildings, including the country's largest shopping centre, a large hotel, a planetarium, a museum and a number of ministries of the Lithuanian SSR, were built before 1990.<ref>"Statyba ir architektūra", 1964, 2, pp. 1–2</ref><ref>articles in "Statyba ir architektūra", 1964, 11</ref><ref>"Statyba ir architektūra", 1973, 8, pp. 1–3</ref><ref>"Lietuvos TSR istorijos ir kultūros paminklų sąvadas. 1 dalis Vilniaus paminklai", 1988, 383. Naujasis miesto centras; pp. 506–509</ref><ref>Marija Drėmaitė, "Baltic modernism Architecture and housing in soviet Lithuania", pp. 220–224,</ref> Šnipiškės north of Konstitucijos Avenue was underdeveloped until the early 2000s, when the new Vilnius city municipality building spurred construction of Europa Square with a shopping centre, a 33-story office building and a 27-story apartment building. The former Museum of the Revolution became the National Art Gallery in the late 2000s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
According to economists, the number of transactions and the housing affordability index reached record highs in 2019 because of increased city-residents' income and slowing price increases for flats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One-fourth of residents 26 to 35 years old still live in homes owned by their parents or other relatives, however, the highest percentage in the Baltic states.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
[edit]Template:Main Template:Further
In the eldership of Vilkpėdė, remnants of a Magdalenian settlement were found which date to Template:Circa. Kairėnai, Pūčkoriai and Naujoji Vilnia had large settlements during the first millennium AD.<ref name="historyvle">Template:Cite web</ref> The most densely-populated area was the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia, which had fortified homesteads.<ref name="historyvle" />
According to some historians, Vilnius could have been a city during the Kingdom of Lithuania times: King Mindaugas did not permanently live there, however, may have built Lithuania's first Catholic church for his coronation there. It is well established, however, that Vilnius existed as a city during the times of Traidenis and Vytenis. The first mention in the historical sources as a capital in 1323 in the letters to the Western cities of Gediminas.
It became a multicultural city, with 14th-century sources noting that it consisted of a Great (Lithuanian) city and a Ruthenian one. By the 16th century, German merchants, artisans, Jews and Tatars had also settled in Vilnius. During the 16th– and 17th-century Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the city's Polish-speaking population began to grow; by the middle of the 17th century, most writing was in Polish.<ref name="historyvle"/> City was inhabited by a large number of Italian and Swiss artisans as well and generally all the European nations were presented to an extent (those included Vilnius university professors and students among whom there were French, Spanish, Swedes and even some Croatians as Tomaš Zdelarius, musicians at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania or such military servants as Hungarian Gáspár Bekes). Because of many nations inhabiting the city, in the 16th-18th. centuries it was known and nicknamed in Western sources as Babylon of Europe.<ref name="S. Bodniak 1930 p. 37">Especially in the 16th–17th centuries, Vilnius was called the ‘New Babylon’ because of the many languages spoken there, as well as its many religions (various Christian denominations as well as Jews and a Muslim Tatar community). E.g.: S. Bodniak, "Polska w relacji włoskiej z roku 1604", Pamiętnik biblioteki kórnickiej, 2, (Kórnik, 1930), p. 37.</ref>
By the inter-war period, after the brief Polish–Lithuanian War and the annexation of the so-called Republic of Central Lithuania by Poland, the population became overwhelmingly Polish with very significant Jewish minority. Because of the annexation, the 1931 Polish census recorded only 0.8% Lithuanians. After World War II, the number of ethnic Lithuanians in Vilnius rebounded; however, Lithuanization was soon replaced with Sovietization,<ref name="diana427">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Snyder 92-93">Template:Cite book</ref> and the population became a mix of Lithuanians, Russians and Poles. Following independence in 1990, for the first time in modern history Lithuanians became a clear majority, increasing to 63.2 percent in 2011 and 67.4 percent in 2021.<ref name="2011census">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Evolution
[edit]Demographic evolution of Vilnius between 1766 and 2024: Template:Historical populations
Economy
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Vilnius is Lithuania's economic centre, with a per-capita GDP in the metropolitan area of almost €30,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city's budget reached €1.0 billion in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the second quarter of 2024, the average monthly salary in Vilnius was €2,501.1 (gross) and €1,526.2 (net).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lithuania's economic growth has been uneven, with GDP per capita at nearly 110 percent of the EU average in Vilnius but from 42 to 77 percent in other regions. The country's convergence is fuelled by two regions (Vilnius and Kaunas County) which produce 42 and 20 percent of the national GDP, respectively. From 2014 to 2016, the Vilnius region grew by 4.6 percent.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The supply of new housing in Vilnius and its suburbs has reached post-recession highs, and the stock of unsold apartments in Lithuania's three largest cities has begun to increase since the beginning of 2017. Demand for housing is strong, fuelled by rising wages, benign financial conditions and positive expectations. In the first half of 2018, the number of monthly transactions was the highest since its 2007–2008 peak.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Most foreign direct investment and productive public investment in Lithuania is concentrated on Vilnius and Kaunas.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Vilnius Industrial Park, 18.5 kilometres from the city, is intended for commercial and industrial use.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Science and research
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Vilnius resident Tito Livio Burattini published Misura universale in 1675, in which he first suggested the term metre as a unit of length.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory, established in 1753 at the initiative of Thomas Zebrowski, was one of Europe's first observatories and the first in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt led the reconstruction of the observatory, designed by Marcin Knackfus, from 1770 to 1772. Poczobutt began his astronomical observations in 1773, recording them in the journal (Template:Langx), and created the constellation Taurus Poniatovii.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert established the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in 1781 with over 2,000 plants, and provided the first herbariums, collections of stuffed animals and birds, fossil plants, animal remains, and a collection of minerals to Vilnius University.,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The observatory published the Russian Empire's first exact sciences journal, the Journal of Mathematical Sciences (Template:Langx), after the Third Partition of Poland.<ref name="Klimka"/>
Sunrise Valley Science and Technology Park (Template:Langx) is a non-profit organization which was founded in 2003. Over 20,000 students study in the Vilnius University and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University facilities in Sunrise Valley, and 5,000 scientists conduct research in its science centres.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Centre for Physical Sciences and Technology (Template:Langx, FTMC) is the country's largest scientific research institution, specialising in laser technology, optoelectronics, nuclear physics, organic chemistry, bio and nanotechnology, electrochemical materials science, and electronics. The centre was created in 2010 with the merger of the institutes of chemistry, physics and semiconductor physics in Vilnius and the Textile institute in Kaunas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With 250 laboratories (24 open to the public), it can accommodate over 700 researchers and students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The centre has a PhD program and hosts annual conferences of PhD students and young researchers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> FTMC is the founder and sole shareholder of the Science and Technology Park of Institute of Physics in Savanorių Avenue, which assists companies with research and development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius University's Laser Research Centre (Template:Langx) is one of five departments in the university's Faculty of Physics, which prepares physicists, laser physicists and laser-technology specialists. The department conducts research in laser physics, nonlinear optics, optical-component characterization, biophotonics and laser microtechnology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lithuania has over 50 percent of the world's market share in ultrashort pulses lasers produced by Vilnius-based companies.<ref name="laser">Template:Cite web</ref> A laser system was produced in 2019 for the Extreme Light Infrastructure laboratory in Szeged which produces high-intensity, ultra-short pulses with a peak power up to 1,000 times that of the most powerful nuclear power plant in the United States.<ref name="laser" /> Corning Inc. bought a glass-cutting licence from the Vilnius-based laser company Altechna and for manufacturing Gorilla Glass.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre (Template:Langx) is a scientific research centre which consists of three institutes: the Institute of Biochemistry, Institute of Biosciences, and Institute of Biotechnology. The centre was opened in 2016 and has 800 students, 120 PhD students, 200 teaching staff, and open-access scientific laboratories with advanced equipment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has a technology business incubator for small and medium businesses in the life sciences or related fields.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius Gediminas Technical University has three research centres at Sunrise Valley: the Civil Engineering Research Centre, Technology Centre for Building Information and Digital Modelling, and Competence Centre of Intermodal Transport and Logistics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Template:Langx), which cooperates with the Lithuanian government, produces and disseminates scientific information in the fields of economics, sociology and law to implement public policy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Santara Valley (Template:Langx) is a science and research facility which focuses on medicine, biopharmaceutical and bioinformatics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine Science Centre was scheduled for completion in Santara Valley in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius University rector Jonas Kubilius, known for probabilistic number theory, the Kubilius model, the Theorem of Kubilius and Turán–Kubilius inequality, successfully resisted attempts to Russify Vilnius University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius' Marija Gimbutas was the first to formulate the Kurgan hypothesis. In 1963, Vytautas Straižys and his colleagues created the Vilnius photometric system used in astronomy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kavli Prize laureate Virginijus Šikšnys invented CRISPR-Cas9 genetic editing.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Information technology
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Vilnius is attractive for foreign companies because of its qualified employees and good infrastructure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several schools are preparing skilled specialists, including the Vilnius University Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Faculty of Fundamental Sciences.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Information technology jobs are well-paid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2018 output of the Lituanian IT sector was Template:Euro billion, much of which was created in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Vilnius Tech Park in Sapieha Park, the largest IT startup hub in the Baltic and Nordic countries, unites international startups, technology companies, accelerators, and incubators.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> fDi Intelligence ranked Vilnius number one city on its 2019 Tech Start-up FDI Attraction Index.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius had the world's fastest internet speed in 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and, despite its fall in the rankings, remains one of the world's fastest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius Airport has one of Europe's fastest airport Wi-Fi speeds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania was established in Vilnius to address internet attacks on Lithuanian government organizations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bebras, an international informatics and IT contest, has been held annually for pupils in grades three through 12 since 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2017, computer programming is taught in primary schools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius is a popular fintech hub due to Lithuania's flexible e-money licence regulations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Bank of Lithuania granted an e-money licence in 2018 to Vilnius-based Google Payment Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The startup Revolut also has an e-money licence and headquarters in Vilnius, and began moving its clients to the Lithuanian company Revolut Payments in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 23 January 2019, Europe's first international blockchain centre opened in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Finance and banking
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Vilnius is Lithuania's financial centre. The Ministry of Finance in Vilnius is responsible for an effective public financial policy to ensure the country's economic growth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Bank of Lithuania fosters a reliable financial system and ensures sustainable economic growth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Nasdaq Vilnius stock exchange is in the K29 business centre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The National Audit Office of Lithuania (Template:Langx) helps the government manage public funds and property,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the State Tax Inspectorate (Template:Langx) is responsible for collecting and refunding taxes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2023, 13 banks held a bank or specialised-bank licence; six banks are foreign-bank branches. Most of the Lithuanian financial system consists of capital banks of Nordic countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The two largest banks registered in Lithuania (SEB bankas and Swedbank) are supervised by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
[edit]Primary and secondary education
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Primary and lower secondary education is mandatory in Lithuania. Children begin pre-primary education at age six, education is compulsory until age 16. Primary and secondary education is free, but there are also private schools in Vilnius. The country's educational system is governed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, headquartered in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cathedral School of Vilnius, first mentioned in a 1397 source, is the earliest known Lithuanian school.<ref name="historyvle" /> Vilnius Vytautas the Great Gymnasium, established in 1915, is the first Lithuanian gymnasium in eastern Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, the city had 120 schools (not including preschools) with 61,123 pupils and 4,955 teachers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Four out of five best rated schools in Lithuania are in Vilnius, and the Vilnius Lyceum is number one.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ethnic minorities in Lithuania have their own schools. Vilnius has seven elementary schools, eight primary schools, two progymnasiums and 12 gymnasiums for minority children, with lessons in minority languages. In 2017, 4,658 Poles and 9,274 Russians studied in their languages in the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Vilnius has 11 vocational schools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art is the country's only 12-year art school. The Vilnius Justinas Vienožinskis Art School is another art school in Vilnius.
Most school graduates in Vilnius later study at universities or colleges. According to the OECD, 57.5 percent of 25– to 34-year-olds in Lithuania had a tertiary education in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius has nine international schools, including the International School of Vilnius, Vilnius International French Lyceum, British International School of Vilnius, and American International School of Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tertiary education
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On 14 October 1773, the Commission of National Education (Template:Langx) was created by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Grand Duke Stanisław August Poniatowski, who supervised schools and Vilnius University in the Commonwealth. Because of its authority and autonomy, it is considered Europe's first ministry of education and an example of the Enlightenment in the Commonwealth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Vilnius has a number of universities, the largest and oldest of which is Vilnius University.<ref name="Facts and Figures">Template:Cite web</ref> With its main campus in the Old Town, it has been ranked among the top 500 universities in the world by QS World University Rankings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The university participates in projects with UNESCO and NATO. It has master's programs in English and Russian,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and programs in cooperation with other universities throughout Europe. The university has 14 faculties.<ref name="Facts and Figures" />
Other universities include Mykolas Romeris University,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius Gediminas Technical University<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, which merged with Vytautas Magnus University in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Specialized tertiary schools with university status include the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Vilnius Academy of Arts. The museum associated with the Vilnius Academy of Arts contains about 12,000 artworks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Libraries
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The Vilnius city municipality central library (Template:Langx) operates public libraries in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has 16 branches, one (Saulutė) dedicated to children's literature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many libraries offer free computer literacy courses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The public libraries require a free LIBIS (integrated information system of Lithuanian libraries) card.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (Template:Langx) in Gediminas Avenue, founded in 1919, collects, organizes and preserves Lithuania's written cultural heritage, collects Lithuanian and foreign documents relevant to research and Lithuania's educational and cultural needs, and provides library services to the public.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1 July 2019, its electronic catalog had 1,140,708 bibliographic records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (Template:Langx) is open to all.<ref name="mab">Template:Cite web</ref> The library had 3,733,514 volumes by 1 January 2015, and 12,274 registered users.<ref name="mab"/>
Every Lithuanian university and college has a library for students, professors and alumni. The National Open Access Scientific Communication and Information Center of Vilnius University (Template:Langx) in Saulėtekis Valley opened in 2013 and has over 800 workplaces in an area of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Central Vilnius University Library,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Library, Mykolas Romeris University Library, ISM University of Management and Economics Library, European Humanities University Library, and Kazimieras Simonavičius University Library are on their respective campuses in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Religion
[edit]| Religion | People | % |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 350,797 | 65.5% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 47,827 | 8.9% |
| Old Believers | 5,593 | 1.0% |
| Evangelical Lutheran | 1,594 | 0.3% |
| Evangelical Reformed | 1,186 | 0.2% |
| Sunni Muslim | 798 | 0.2% |
| Jewish | 796 | 0.2% |
| Greek Catholic | 167 | <0.1% |
| Karaites | 139 | <0.1% |
| Other | 5,050 | 0.9% |
| None | 47,655 | 8.9% |
| No response | 74,029 | 13.8% |
Template:Stack By the 17th century, Vilnius was known as a city of numerous religions. In 1600, Samuel Lewkenor's book about cities with universities was published in London;<ref>Samuel Lewkenor, A discovrse not altogether vnprofitable, nor vnpleasant for such as are desirous to know the situation and customes of forraine Rities without trauelling to see them. Containing a Discourse of all those Rities wherein doe flourish at this day priuiledged vniuersities. Written by Samvuel Levvkenor, Gentleman (London, 1600)</ref> According to Lewkenor, Vilnius' population included Catholics, Orthodox, followers of John Calvin and Martin Luther, Jews and Tartar Muslims.Template:Page needed
During that century, Vilnius had a reputation as a city unrivaled in Europe for its number and variety of churches. Robert Morden wrote in Geography Rectified or a Description of the World that no other city in the world could surpass Vilnius in the number of churches and temples except, perhaps, Amsterdam.<ref>Robert Morden, Geography Rectified or a Description of the World (London, 1688), p. 117: "Vilna, the Capital City, incloses so many sorts of Religions, that there is no City in the World where God is Worshipped after so many different ways, unless in Amsterdam; a Liberty too much allowed in most parts of Christendom, but rare temporum felicitas"</ref><ref>Gintautas Sliesoriūnas, "The image of Lithuania in XVII c. English publications", Lithuanian Historical Studies, 2011, vol. 16</ref>
Vilnius is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius, housing major church institutions and the archdiocesan Vilnius Cathedral. A number of Christian beatified people, martyrs, servants of God and saints are associated with the city. They include the Franciscan martyrs of Vilnius, the Orthodox martyrs Anthony, John, and Eustathius, Saint Casimir, Josaphat Kuntsevych, Andrew Bobola, Raphael Kalinowski, Faustina Kowalska, and Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius. There are a number of Roman Catholic churches in the city, small monasteries, and religious schools. Church architecture includes Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical styles, with examples of each in the Old Town. Eastern Rite Catholicism has also had a presence in Vilnius since the Union of Brest. The Baroque Basilian Gate is part of an Eastern Rite monastery.
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Vilnius has had an Eastern Orthodox presence since the 12th century, and the Russian Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Spirit is near the [Gate of Dawn. St. Paraskeva's Orthodox Church in the Old Town was the site of the 1705 baptism of Hannibal, the great-grandfather of Alexander Pushkin, by Tsar Peter the Great. Many Old Believers, who split from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1667, settled in Lithuania; a Supreme Council of Old Believers is based in Vilnius. The Orthodox Church of St. Constantine and St. Michael was built in 1913. A number of Protestant and other Christian denominations<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> are represented in Vilnius, notably Lutheran Evangelicals and Baptists.
Lithuania's pre-Christian religion, centred on the forces of nature and personified by deities such as Perkūnas (the thunder god), is experiencing increased interest. Romuva established a Vilnius branch in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Judaism and Karaism
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Known as "Yerushalayim D'Lita" (the Jerusalem of Lithuania), Vilnius had been a world centre for Torah study and had a large Jewish population since the 18th century. A major scholar of Judaism and the Kabbalah was Rabbi Eliyahu Kremer, known as the Vilna Gaon, whose writings significantly influence Orthodox Jews. The Vilna Shas, the most widely used version of the Talmud, was published in the city in 1886.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jewish life in Vilnius was destroyed during the Holocaust, and a memorial stone dedicated to victims of Nazi genocide is in the centre of the former Jewish Ghetto on present-day Mėsinių Street. The Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History is dedicated to the history of Lithuanian Jewish life. The site of Vilnius's largest synagogue, built in the early 1630s, destroyed by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Lithuania and later demolished by Soviet authorities, was found by ground-penetrating radar in June 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Archaeologists began excavating the site in 2016, and that work continues as of July 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Karaites are a Jewish sect who migrated to Lithuania from the Crimea. Small in numbers, they have become more prominent since Lithuanian independence and have restored their kenesas (including the Vilnius Kenesa).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Pilgrimage sites
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Since the 1387 Christianization of Lithuania, Vilnius has become a centre of Christianity in the country and a pilgrimage site. The Vilnius Pilgrimage Centre (Template:Langx) coordinates pilgrimages, assists with their preparation, and performs pilgrimage pastoral care.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A number of places in Vilnius are associated with miracles or mark events significant to Christians, and the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn is visited by thousands of Christian pilgrims annually. The gates were initially part of the defensive Wall of Vilnius; they were given to the Carmelites in the 16th century, who installed a chapel in the gates with a 17th-century Catholic painting: Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn. The painting was later decorated with gold-plated silver and is associated with miracles and a legend.<ref name="pilgrimage">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy is a pilgrimage site which has a Divine Mercy image. Vilnius was the birthplace of the Divine Mercy devotion when Saint Faustina Kowalska began her mission under the guidance of Michał Sopoćko, her spiritual director. The first Divine Mercy image was painted in 1934 by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski under the supervision of Kowalska, and it hangs in the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Vilnius. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place in the shrine around the clock.<ref name="pilgrimage" /> The House of St. Faustina, in Antakalnis' V. Grybo Street, is open to pilgrims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Church of St. Philip and St. Jacob, near Lukiškės Square, has the painting of the Mother of God of Lukiškės which has reportedly attracted miracles.<ref name="pilgrimage" /> The icon, painted in the 15th or 16th century, is one of the country's oldest examples of easel painting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was brought by Grand Duchy of Lithuania artillery general Motiejus Korvinas Gosievskis from the Russo-Polish War. Since 1684, miracles have been reported at the Vilnius Dominican monastery related to the image which were published in a 1737 book, Mystical Fountain (Template:Langx). The icon was restored and returned to the Dominicans in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Three Crosses is a monument in the city. According to a legend in the Bychowiec Chronicle, fourteen Franciscan friars were invited to Vilnius from Podolia by Petras Goštautas.<ref name=gidzi>Template:Cite journal</ref> The friars preached the gospel and denigrated pagan Lithuanian gods; angry city residents burned the monastery and killed the fourteen friars. Seven were beheaded on Bleak Hill, and the other seven were crucified and thrown into the Neris or Vilnia.<ref name=gidzi/>
Verkiai Calvary (or Vilnius Calvary), Lithuania's second-oldest calvary, is in the neighborhood of Verkiai. The calvary was built from 1662 to 1669 in gratitude for victory in the Second Northern War (1655–60).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The consecration ceremony of the Stations of the Cross took place for Pentecost on 9 June 1669.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The calvary includes 20 brick chapels, seven wooden gates and a brick one, and a bridge with a wood chapel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The path ends at the Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross. All the chapels except the four closest to the church were destroyed by Soviet authorities overnight with dynamite in 1962. The calvary was reconstructed from 1990 to 2002, and the chapels were consecrated on Pentecost in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pilgrimages to the calvary are organized regularly with the clergy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Church Heritage Museum (Template:Langx) contains city's the oldest and largest collection of liturgical artefacts in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius.<ref name="pilgrimage" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius is the only city in the Baltic states with an Apostolic Nunciature, where Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis stayed during their visits to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Parks, squares and cemeteries
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Almost half of Vilnius is covered by green space such as parks, public gardens, and nature reserves. The city has a number of lakes where residents and visitors swim and barbecue in the summer. Thirty lakes and 16 rivers cover 2.1 percent of Vilnius' area, some of which have sand beaches.
Vingis Park, the city's largest, hosted several large rallies during Lithuania's drive towards independence in the 1980s. Sections of the annual Vilnius Marathon are on public walkways along the Neris. The green area next to the White Bridge is a popular place to enjoy good weather, and has become a venue for several musical and film events.
Cathedral Square in the Old Town is surrounded by a number of the city's most historic sites. Lukiškės Square is the largest, bordered by several government buildings: the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Polish Embassy and the Genocide Victims' Museum, where the KGB tortured and killed opponents of the communist regime. A large statue of Vladimir Lenin in its centre was removed in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Town Hall Square has been a centre of trade fairs, celebrations and events, including the Kaziukas Fair. The city's Christmas tree is displayed there. State ceremonies are often held in Daukanto Square, facing the Presidential Palace.
Bernardinai Garden, near Gediminas Tower (previously known as Sereikiškės Park), opened on 20 October 2013 after it was restored to its 19th-century Vladislovas Štrausas environment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is a venue for concerts, festivals, and exhibitions. Chiune Sugihara Sakura Park was established in 2001, and a Japanese garden (both in Šnipiškės) was opened in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rasos Cemetery, consecrated in 1801, is the burial site of Jonas Basanavičius and other signatories of the 1918 Act of Independence and the heart of Polish leader Józef Piłsudski. Two of the city's three Jewish cemeteries were destroyed by communist authorities during the Soviet era, and the remains in the Vilna Gaon were moved to the remaining one. A monument was erected at the site of Užupis Old Jewish Cemetery was.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Bernardine Cemetery, established in 1810, has about 18,000 burials; closed during the 1970s, it is being restored. Antakalnis Cemetery, established in 1809, has memorials to Polish, Lithuanian, German and Russian soldiers and the graves of those who were killed during the January Events.
Tourism
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According to Lithuanian Department of Statistics, 1,200,858 visitors rented rooms in Vilnius in 2018 and spent a total of 2,212,109 nights there; this was a respective increase of 12 percent and 11 percent over the previous year.<ref name="tourism2018">Template:Cite web</ref> Eighty-one percent of the visitors were foreigners (970,577), 11 percent more than in 2017. Most foreign visitors (47 percent) came from Belarus (102,915), Germany (101,999), Poland (99,386), Russia (90,388) and Latvia (61,829).<ref name="tourism2018" /> Nineteen percent of the guests were Lithuanian, 18 percent more than in 2017.<ref name="tourism2018" />
A 2018 Vilnius visitor survey reported that 48 percent were visiting the city for the first time, 85 percent of tourists planned the trip by themselves, and 15 percent used a travel agency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Forty percent said that they visited Vilnius to learn about the city's history and heritage, with 23 percent also planning trips to other parts of Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many Belarusians (about 200,000 travel visas annually) visit the city's shopping malls and submit half-meter-long receipts to customs officials.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius' Tourist Information Centres were visited by 119,136 visitors in 2018 (95,932 foreigners and 23,204 Lithuanians), a five-percent increase over 2017.<ref name="tourism2018" /> The city's highest-rated tourist services are restaurants (cafés), old-town attractions, hotels or other accommodations, trips to Trakai, parks and other green zones, connections to Vilnius Airport, and food in hotels, restaurants and cafés.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius is one of a few European capitals which allows hot air ballooning through the city, with nearly 1,000 trips in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the City Costs Barometer 2019, Vilnius was ranked number one of European capitals for offering the best value to visitors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The controversial Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, built by Soviet authorities on the site of a Jewish graveyard, was scheduled to become the leading convention center in the Baltic states in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hotels
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Lithuania is a member of the European Hotelstars Union.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius has six five-star hotels, all in the Old Town,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 27 four-star hotels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Kempinski Hotel, with a view of Cathedral Square, is considered the city's most luxurious hotel.<ref name="imf">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
According to a 2018 Vilnius visitors' survey, 44 percent stayed in mid-range hotels (three or four stars), 12 percent stayed in standard or economy hotels (one or two stars) and 11 percent stayed in five-star hotels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city had 82 hotels, eight motels and 40 other accommodation facilities in 2019, with 6,822 rooms and 15,248 beds. The highest hotel-room occupancy was in August, and the lowest was in February.<ref name="tourism2018"/>
Sports
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Several basketball teams are based in the city. BC Wolves began competing in the 2022–23 season of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). The largest team is BC Rytas, who participates in the international Basketball Champions League (BCL) and the LKL; they won the ULEB Cup (predecessor to the EuroCup) in 2005 and the EuroCup in 2009. Their home arena is the 2,500-seat Jeep Arena; all European matches and important domestic matches are played at the 10,000-seat Twinsbet Arena.
Vilnius also has several football teams; FK Žalgiris, the main team, plays at the 5,000-seat LFF Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The multi-use Lithuania National Stadium is under construction. The 28-court SEB Arena is the largest tennis complex in central Europe and home of the Lithuanian tennis and squash teams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Olympic swimming champions Lina Kačiušytė and Robertas Žulpa are from Vilnius. The city has several public swimming pools, with the Lazdynai Swimming Pool the only Olympic-size swimming pool.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Vilnius is home to the Lithuanian Bandy Association, Badminton Federation, Canoeing Sports Federation, Baseball Association, Biathlon Federation, Sailors Union, Football Federation, Fencing Federation, Cycling Sports Federation, Archery Federation, Athletics Federation, Ice Hockey Federation, Basketball Federation, Curling Federation, Rowing Federation, Wrestling Federation, Speed Skating Association, Gymnastics Federation, Equestrian Union, Modern Pentathlon Federation, Shooting Union, Triathlon Federation, Volleyball Federation, Tennis Union, Taekwondo Federation, Weightlifting Federation, Table Tennis Association, Skiing Association, Rugby Federation, and Swimming Federation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The annual international Vilnius Marathon has thousands of participants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transport
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Navigability of the Neris is limited; no regular water routes exist, although it was used for transport in the past.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Vilnius Airport, Lithuania's largest, serves about 50 cities in 25 countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The airport, Template:Cvt from the city centre, has a direct link to the Vilnius railway station. The station is a rail hub with direct passenger service to Minsk, Kaliningrad, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and is part of the Pan-European Corridor IX's Branch B.
Vilnius is the starting point of the A1 motorway which runs across Lithuania, connecting its three major cities (Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda), and is part of European route E85. The A2, connecting Vilnius and Panevėžys, is part of the E272. Other highways out of the city include the A3, A4, A14, A15, and A16. Vilnius' southern bypass is the A19.
Bus service
[edit]The bus and trolleybus networks are operated by Vilniaus viešasis transportas. There are over 60 bus, 18 trolleybus, six rapid bus and one night bus routes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trolleybus network is one of Europe's most extensive; over 250 buses and 260 trolleybuses transport about 500,000 passengers every workday.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first bus routes were established in 1926, and the first trolleybuses were introduced in 1956.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the end of 2007, an electronic monthly ticket system was introduced in which passengers could buy an electronic card in shops and newsstands and load it with money; monthly e-ticket cards could also be loaded over the Internet. Paper monthly tickets were in use until August 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 15 August 2012, e-cards were replaced by Vilnius Citizen Cards (Vilniečio Kortelė) which could be purchased at newsstands and loaded with money and ticket type. In 2014, a mobile app was introduced for public-transport tickets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Buses are low-floor Volvo and Mercedes-Benz buses, and trolleybuses are manufactured by Solaris. Older Škoda vehicles, built in the Czech Republic and many refurbished, are still in service. In 2004, a contract was signed with Volvo Buses to purchase 90 new 7700 buses over a three-year period.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2017, Vilnius began the largest upgrade of its bus service by purchasing 250 new low-floor buses. Sixty percent of the city's public buses were new by mid-2018, with free Wi-Fi and chargers for electronic devices.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 5 September 2017, 50 new Isuzu buses were introduced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius City Municipality accepted bids for 41 new trolleybuses; Solaris contracted to provide the trolleybuses by autumn 2018, with free Wi-Fi and chargers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 13 November of that year, the municipality signed a contract with Solaris for the remaining 150 fourth-generation Solaris Urbino buses (100 standard and 50 articulated) with free Wi-Fi and USB charging.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Five electric Karsan Jest Electric buses were introduced on 20 September 2019 for the number 89 route's narrow streets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius Metro and an electric tram have been proposed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, the Seimas and the president approved a metro project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Solaris Urbino 18 bus and Škoda 26Tr Solaris trolleybuses in Vilnius
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Orange rental bikes
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Vilnius railway station
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Healthcare
[edit]When Vilnius was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the city had public bathhouses; one-fourth the city's houses had individual bathhouses, and almost half had alcohol distilleries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1518, doctor and canon Martynas Dušnickis established the first špitolė in Vilnius: Lithuania's first hospital-like institution which treated people unable to care for themselves due to health, age, or poverty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Brotherhood of Saint Roch maintained basic hospitals and shelters for the sick and disabled in Vilnius from 1708 to 1799, although it is unknown if the brothers had any medical education. They hired paramedics, doctors, surgeons, and female nurses for female patients. A significant number of patients had sexually transmitted diseases which other Catholic hospitals refused to treat. The brotherhood sheltered pregnant women, abandoned children and patients with injuries, tuberculosis, rheumatism and arthritis.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 1805, the Vilnius Medical Society was established by Joseph Frank (son of Johann Peter Frank) as the first medical society in eastern Europe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, the society established a teaching hospital (clinic) as part of the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="FirstClinic">Template:Cite web</ref> From 1918 to 1941, the Lithuanian Sanitary Aid Society operated in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Ministry of Health, in Vilnius, is responsible for Lithuanian health care.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnians pay compulsory health insurance (6.98 percent of their salary), which is governed by the Vilnius Territorial Health Insurance Fund and guarantees free health care to every insured person. Some residents, such as the disabled, children and full-time students, are exempt from the tax.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos and the Vilnius City Clinical Hospital are the city's primary hospitals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius also has eight polyclinics, the Medical Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, and a number of private health-care facilities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Building in which the Vilnius Medical Society was established in 1805
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Building which housed Vilnius' first clinic<ref name="FirstClinic"/>
Media
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The first Lithuanian weekly newspaper, Kurier Litewski, was published in Vilnius from 1760 to 1763.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vilnius is home to a number of newspapers, magazines and other publications, including Lietuvos rytas, Lietuvos žinios, Verslo žinios, Respublika, Valstiečių laikraštis, Mokesčių žinios, Aktualijos, 15min, Vilniaus diena, Vilniaus Kraštas, Lietuvos aidas, Valstybė, Veidas, Panelė, the Franciscan Bernardinai.lt, the Russian Litovskij kurjer and the Polish Tygodnik Wileńszczyzny.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Vilnius TV Tower in Karoliniškės broadcasts to the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The most-viewed networks in Lithuania are headquartered in Vilnius and include LRT televizija, TV3, LNK, BTV, LRT Plius, LRT Lituanica, TV6, Lietuvos rytas TV, TV1, TV8, Sport1, Liuks!, Info TV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Vilnius' first radio station, Rozgłośnia Wileńska, began broadcasting in the Žvėrynas microdistrict on 28 November 1927 and was moved to present-day Gediminas Avenue in 1935.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> M-1, the country's first commercial radio station, began broadcasting from Vilnius in 1989. Other Lithuanian or foreign-language radio stations also broadcast from Vilnius, most from the Vilnius TV Tower or the Vilnius Press House.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lithuanian Union of Journalists (Template:Langx) and the Lithuanian Society of Journalists (Template:Langx) are headquartered in Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Twin towns and sister cities
[edit]Vilnius is twinned with:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Aalborg, Denmark
- Template:Flagicon Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Template:Flagicon Astana, Kazakhstan
- Template:Flagicon Chicago, United States
- Template:Flagicon Dnipro, Ukraine
- Template:Flagicon Donetsk, Ukraine
- Template:Flagicon Duisburg, Germany
- Template:Flagicon Erfurt, Germany
- Template:Flagicon Gdańsk, Poland (1998)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Guangzhou, China
- Template:Flagicon Joensuu, Finland
- Template:Flagicon Kyiv, Ukraine
- Template:Flagicon Kraków, Poland
- Template:Flagicon Łódź, Poland
- Template:Flagicon Madison, United States
- Template:Flagicon Pavia, Italy
- Template:Flagicon Reykjavík, Iceland
- Template:Flagicon Riga, Latvia
- Template:Flagicon Salzburg, Austria
- Template:Flagicon Taipei, Taiwan
- Template:Flagicon Tallinn, Estonia
- Template:Flagicon Tbilisi, Georgia
- Template:Flagicon Warsaw, Poland
Twin and friendly towns until 2022:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Div col
- Template:Flagicon Irkutsk, Russia
- Template:Flagicon Kaliningrad, Russia
- Template:Flagicon Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- Template:Flagicon Minsk, Belarus
- Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Template:Flagicon Ulan-Ude, Russia
- Template:Flagicon Yaroslavl, Russia
Notable people
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also
See also
[edit]- Coat of arms of Vilnius
- List of public art in Vilnius
- List of Vilnius Elderships in other languages
- Neighborhoods of Vilnius
- Vilnius conflict
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- References from vle.lt stands for the Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija.
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External links
[edit]Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage
- Template:Official website Template:In lang
- The Jerusalem of Lithuania: The Story of the Jewish Community of Vilna an online exhibition by Yad Vashem
- Template:JewishGen-LocalityPage
- A. Srebrakowski, "The nationality panorama of Vilnius", Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, Vol. 55, No. 3 (2020)