Editing Vilnius (section)

===Urbanism and architecture===
[[File:Vilnius St Anns church.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Exterior of two old, red churches|[[Church of St. Anne, Vilnius|St. Anne's Church]] and the [[Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard, Vilnius|Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard]] are examples of [[Gothic architecture in Lithuania]].]]
[[File:St. Peter and St. Paul's Church 1, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg|thumb|alt=Interior of a large Baroque church|The [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] [[Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Vilnius|Church of St. Peter and St. Paul]] was built by [[Michał Kazimierz Pac]] to commemorate victory over the Muscovites and their expulsion from Vilnius after six years of occupation.]]
The Old Town covers about {{cvt|3.6|km2}}, 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 {{circa|1000 AD}} 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 Sea|Baltic]] to the [[Black Sea]] (primarily present-day Belarus, Ukraine and Russia). The historic centre consists of [[Vilnius Castle Complex|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 architecture|Gothic]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Gotika |url=http://www.ivilnius.lt/apie-vilniu/architektura/gotika/ |website=iVilnius.lt |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Renesansas |url=http://www.ivilnius.lt/apie-vilniu/architektura/renesansas/ |website=iVilnius.lt |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Barokas |url=http://www.ivilnius.lt/apie-vilniu/architektura/barokas/ |website=iVilnius.lt |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> and [[classical architecture]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Klasicizmas |url=http://www.ivilnius.lt/apie-vilniu/architektura/klasicizmas/ |website=iVilnius.lt |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> The variety of preserved churches and former palaces of the Lithuanian nobility exemplifies Vilnius' multicultural heritage.<ref name="unesco" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Vilniaus architektūra |url=https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/Vilniaus-architektura-125335 |website=vle.lt |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref>

Lithuanians and others shaped the development of the capital, with Western and Eastern influences. Lithuania was [[Christianization of Lithuania|Christianized]] in 1387, but Eastern Orthodoxy and the growing importance of [[Judaism]] led to construction of the [[Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius|Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos]] and the [[Great Synagogue of Vilna]]).<ref name="unesco" />

[[File:Vilnius Cathedral Chapel of Saint Casimir, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg|thumb|alt=An ornate chapel, seen from the side|The 17th-century Chapel of Saint Casimir, the [[patron saint]] of Lithuania and its youth, in [[Vilnius Cathedral]]]]
Disasters resulted in building reconstructions in [[Vilnian Baroque]] style, which later influenced the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name="unesco" /><ref name="VilniusBaroqueVWH">{{cite web |title=Baroque Vilnius |url=https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/baroque-vilnius/bed60a87-d5d1-4539-981e-2c13445280a2 |website=VisitWorldHeritage.com |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212121620/https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/baroque-vilnius/bed60a87-d5d1-4539-981e-2c13445280a2 |url-status=dead}}</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>{{cite web |title=Ar žinojote, kad Vilniaus barokinės architektūros perlus sukūrė šveicarai, o ne italai? |url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/istorija/2017/04/30/news/ar-zinojote-kad-vilniaus-barokines-architekturos-perlus-sukure-sveicarai-o-ne-italai--996644/ |website=[[lrytas.lt]] |access-date=28 August 2019 |language=lt}}</ref> The Lithuanian [[Laurynas Gucevičius]] was a noted classical architect in the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laurynas Gucevičius: kaip formavosi žymiausio architekto vardas |url=http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/laurynas-gucevicius-kaip-formavosi-zymiausio-architekto-vardas/1361 |website=ldkistorija.lt |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212162459/http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/laurynas-gucevicius-kaip-formavosi-zymiausio-architekto-vardas/1361 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The {{convert|352|ha|acre|adj=on}} Old Town was designated as a [[World Heritage Site|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, Vilnius|Cathedral Square]] (demolished in 1795) and a square east of the [[Church of All Saints, Vilnius|Church of All Saints]] where the [[Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed, Vilnius|Convent of the Barefoot Carmelites]] stood with [[Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania|Vice-Chancellor]] [[Stefan Pac]]'s Baroque [[Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed, Vilnius|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 {{convert|401|km2|sqmi}}, 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>{{cite web |title=About Vilnius |url=http://www.vaspvt.gov.lt/node/499 |website=vaspvt.gov.lt |access-date=12 August 2019 |archive-date=12 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812153855/http://www.vaspvt.gov.lt/node/499 |url-status=dead}}</ref>