54°40N 25°19E, pop (2000e) 585 000. Capital city of Lithuania, on R Vilnya; one of the largest industrial centres of the Baltic region; formerly part of Poland; ceded to Russia, 1795; occupied by Germany in World War 2; airport; railway junction; university (1579); machinery, metalworking, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles; cathedral (17771801), Gediminas Castle.
| Vilnius | |||
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| Location | |||
| Ethnographic region | Aukštaitija | ||
| County | Vilnius County | ||
| Municipality | Vilnius city municipality | ||
| Coordinates | 54°41′N 25°17′E | ||
| Number of elderates | 20 | ||
| General Information | |||
| Capital of |
Lithuania Vilnius County Vilnius city municipality Vilnius district municipality |
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| Population | 540,318 in 2005 (1st) | ||
| First mentioned | 1323 | ||
| Granted city rights | 1387 | ||
Vilnius (pronunciation (help·info), see also other historical names of the city) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 553,904 as of December 2005. It is the capital of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality.
History
Some historians identify the city with Voruta, a legendary capital of Mindaugas who was crowned in 1253 as King of Lithuania. The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1323, in letters of Grand Duke Gediminas that were sent to German cities and invited German and Jewish community to settle in the capital city. In 1387, the city was granted city rights by Jogaila, one of Gediminas' successors.
Between 1503 and 1522 the city was surrounded with walls that had nine city gates and three towers. In the following centuries, Vilnius became a constantly growing and developing city. During the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667), Vilnius was occupied by Russia for several years. The city's growth lost its momentum for many years, but the population rebounded, and by the beginning of the 19th century city's population reached 200,000 making the city one of the largest in Northern Europe.
After the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Vilnius was annexed by Russia and became the capital of a guberniya. Following the November Uprising in 1831, Vilnius University was closed and Russian repressions halted the further development of the city.
During World War I Vilnius — as with the rest of Lithuania — was occupied by Germany from 1915 until 1918. Vilnius changed hands many times: for a while it was controlled by Polish self-defence units, who didn't want the city to be occupied by Russian-Bolshevik forces. Poland also recognized Vilnius and the Vilnius region as a part of Lithuania with the Treaty of Suwalki signed on October 7, 1920 (). However, on October 9 of the same year, the Polish Army under General Lucjan Żeligowski broke the treaty and seized Vilnius after a staged coup. On February 20, 1922, the whole area was made a part of Poland, with Vilnius as the capital of the Wilno Voivodship (Wilno being the name of Vilnius in Polish). The Lithuanian government fled to a temporary capital Kaunas and stated that Poland had illegally annexed and occupied Vilnius and diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Poland were severed until 1938.
In the meantime, for yet another time in its history, the city enjoyed a period of fast development. Vilnius University was reopened under the name Stefan Batory University and the city's infrastructure was improved significantly. By 1931, the city had 195,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in Poland. Some Lithuanians, however, dispute this picture of economic growth and point out that the standard of living in Vilnius at this time was considerably lower compared to that in other parts of contemporary Lithuania.
Following the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, on September 19, 1939, Vilnius was seized and annexed by the Soviet Union. Though the process of transferring the capital from Kaunas to Vilnius started soon after, the whole of Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in June of 1940, before the transfer was completed. A new Communist government was installed, with Vilnius as the capital of the newly created Lithuanian SSR.
In June 1941, the city was seized by Germany.
In July 1944 Vilnius was retaken by the Soviet Army. Vilnius was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the capital of the Lithuanian SSR shortly thereafter. Coupled with the migration of the Lithuanians into Vilnius, this development resulted in a change in the city's demographic fabric. On January 13 during the Soviet Army attack on the State Radio and Television Building and the Vilnius TV Tower, fourteen civilians were killed and more than 700 were seriously injured.
Since then, Vilnius has rapidly transformed in an attempt to erase its Soviet past and the town has emerged as a modern European city. Many of its older buildings have been renovated, and a business and commercial area is being developed into the New City Center, expected to become the city's main administrative and business district on the north side of Neris river.
In 2009 Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, will be the capital of the European Culture.
Coat of arms of Vilnius city
The Vilnius coat of arms depicts St. Christopher (Kristupas) wading through water with the Infant Jesus on his shoulders.
Geography and population
Vilnius is situated in southeastern Lithuania (54°41′N 25°17′E) at the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris Rivers. It is believed that Vilnius, like many other cities, was named after a crossing river, Vilnia. Vilnius was once not only culturally but also geographically at the center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Vilnius lies 312 km from the Baltic Sea and Klaipėda, the chief Lithuanian seaport. Vilnius is connected by highways to other major Lithuanian cities, such as Kaunas (102 km away), Šiauliai (214 km away) and Panevėžys (135 km away).
The current area of Vilnius is 402 km².
According to the 2001 census by the Vilnius Regional Statistical Office, there were 542,287 inhabitants in the Vilnius city municipality, of which 57.8% were Lithuanians, 20.7% Poles, 14% Russians, 4.0% Belarusians and 0.5% Jews;
Tourism
Vilnius is a cosmopolitan city with diverse architecture. Restaurants, hotels and museums have sprouted since Lithuania declared independence, and young Vilnius residents are building the city's reputation for being the most hospitable in the world, as evidenced by an active participation in the Hospitality Club.
Like most medieval towns, Vilnius was developed around its Town Hall.
The Old Town, the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Europe (3.6 km²). Although Vilnius is known as a Baroque city, there are examples of Gothic (e.g. Owing to its uniqueness, the Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.
Economy
Vilnius is the major economic centre of Lithuania and one of the largest financial centres of the Baltic states.
Vilnius contributed over 4.6 billion litas to the national budget in 2004.
Religion
Known as Yerushalayim De Lita (translated as "Jerusalem of Lithuania"), Vilnius (Vilna) once was comparable only to Jerusalem, Israel as a world center for the study of the Torah, and for its large Jewish population.
Climate
The climate of Vilnius is transitional between continental and maritime. Vilnius's rivers freeze over in particularly cold winters, and the lakes surrounding the city are almost always permanently frozen during this time of year.
Transport
Vilnius is the starting point of the Vilnius-Kaunas-Klaipėda highway that runs across Lithuania and connects the three major cities. Vilnius International Airport serves most Lithuanian international flights to many major European destinations.
Vilnius has a well-developed public transportation system.
Artūras Zuokas, the Mayor of Vilnius city municipality, has proposed that a tramway be built.
Sister cities
Vilnius has 14 sister cities.
| Aalborg, Denmark Budapest, Hungary Kraków, Poland Warsaw, Poland Duisburg, Germany Erfurt, Germany | Joensuu, Finland Kiev, Ukraine Madison, Wisconsin, United States Oslo, Norway | Pavia, Italy Piraeus, Greece Salzburg, Austria Taipei, Taiwan Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Trivia
Vilnius is one of the locations featured in the video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (photographs comparing the game's locations with their real-life counterparts can be found here). However, although some of the architecture is relatively well-represented, it has to be said that most of the map is fictional and it does not feel like a particularly accurate representation of the city of Vilnius.
Lying very close to Vilnius is a site some claim to be the Geographical Centre of Europe.
The rural town of Wilno, Ontario, Canada was named after the Polish name for Vilnius in the 1860s.
The city is the birthplace of the fictional character Marko Ramius from Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt For Red October.
Subdivisions
The city of Vilnius is made up of 20 elderates that are based on neighbourhoods:
Verkiai — includes Baltupiai, Jeruzalė, Santariškės, Balsiai, Visoriai Antakalnis — includes Valakupiai, Turniškės, Dvarčionys Pašilaičiai — includes Tarandė Fabijoniškės — includes Bajorai Pilaitė Justiniškės Viršuliškės Šeškinė Šnipiškės Žirmūnai — includes Šiaurės miestelis Karoliniškės Žvėrynas Grigiškės — a separate town included in the Vilnius city municipality Lazdynai Vilkpėdė — includes Vingis park Naujamiestis — includes bus and train stations Senamiestis (Old Town) — includes Užupis Naujoji Vilnia — includes Pavilnys, Pūčkoriai Paneriai — includes Trakų Vokė, Gariūnai Naujininkai — includes Kirtimai, Salininkai, Vilnius International Airport Rasos — includes Belmontas, Markučiai
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