Vilnius has been named a Creative City of Literature by UNESCO.
“Vilnius has been recognised by UNESCO as a City of Literature. It really is. At least for me – starting with the letters of [Lithuanian Grand Duke] Gediminas,” Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius said in a press release.
“Then [it was home to] Adam Mickiewicz. Then Czesław Miłosz, Romain Gary. Then Ričardas Gavelis, Jurgis Kunčinas, Kristina Sabaliauskaitė.”
Vilnius is also a city of readers, the mayor said, noting that the Lithuanian capital hosts the annual Vilnius Book Fair, literary festivals, and has an open reading room in Lukiškių Square.
“We have been preparing for the application since 2018,” Šimašius said. “I thank everyone who has contributed and supported, and especially everyone who reads and writes.”
Vilnius was granted the City of Literature status, which is permanent, along with Gothenburg in Sweden and Jakarta in Indonesia.
The Lithuanian capital has joined around 40 cities across the globe designated as Creative Cities of Literature, including Krakow and Wroclaw (Poland), Utrecht (the Netherlands), Lviv (Ukraine), Tartu (Estonia) and Ljubljana (Slovenia).
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