On Wednesday, Vilnius starts celebrating its 700th anniversary with a programme of events and free public transport.
“Tomorrow, to congratulate Vilnius on its historic 700th anniversary, we will travel for free. And not only to the Time Portal that will open in the evening in the Cathedral Square but also all day long,” Vilnius City Municipality wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
One route will be decorated, and passengers will be surprised with gifts, according to the municipality.
“Trolleybus 7 on the route Pašilaičiai-Justiniškės-Žvėrynas-Stotis will be decorated. To make the journey even more interesting, Vilnius Public Transport will present 700 passengers with 700 sweet moments,” the message said.
“Don’t miss the opportunity. The trolleybus starts tomorrow at 10:10 at the Stotis bus stop,” it added.
700 years young
Vilnius starts celebrations of its 700th anniversary on Wednesday with a programme featuring a festival of lights, a special exhibition of a copy of Grand Duke Gediminas’ letter and the unveiling of a monument.
Vilnius municipality has chosen two dates for the main anniversary events: January 25, when Vilnius was first mentioned in historical written sources, and July 25, the day of St Christopher, the city’s patron saint.
The main message of the anniversary program is Vilnius: 700 Years Young.
On Wednesday, Vilnius’ mayor and vice-mayors are signing “A Dedication to the Vilnius of the Future” in the Town Hall. The event will be followed by a Vilnius flag-raising ceremony in the square in front of the municipal building.
The Time Portal. Vilnius: 700 Years Young event will kick off the fifth Vilnius Light Festival, and a copy of Grand Duke Gediminas’ letter inviting European merchants and craftsmen to Vilnius will be on display in the Gediminas Castle Tower from Wednesday.
A monument entitled Mandates of Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas to Vilnius and Lithuania to be unveiled in the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in the afternoon.
January will also see a variety of events dedicated to the anniversary, including exhibitions, concerts, performing arts and film presentations.
Grand Duke Gediminas, who ruled Lithuania in the early part of the fourteenth century, is considered the founder of Vilnius. In 1323, he sent out a series of letters to cities in Europe that contained the first surviving mention of Vilnius.
In the letters, the grand duke invited merchants, soldiers, craftsmen, farmers and clergymen from all over the world, especially from Lübeck, Stralsund, Bremen, Magdeburg and Cologne, to come and settle in Lithuania.
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