During its 700 years of existence, Vilnius has experienced periods of prosperity and devastation, has been a cradle of cultures and victim of pan-European catastrophes.
To mark the city’s anniversary, BNS presents a comprehensive overview of the most important dates in Vilnius’ history, prepared in collaboration with Dr Inga Leonavičiūtė, a researcher at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University, and Povilas Andrius Stepavičius, a researcher at the Vilnius Museum, a PhD student at Vilnius University.
From Gediminas’ letters to Vilnius University
On 25 January 1323, Grand Duke Gediminas wrote a letter mentioning Vilnius for the first time in written sources. In a letter to Lubeck, Stralsund, Bremen, Magdeburg, Cologne and other cities, the ruler invited soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and clergy to come and settle in Lithuania. A contemporaneous copy of the letter, which is kept in the Latvian State Historical Archives in Riga, is on display in Vilnius, in the Gediminas Castle Tower, from 25 January to 4 June.
In 1365, Dirsūnas, the “Elder of Kęstutis in Vilnius”, is mentioned in historical sources: he can be considered the first governor of the city.
On 17 February 1387, during the baptism of Lithuania, King Jogaila granted the privilege of establishing the Diocese of Vilnius, the first and main Catholic ecclesiastical institution in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
On 22 March 1387, Jogaila’s privilege of 22 March 1387 granted Vilnius the right of Magdeburg, which allowed its citizens to self-govern, regulate trade and crafts, and guarantee personal and property rights. Vilnius became not only a city of the sovereign, but also a self-governing city.
Around 1416, when Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania installed the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ruthenia in Vilnius, the jurisdiction of the head of the Orthodox Church – the Metropolitan City – became the epicentre of the Ruthenian part of the city. Within its boundaries were the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other temples. In the 16th century, Vilnius had a total of 13 Orthodox churches and the Trinity Monastery.
In 1426, the Gothic brick church of St. John was completed, the first parish church in Vilnius and one of the largest Gothic sacral buildings in the city. Around 1500, St Anne’s Church was built, a Gothic masterpiece and a subject of many legends.
On 23 August 1495, goldsmiths established the first guild in Vilnius, which was active until 1893.
In 1503, Prince Alexander’s Privilege for the first time mentions the Vilnius Town Hall. In the same year, the construction of a brick defensive wall of Vilnius began and was completed in 1522. The wall, about 3km long, encircled the most densely populated core of the city. In the first half of the 17th century it had ten gates and a bastion.
In 1522, Francis Skoryna, who came from Prague, established the first printing house in Vilnius and published the Little Book of Travels, the first printed book in the Grand Duchy.
In 1536, a brick bridge over the Neris River was completed on the site of the present-day Green Bridge. In 1655, the bridge burnt down and was replaced by a wooden structure. Damaged by spring floods, the bridge was repaired or rebuilt several times, and after the rebuilding in 1766, it was painted green, which gave it the name it still holds.
In 1544, Barbora Radvilaitė (Barbara Radziwill) and Sigismund II Augustus, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland, met in Vilnius and began their secret love affair. After their secret marriage in Vilnius in 1547, the following year Sigismund Augustus officially presented Barbara as his wife and the Grand Duchess of Lithuania. In 1550, her coronation took place in the Cathedral in Cracow. Shortly afterwards, the Queen died in Cracow's Wawel Castle after a serious illness. Sigismund Augustus fulfilled his wife’s last wish to bury her in Lithuania: he brought her body to Vilnius and buried her in the Cathedral.
In 1570, the Jesuits founded a college in Vilnius. They had come to Lithuania in 1569 on the initiative of Vilnius Bishop Walerian Protasewicz (Valerijonas Protasevičius).
Around 1573, a wooden synagogue was built in Vilnius, and in 1642 a brick synagogue replaced it. The Great Synagogue of Vilnius became the most important spiritual and cultural centre for Lithuanian Jews. In the first half of the 17th century, Vilnius was home to 40 prominent rabbis, and in the 18th century, the great sage Gaon Eliyahu who made Vilnius known as the Jerusalem of the North. The Great Synagogue of Vilnius, which was badly damaged during the war, was finally destroyed in 1955-1957.
On 1 April 1579, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batory issued a letter of privilege for the opening of Vilnius Academy, and on 30 October Pope Gregory XIII issued a bull confirming the reorganisation of Vilnius College into a university. Vilnius University became the 112th university in Europe and for two hundred years was the easternmost university in Europe.
In 1581, the oldest known plan and description of Vilnius was published in the Cologne Atlas of the World’s Cities, Civitates orbis terrarum.
From fires and sackings to the Baroque
In 1604, the cornerstone of the church of St Casimir – the patron saint of Lithuania – was laid in Vilnius on the occasion of his canonisation. It was completed in 1618.
The church became a symbol of the beginning of the Baroque era. Throughout the 17th century, works of European significance were created, such as St Casimir’s Chapel at Vilnius Cathedral or the Church of St Peter and Paul in Vilnius.
In the 18th century, an independent Baroque school emerged in the Grand Duchy, with its leading architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz designing the churches of St. John, St. Catherine and the Basilian Gate, the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit and the Great Synagogue.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Holy Trinity Shrine and Monastery became the heart of the Unitarian Basilian Order. The people of the monastery, Josyf Veliamyn Rutsky and the future Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych, initiated the unification of all the Unitarian monasteries into the Basilian Order (1617). In 1821, the Basilian monastery was closed, the church was handed over to the Orthodox Church, and a prison was built in the men’s wing of the monastery. In 1823-1824, members of the Vilnius University student philomat organisation were imprisoned there, including Adam Mickiewicz, who described the place of imprisonment in his poetic drama Dziady, as well as the participants of the 1831 uprising. The Holy Trinity ensemble was returned to the local Greek Catholic community in 1992-1994.
On 30 June-1 July 1610, Vilnius was devastated by one of the biggest fires in its history. Many of the city’s Gothic buildings and works of art were reduced to ashes, and the university, its library and archives were damaged. Some 4,700 residential buildings, more than ten churches were burnt down, and the city’s population was reduced by one third.
On 4 September 1636, the first opera of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, The Abduction of Helen, was staged in the Lower Castle of Vilnius. The first opera in Vilnius was staged earlier than in some major European centres: in London, the first opera was staged a couple of decades later, and in Paris in 1673.
On 8 August 1655, Vilnius was captured by the Muscovite army: the city was sacked and burnt for several days, and a large part of the population was killed. Two days later, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich entered the city. It was the first time in the history of the Grand Duchy that the capital had been occupied by a foreign army. Attempts to retake the city were unsuccessful until 11 July 1660, when the army of the Grand Duchy led by Michał Kazimierz Pac (Kykolas Kazimieras Pacas) did so. The remnants of the Muscovite army barricaded themselves in the castles of Vilnius and remained there until December 1661.
During the Northern War, the city was devastated by the Swedish occupation in 1702 and 1707, by famine and plague in 1709, and by major fires in 1737, 1748 and 1749. Baroque churches, public buildings and palaces replaced the burnt or destroyed buildings, and new streets were built.
In 1760, the Polish-language newspaper Kurier Litewski was launched in Vilnius – the first periodical in Lithuania.
On 24 April 1794, the Act of Revolt signed by 2,328 rebels against Russia was proclaimed in the Town Hall Square in Vilnius and their government was formed. After the rebels were defeated, Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1795, and Vilnius lost its capital status.
Between 1799 and 1805, the Lower Castle was razed to the ground, and part of the Upper Castle was demolished, as well as most of the city wall, its towers and gates, with the exception of the Gates of Dawn.
From imperial province to capital
In 1832, after suppressing a Polish-Lithuanian uprising, the Russian imperial authorities closed Vilnius University. A forced relocation of its treasures – the library, archives, museums and classrooms – began, one of the largest in the country’s history.
In 1836, the construction of the current Gediminas Avenue (Gedimino Prospektas) began. Under the Russian Empire, it was named after St George; under the Polish rule, it was named after Adam Mickiewicz; in the Soviet era it bore the names of Stalin and Lenin. Since 1989, it has been named after the founder of the city, Gediminas.
On 4 September 1860, the first train arrived in Vilnius at the completion of the Petersburg-Warsaw railway line. The railway station was built in the next couple of years. In the second half of the 19th century, Vilnius became an important transport hub, leading to industrial, trade, and population growth.
During the 1863-1864 uprising, 21 rebels, including Konstanty Kalinowski (Konstantinas Kalinauskas) and Zygmunt Sierakowski (Zigmantas Sierakauskas), were executed by the Russian army on the orders of Vilnius Governor-General Mikhail Muravyov. Their remains were found on Gediminas Hill in 2017 and reburied in Rasos Cemetery in 2019.
On 22 October 1864, more than 300 gas lanterns illuminated central Vilnius. Vilnius became the second city in the Russian Empire, after St Petersburg, to install modern lighting.
The 1st Boys' Gymnasium, located in the premises of the abolished Vilnius University, was the home of Piotr Stolypin, future Prime Minister of Russia and the author of the land reform, from 1874 to 1879. Other pupils include the future head of the state of Poland, Józef Piłsudski who graduated in 1885, and the founder of the KGB, Feliks Dzerzhinsky, graduate of 1887.
In 1892, the first Jewish public library in Lithuania was opened. Until 1940, it was one of the most famous Jewish libraries in the world.
In 1903, the first power plant was opened in Šnipiškės, which operated until 1998. To mark its centenary, the Lithuanian Energy Museum was opened here in 2003.
In 1912, the photographer Jan Bulhak moved to Vilnius. He captured the changing city in 462 photographs until 1944.
In 1916, the Three Crosses Monument, designed by Antoni Wiwulski (Antanas Vivulskis), was erected, now one of the icons of the city. The monument was demolished after World War Two and rebuilt again in 1989.
On 16 February 1918, the Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania. It proclaimed the establishment of an independent democratic Lithuanian Republic, with Vilnius as its capital.
Vilnius under different rules
The young Lithuanian Republic, however, did not get to keep the city, which was sought by Poles, Belarusians and Bolsheviks. Lithuanian government institutions moved to Kaunas at the end of December 1918 and the Bolsheviks moved into Vilnius at the beginning of January 1919, proclaiming the short-lived Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia (Lit-Bel). On 19 April 1919, the Polish army led by Piłsudski drove the Bolsheviks out of Vilnius and published the famous proclamation To the Inhabitants of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
On 10-12 October 1919, the opening ceremony of the restored Vilnius University, this time named after King Stefan Batory, took place. In 1918-1919, the restoration of the university was declared by Lithuanians, Bolsheviks and Poles alike. However, only the Polish restoration lasted.
On 9 October 1920, General Lucjan Żeligowski takes the control of Vilnius. He soon proclaimed the Republic of Central Lithuania with Vilnius as its capital. In 1922, it joined Poland.
In 1925, the Jewish Institute of Science (YIVO), the first secular academy for Jewish studies in Eastern Europe, is founded in Vilnius. The Institute became the most important centre for Yiddish studies, publishing, training Jewish scholars, and amassing the world’s largest Yiddish library and archive. During the Nazi occupation, much of the collection was taken to Germany, while other parts were dispersed or destroyed. In 1940, the Institute was moved to New York.
On 16 February 1927, Dr Jonas Basanavičius, a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania and the patriarch of Lithuania’s national revival, died in Vilnius. His grave in Rasos Cemetery has become an important place for the Lithuanian community in Vilnius.
On 2 July 1927, the image of Our Lady was crowned at the Gates of Dawn, and the ceremony was attended by Poland’s president, Marshal Piłsudski, who came to Vilnius for the first time.
On 6 June 1929, one of the largest stadiums in Poland was inaugurated in Piromont (Rinktinės St., transformed into the Žalgiris Stadium during the Soviet era). It used to host not only football games but also athletics competitions. At the same time, the Kalnų Park sports ground was built (in the Soviet era it was called Dinamo, the only one still standing), and in 1933, the Marshal Piłsudski Stadium was opened in Verkių Street. These sports grounds were the focal points of attraction and leisure activities for Vilnius residents.
At the end of April 1931, Vilnius was hit by the worst flood in its history. The Neris River rose 825cm above the zero mark and even the basement of Vilnius Cathedral was flooded. After the flood, the Cathedral’s cellars were cleaned, leading to the discovery of the royal crypt with the remains of Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon, two wives of King Sigismund II Augustus – Barbara Radziwill and Elisabeth Habsburg – and the urn of Vladislaus Vasa. On Maironio Street in Vilnius, there is a monument commemorating the flood, unveiled in 1934, dedicated to Mieczyslaw Dordzik, a 16-year-old student at the Polish School of Crafts who died saving a small Jewish boy, Chackel Charmac. In 2021, Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius established the Dordzik Prize, which is awarded annually to the bravest child or young person in the capital.
On 19 September 1939, during the Second World War, Vilnius was occupied and plundered by the Soviet Union. On 10 October, the city was given to Lithuania by the Lithuanian-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance, and on 28 October, the Lithuanian army entered Vilnius.
After the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in June 1940, Soviet Lithuanian state institutions were transferred to Vilnius in August.
On 6 September 1941, after the German attack on the Soviet Union and the occupation of Lithuania, the Great and Small Vilnius Jewish Ghettos were established. They housed 29,000 and 11,000 people, respectively. The Vilnius Ghetto was liquidated by 23-24 September 1943. During the mass murder in Paneriai, about 50,000 Jews from Vilnius and its environs may have been killed. Only about 2,000-3,000 Vilnius Jews managed to survive the German occupation.
Soviet era and independence movement
In 1956, the commemoration of All Souls’ Day at the Rasos Cemetery turned into anti-Soviet demonstrations. Several thousand people demanded freedom for Lithuania and expressed solidarity with the Polish and Hungarian resistance. The most active participants were arrested, punished and persecuted, and students were expelled from universities.
The Soviet era saw Vilnius grow and transform. The Sports Palace in Šnipiškės, completed in 1971 on an old Jewish cemetery, the high-rising Hotel Lietuva, built in 1983, and the nearby Revolution Museum (now the National Gallery of Art) are some of the icons of the era.
In 1970-1985, residential districts of Lazdynai, Karoliniškės, Viršuliškės, Šeškinė, Baltupiai and Justiniškės were built. In 1974, the first two sixteen-storey student dormitories were built in Saulėtekis, nicknamed “New York”. In January 1981, the 326-metre television tower, the tallest building in Lithuania, was completed and inaugurated in Vilnius.
In 1979, Vilnius University celebrated its 400th anniversary with spectacular celebrations. Despite its Soviet overtones, the huge celebration was a boost to the self-esteem of Vilnius University as the oldest university in Eastern Europe (older than Moscow University).
In 1987, the first unsanctioned rally was held at the monument to Adam Mickiewicz, publicly denouncing the secret protocols of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact of 23 August 1939. The August 1988 rally in Vingio Park and the September rally in Cathedral Square, violently attacked by the police, became symbols of the “Singing Revolution”.
On 22 October 1988, the Sąjūdis congress proclaimed the return of the Cathedral, which was used as a museum, to the Catholic Church. In the morning of 23 October, Lithuanian bishops and Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius celebrated the Mass at the door of the Cathedral.
On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR in Vilnius proclaimed Lithuania’s independence.
On 13 January 1991, in last-ditch attempt to regain control, Soviet tanks, armoured personnel carriers and armed soldiers stormed the Vilnius TV Tower and the Lithuanian Radio and Television building. Fourteen civilians were killed and over a thousand wounded.
The capital of independent Lithuania
On 23 August 1991, the City Council decided to remove the Lenin monument in Lukiškių Square. The images of the Soviet monument being dismantled amidst shouts of joy and applause went around the world.
In 1992 and 2000, the Polish Nobel Prize-winning author and graduate of Stepan Batory University Czesław Miłosz visited Vilnius and his alma mater. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Miłosz’s birth, a plaque was unveiled in the Sarbievius Courtyard of Vilnius University.
On 17 December 1994, the historic centre of Vilnius was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On 22 September 1996, at the foot of Gediminas Hill, near the Cathedral, a monument to Grand Duke Gediminas was unveiled, designed by the Lithuanian expatriate sculptor Vytautas Kašuba and made by the sculptor Mindaugas Šnipas. The monument was hotly debated at the time, with controversy surrounding both its artistic solution and the chosen location.
On 1 January 2009, Vilnius became the European Capital of Culture. Around 1,500 events took place during the year, attended by around 1.5 million people.
On 6 July 2018, the completed Palace of the Grand Dukes was inaugurated in Vilnius. The Palace of the Grand Dukes, which was demolished 200 years ago, was rebuilt over the excavated remains of the original edifice. The first part of the palace was opened to visitors in 2013, but the entire construction took 15 years and cost over 100 million euros.
On 6 October 2018, partisan commander Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas was honoured with a state funeral. His remains, found a few months previously in the Orphans’ Cemetery, were ceremoniously reburied in the Pantheon of Heads of State in Antakalnis Cemetery.
In July 2019, Lukiškės Prison in the centre of Vilnius was closed after its last inmates were moved out. The complex of buildings, built in 1904 and recognised as a cultural heritage site, became an events space.
After 24 February 2022, Vilnius welcomed refugees from Ukraine and held numerous support rallies for the country under attack. More than 20,000 refugees from Ukraine have taken refuge in Vilnius. On 9 March, Vilnius City Council named a stretch of an unnamed street leading to the Russian Embassy after the Ukrainian Heroes.
