Vilnius

Vilnius (Belarusian ??????, {{P-L}} ', Russian ???????, formerly ??????, German Wilna; see also cities' alternative names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of over 540,000 in 2003. It is the capital of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the county seat of Vilnius County.

History

Main article: History of Vilnius

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Initially a Baltic settlement, it was also inhabitated by Slavs and, from at least the 11th century, by Jews. Some historians identify the city with Voruta, a forgotten capital of King Mindaugas.

Related Topics:
Baltic - Slavs - 11th century - Jews - Voruta - King Mindaugas

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The city is first mentioned in written sources in 1323. The original center of Vilnius was then a wooden fort built on a hilltop by Gediminas, Duke of Lithuania.

Related Topics:
1323 - Gediminas, Duke of Lithuania

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Vilnius was granted municipal rights by the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania W?adys?aw II of Poland (in Lithuanian, Jogaila; in Polish, W?adys?aw Jagie??o) in 1387. The town's population was initially Lithuanian, but soon grew to include craftsmen and merchants of other nationalities.

Related Topics:
W?adys?aw II of Poland - Lithuanian - Polish - 1387 - Lithuanian - Craftsmen - Merchant

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Between 1503 and 1522 the city was surrounded with walls that had nine gates and three towers. Vilnius reached the peak of its development under the reign of Sigismund II of Poland (Lithuanian: ?ygimantas Augustas, Polish: Zygmunt II August), who moved his court there in 1544. In the following centuries, Vilnius became a constantly growing and developing city. This growth was due in part to the establishment of Vilnius University by Stephan I of Poland (Lithuanian: Steponas Batoras, Polish: Stefan Batory) in 1579. The university soon developed into one of the most important scientific and cultural centres of the region and the most notable scientific centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Political, economic and social life was in full swing in the town. In 1769, the Rasos Cemetery was founded; today (known by the Lithuanian name Ras? kapin?s) it is one of the oldest surviving cemeteries in the world.

Related Topics:
1503 - 1522 - Walls - Gates - Sigismund II of Poland - 1544 - Vilnius University - Stephan I of Poland - 1579 - Grand Duchy of Lithuania - 1769 - Rasos Cemetery

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Rapidly developing, the city was open to migrants from both East and West. Communities of Poles, Lithuanians, Belarusians, Jews, Russians, Germans, Karaims, Ruthenians and others established themselves in the city. Each group made its contribution to the life of the city: at that time crafts, trade and science were prospering. In 1655 Vilnius was captured by Russian forces, pillaged and burned, and the population was massacred. The city's growth lost its momentum for many years, yet the number of inhabitants quickly recovered and by the beginning of the 19th century the city was the third largest city in Eastern Europe.

Related Topics:
Migrants - Poles - Lithuanians - Belarusians - Jew - Russians - Germans - Karaims - Ruthenians - 1655 - Russia - 19th century - Eastern Europe

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After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Vilnius was annexed by Russia and became the capital of a guberniya. Russian occupation policy resulted in destruction of the city walls and after the 1799?1805 period, only the Dawn Gate (Au?ros Vartai in Lithuanian or Ostra Brama in Polish, also known as Medinink? Vartai) remained. In 1812, the city was seized by Napoleon on his push towards Moscow. After the failure of the campaign, the Grande Armée retreated to the area where thousands of French soldiers died and were buried in the trenches they had built months earlier. After the November Uprising in 1831 the Vilnius University was closed and repressions halted the further development of the city. During the January Uprising in 1863 heavy city fights occurred, but were brutally pacified by Mikhail Muravyov (nick-named The Hanger by the city residents because of a great number of executions he organized). After the failure of the uprising all liberties were halted and the Lithuanian, Polish, and Belarusian languages were banned due to the russification policy.

Related Topics:
Third Partition of Poland - 1795 - Russia - Guberniya - 1799 - 1805 - Dawn Gate - 1812 - Napoleon - Moscow - Grande Armée - French - Trench - November Uprising - 1831 - Vilnius University - January Uprising - 1863 - Mikhail Muravyov - Execution - Lithuanian - Polish - Belarusian - Russification

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20th century

During World War I Vilnius was occupied by Germany from 1915 until 1918. Act of the Restoration of Independence of Lithuania was proclaimed in the city on February 16, 1918. After withdrawal of German forces for a short time Vilnius was controlled by Polish self-defence units recruited from the local Polish population; but very soon the city was taken by Bolshevik forces advancing from the east and proclaimed the capital of the short-lived Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. On April 19, 1919, the city was seized by the Polish Army but on July 14 it was again taken by Soviet forces.

Related Topics:
World War I - Germany - 1915 - 1918 - February 16 - Bolshevik - Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic - April 19 - 1919 - Polish Army - July 14

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Shortly after the defeat in the Battle of Warsaw (1920), the withdrawing Red Army handed the city over to the newly reborn Lithuania. On July 12, 1920 a peace treaty was signed between Lithuania and Bolshevist Russia, that recognized Vilnius as the capital of the independent Republic of Lithuania.

Related Topics:
Battle of Warsaw (1920) - Red Army - Lithuania - July 12 - 1920 - Bolshevist Russia

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On October 9, 1920 the Lithuanian-Belarusian Division of the Polish Army under General Lucjan ?eligowski seized the city after a staged mutiny. The city and its surroundings were proclaimed a separate state of Central Lithuania (Litwa ?rodkowa) and, after free parliamentary elections, in a result of the decision of the Central Lithuanian Parliament, on February 20 1922 the whole area was made a part of Poland, with Vilnius as the capital of the Wilno Voivodship. Lithuanian authorities in Kaunas declined to accept the Polish authority over Vilnius; diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Poland were broken until 1938.

Related Topics:
October 9 - 1920 - Lucjan ?eligowski - Mutiny - Central Lithuania - Parliament - February 20 - 1922 - Capital - Wilno Voivodship - 1938

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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, which made it the fifth largest city in Poland. However, some Lithuanians dispute this picture of economic growth and point out that the standard of living in Vilnius at this time was considerably lower compared to other parts of contemporary Lithuania.

Related Topics:
Stefan Batory - Infrastructure - 1931

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Following the secret protocol attached to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, dividing Eastern Europe into a Soviet and a German spheres, a Soviet invasion of Eastern Poland was staged by the Red Army. The city was seized on September 19, 1939. Initial Soviet plans were to make the city the capital of the Byelorussian SSR, but later decided to use the fact that Lithuanians claimed the city too and cede it to Lithuania in exchange for moving troops into territories of Lithuania (officially, this was to be called an agreement of friendship; such actions also were planned to help Lithuanian Communists gain more support). Lithuania, to the surprise of the Soviets, however, was not keen on accepting such a deal, as Soviet troops would be a threat to Lithuanian independence; then Soviets presented the deal as an ultimatum, by saying that the Red Army would enter Lithuania anyway, even if it refused the deal. After this, the deal was signed, although Lithuanians managed to bargain that less troops would enter Lithuania than Soviets had initially planned. On October 10, 1939 the city and its surrounding areas (about one fifth of Lithuanian claimed lands (Vilnius region)) were transferred to Lithuania in exchange for Soviet military bases established in various parts of that country. The Lithuanian authorities entered Vilnius shortly afterwards and the capital of Lithuania started to be gradually transferred there from Kaunas (allegedly however, this process was slowed down by Lithuanians due to unwillingness to have the capital very near to Soviet military bases). The process was not yet finished when in June of 1940 Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union and a new loyal Communist government installed (using both the troops stationed in Lithuania according to the agreement mentioned, and additional troops moved to the border of Lithuania). Vilnius was made the capital of the newly created Lithuanian SSR. Approximately 35,000?40,000 of the city inhabitants were arrested by the NKVD and sent to gulags at that time.

Related Topics:
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Eastern Europe - Red Army - September 19 - 1939 - Byelorussian SSR - October 10 - Vilnius region - Military base - Kaunas - 1940 - Soviet Union - Lithuanian SSR - NKVD - Gulag

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In June 1941, the city was seized by Germany. In the old town, two ghettos were set up for the large Jewish population, the smaller one of which was "liquidated" (which meant the population was murdered) already in October 1941. The second ghetto lasted until 1943, though its population was regularly decimated in so called Aktionen. A failed Jewish ghetto uprising on September 1, 1943 was followed by the final destruction of the ghetto. About 95% of the local Jewish population was murdered. Many of them were among 100,000 victims of the mass executions in Paneriai, about 10 km west of the old town centre. Most of the remaining 30,000 victims of the massacre were Poles: POWs, intelligentsia and members of the Home Army.

Related Topics:
1941 - Germany - Old town - Ghetto - Murder - 1943 - Ghetto uprising - September 1 - Paneriai - POW - Intelligentsia - Home Army

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In July 1944 the Polish Home Army and then the Red Army seized Vilnius, which was shortly afterwards incorporated into the Soviet Union and made the capital of the newly created Lithuanian SSR.

Related Topics:
1944 - Polish Home Army - Red Army - Soviet Union - Lithuanian SSR

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Immediately after World War II, the Soviet government decided to expel the Polish population from Lithuania and Belarus. This decision was implemented during the so-called repatriation, organized by the Soviet and Polish Communist governments and which most severely influenced the population of Vilnius. These events, coupled with the migration of the Lithuanian rural population and Russians from other Soviet republics during the post-war years resulted in a complete change of the city's culture and tradition. They also had a critical influence on the change of the demographic situation of Vilnius. Only after 1960 did the growth of other cities in Lithuania and decrease in rural population caused a rapid population upsurge in the city.

Related Topics:
World War II - Expel - Belarus - Repatriation - 1960

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On March 11, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR announced its independence from the Soviet Union and restored the independent Republic of Lithuania, which had been annexed by the Soviets back in 1940. The Soviets responded on January 9, 1991, by sending in troops, and on January 13 during the Soviet Army attack on the State Radio and Television Building and the Vilnius TV tower fourteen people were killed and more than 700 were seriously injured. Eventually, the Soviet Union recognized Lithuanian independence in August 1991.

Related Topics:
March 11 - 1990 - Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR - Republic of Lithuania - 1940 - January 9 - 1991 - January 13 - Soviet Army - Vilnius TV tower

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Since then, Vilnius has been rapidly transforming from a Soviet into a European city.

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