The Old Town of Vilnius (), one of the largest surviving

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

old towns in

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, as inscribed within

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World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s, has an area of 3.59 square kilometres (887 acres). It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and lanes numbering 1487 buildings with a total floor area of 1,497,000 square meters. The administrative division of the Old Town (senamiesčio seniūnija) is a larger territory and comprises more than 4.5 square kilometres. It was founded by the Lithuanian Grand Duke and King of Poland Jogaila in 1387 on the Magdeburg rights the oldest part of the

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n capital of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, it had been developed over the course of many centuries, and has been shaped by the city's history and a constantly changing cultural influence. It is a place where some of Europe's greatest architectural styles

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renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and neoclassicalstand side by side and complement each other. There are many

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and

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churches, residential houses, cultural and architectural monuments, museums in the Old Town.

Pilies Street Pilies Street (literally, "Castle Street"; ) is one of the main streets in the Old Town of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It is a rather short street, running from Cathedral Square to the Town Hall Square. Pilies Street is a popular locati ...

is the Old Town's main artery and the hub of cafe and street market life. The main street of Vilnius,

Gediminas Avenue Gediminas Avenue () is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries. It is also the location of cultural institu ...

, is partially located in the Old Town. The central squares in the Old Town are the Cathedral Square and the Town Hall Square. One of the most elaborate architectural complexes is the

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

Architectural Ensemble, which occupies a large part of the Old Town and has 13 courtyards. It was selected to represent Lithuania in the

Mini-Europe Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in the Bruparck entertainment park, at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini-Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on ...

Park in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. In 1994 the Vilnius Old Town was included as a

(No. 541) in recognition of its universal value and originality. It has been recognised as one of the most beautiful cities of the Old Continent that also has the largest baroque Old Town in the whole of Eastern and Central Europe. The definition of "historic center" itself has a broader meaning than the Old Town, formerly encircled with defensive walls. It embraces the valuable historical suburbs of Vilnius, such as

Užupis Užupis (, , , ) is a neighborhood in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, largely located in Vilnius's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Užupis means "beyond the river" or "the other side of the river" in the Lithuanian language and r ...

, which historically used to be outside the city boundaries. Therefore Užupis is often considered a part of the Old Town of Vilnius. 352 ha Vilnius Old Town (Senamiestis) as the

should not be confused with one of 21 elderships (boroughs) of Vilnius – Senamiestis (the one with a slightly larger territory – 450 ha).

Landmarks

There are more monuments of interest in the Old Town than in any other part of Vilnius; they include:

Palaces

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

Slushko Palace Slushko Palace (, ) in Vilnius, Lithuania is a Baroque palace situated on the left bank of Neris River in the Old Town elderate, former Antakalnis suburb of the city. The palace was erected in 1690–1700 by voivode of Polock Dominik Słuszko ...

* Radvilas Palace *

Tyzenhaus Palace Tyzenhauz Palace (Lithuanian ''Tyzenhauzų rūmai'') is an 18th-century mansion located in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. History The historical sources of 1579 mention an International Gothic building in the same place. However, it later fell ...

Vilnius Castle Complex The Vilnius Castle Complex ( or ) is a group of cultural, and historic structures on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnia River, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The buildings, which evolved between the 10th and 18th cen ...

with the

Gediminas Tower Gediminas' Tower () is the remaining part of the Upper Castle on top of the Gediminas Hill in Vilnius, Lithuania. It has a viewing platform that offers scenic views of Vilnius Old Town and Vilnius Central Business District. History The firs ...

and

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

Religious monuments

* St. Anne's Church * Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard * St. Michael the Archangel Church * Church of St. Johns * Church of St. Casimir *

Vilnius Cathedral The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius, also known as Vilnius Cathedral is the main Catholic cathedral in Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off Cathedral Square. Dedicated to the Christian saints ...

in Cathedral Square * St. Nicholas Church *

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland *All ...

* Church of St. Theresa *

Gate of Dawn The Gate of Dawn (), or Sharp Gate (, , , , ) is a city gate in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and one of its most important religious, historical and cultural monuments. It is a major site of Catholic pilgrimage in Lithuania. History T ...

Three Crosses Three Crosses () is a prominent monument in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the Hill of Three Crosses (), also known as the Bald Hill () or Crooked Hill ( :lt:Kreivasis kalnas), in Kalnai Park. According to a legend, which finds its source in some hi ...

* Church of St. Catherine * Church of St. Philip and St. Jacob * Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit * Monastery of the Holy Trinity * Cathedral of the Theotokos * St. Nicholas Church * St. Paraskeva Church * Evangelical Lutheran Church *

Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit, Vilnius (Dominikonų St. 8) is a church in Vilnius, Lithuania, a monument of high and late Baroque. Crowned with a cupola, it stands out in the panorama of the old town and can be seen from surrounding street ...

Other places of interest

House of the Signatories The House of the Signatories (, previously known as ''Sztral's House'') is a Lithuanian historic landmark on Pilies Street, Vilnius, where on February 16, 1918, the Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed by twenty members of the Council of ...

* National Museum of Lithuania * Lithuanian National Drama Theatre * Fragments of the

Vilnius city wall Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

* Vilnius dungeons *

References

External links

Vilnius Old Town in postage stamps

Vilnius Old Town - Lithuania Travel
{{Vilnius elderates Neighbourhoods of Vilnius World Heritage Sites in Lithuania Landmarks in Vilnius Tourist attractions in Vilnius Historic districts in Lithuania