View source for Vilnius

{{Infobox settlement<!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->
|name = Vilnius
|nickname = Jerusalem of Lithuania, Athens of the North
|settlement_type = City municipality
|image_skyline = Vilnius montage.jpg
|image_caption = Top: [[Vilnius Old Town]] <br> Middle left: [[Vilnius Cathedral]] <br> Middle right: [[St. Anne's Church, Vilnius|St. Anne's Church]] <br> The 3rd row: [[Šnipiškės|Vilnius business district (Šnipiškės)]] <br> The 4th row: [[Presidential Palace, Vilnius|Presidential Palace]].
|image_map = Vilnius city in Lithuania.svg
|map_caption = Location of Vilnius
|image_flag = Flag of Vilnius.svg
|image_shield = Grand Coat of arms of Vilnius.svg
|motto = ''Unitas, Justitia, Spes''<br>([[Latin]]: Unity, Justice, Hope)
|coordinates = {{coord|54|41||N|25|17||E|region:LT_type:city(620000)|display=inline,title}}|
|subdivision_type  = Country
|subdivision_name  = {{LIT}}
|subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Lithuania|Ethnographic&nbsp;region]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Dzūkija|Dainava]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[Counties of Lithuania|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Vilnius County]]
|subdivision_type3 = [[Municipalities of Lithuania|Municipality]]
|subdivision_name3 = Vilnius city municipality
|subdivision_type6 = [[Capital city|Capital of]]
|subdivision_name6 = Lithuania<br /> [[Vilnius County]]<br /> Vilnius city municipality<br /> [[Vilnius district municipality]]
| parts_type = [[Elderships of Lithuania|Elderships]]
| p1 = [[Antakalnis]]
| p2 = [[Fabijoniškės]]
| p3 = [[Grigiškės]]
| p4 = [[Justiniškės]]
| p5 = [[Karoliniškės]]
| p6 = [[Lazdynai]]
| p7 = [[Naujamiestis, Vilnius|Naujamiestis]]
| p8 = [[Naujininkai]]
| p9 = [[Naujoji Vilnia]]
| p10 = [[Paneriai]]
| p11 = [[Pašilaičiai]]
| p12 = [[Pilaitė]]
| p13 = [[Rasos (Vilnius)|Rasos]]
| p14 = [[Šeškinė]]
| p15 = [[Šnipiškės]]
| p16 = [[Verkiai]]
| p17 = [[Vilkpėdė]]
| p18 = [[Vilnius Old Town|Senamiestis (Old Town)]]
| p19 = [[Viršuliškės]]
| p20 = [[Žirmūnai]]
| p21 = [[Žvėrynas]]
| established_date = 1323
| established_title= First mentioned
| established_date2= 1387
| established_title2= Granted [[Magdeburg rights|city rights]]
| population_total = 539 939
| population_metro = 806 308 ([[Vilnius County]])
| population_density_metro_km2 =
| population_density_km2 = 1391.9
| population_demonym = Vilnian
| population_as_of = 2014
| population_footnotes= <ref name="std.lt">{{cite web |url=http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010211&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=9116&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |title=Total area and population by administrative territory, statistical indicator and year |publisher=Statistics Lithuania |date=22 March 2013 |accessdate=15 February 2014 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017183125/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010211&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=9116&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| area_total_km2   = 401
| elevation_m      = 112
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code      = 01001-14191
| area_code        = (+370) 5
|timezone=[[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|utc_offset=+2
|timezone_DST=[[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
|utc_offset_DST=+3
| website= {{URL|http://www.vilnius.lt/index.php?992979069|http://www.vilnius.lt/}}
}}
'''Vilnius''' is the largest [[city]] and the [[capital (city)|capital]] of [[Lithuania]], with a population of 553,904 (850,700 together with Vilnius County) as of December 2005.<ref>[http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1712 Number of population by county, city (town) and municipality |Statistics Lithuania] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124302/http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1712 |date=2007-09-29 }} © Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania). Accessed [[May 2]], [[2006]].</ref> It is the seat of the [[Vilnius city municipality]] and of the [[Vilnius district municipality]]. It is also the capital of [[Vilnius County]]. Vilnius is 312 [[kilometre]]s (194&nbsp;[[Mile|mi]]) from the [[Baltic Sea]] and [[Klaipėda]], the most important Lithuanian [[seaport]]. Vilnius is connected by highways to other major Lithuanian cities, such as [[Kaunas]] (102&nbsp;km/63&nbsp;mi away), [[Šiauliai]] (214&nbsp;km/133&nbsp;mi away) and [[Panevėžys]] (135&nbsp;km/84&nbsp;mi away).

== History ==
See [[History of Vilnius]]

== Population ==
According to the 2001 [[census]] by the Vilnius Regional Statistical Office, there were 542,287 inhabitants in the [[Vilnius city municipality]], of which 57.8% were [[Lithuanians]], 18.7% [[Poles]], 14% [[Russians]], 4.0% [[Belarusians]], 1.3% [[Ukrainians]] and 0.5% [[Jews]].

In 1931, Vilnius had a population of 195,071, of which 65.9% were Poles, 28.0% Jews, 3.8% Russians, 0.9% Belarusians, 0.8% Lithuanians and 0.6% others (Germans, Tatars, Karaims, Latvians, Ukrainians and others). In 1939, Vilnius had a population of about 209,500, the percentage of the population remained roughly similar to 1931) {{cn}}

== Climate ==
The climate of Vilnius is considered as [[continental climate|Humid Continental or Hemiboreal]] by [[Köppen climate classification]].<ref>{{cite journal | author=Kottek, M., J. Grieser, C. Beck, B. Rudolf, and F. Rubel | year=2006 | title= World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated | journal=Meteorol. Z. | volume=15 | issue=3 | pages=259–263 | doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130| bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K | url=https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/files/40083/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf }}</ref> Summers can be hot, with temperatures above thirty degrees Celsius throughout the day. Winters can be very cold, with temperatures rarely reaching above freezing

== Tourism ==
[[File:Lithuania Vilnius Cathedral.jpg|thumb|left|View over the Cathedral roof]]
Vilnius is a [[Multiculturalism|cosmopolitan]] city with diverse [[architecture]]. There are more than 40 [[Church (building)|churches]] in Vilnius. [[Restaurant]]s, [[hotel]]s and [[museum]]s have sprouted since Lithuania declared independence. [[File:Vilnius Ostrobramska.jpg|thumb|right|Aušros Vartai Street. The icon of [[Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn|The Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy]] is venerated in a chapel at the medieval gate at the top of this street.]] Like most [[Middle Ages|medieval]] towns, Vilnius was developed around its [[Town Hall, Vilnius|Town Hall]]. The [[Vilnius Old Town|Old Town]], the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in [[Europe]] (3.6&nbsp;km²). The most valuable historic and cultural sites are concentrated here. The main sights of the city are [[Gediminas Castle]] and [[Cathedral Square]], symbols of the capital. The Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] in 1994. In 1995, the first [[bronze]][[Sculpture|cast]] of [[Frank Zappa]] in the world was installed near the center of Vilnius with the permission of the government.

== Economy ==
Vilnius is the major economic centre of Lithuania and one of the largest financial centres of the [[Baltic states]].

== Education ==
The city has many universities. The biggest are:
* Vilnius University
* Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
* Mykolas Romeris University
* Vilnius Pedagogical University

[[Specialized higher schools]] with the university status are:

* General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania
* Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
* Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts
* National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art

==Religion==
[[Image:Front façade of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Vilnius, Lithuania.jpg|201 px|right|thumb|[[St. Nicholas Church, Vilnius|St. Nicholas]] is the oldest surviving church in Lithuania, built before 1387]]
Vilnius is the Roman Catholic center of the country, with the main church institutions and [[Archdiocesan Cathedral]] located here. There are many churches in the city as there are many monasteries and religion schools. The [[Church architecture]] in the city includes [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]], [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] and [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] styles, these styles can be foundin the [[Vilnius Old Town|Old Town]]. Vilnius is considered one of the main centers of the [[Polish Baroque]] [[movement]] in [[architecture]] of churches. Vilnius has been home to an [[Eastern Orthodox]] [[Christian]] presence since the thirteenth century. A famous [[Russian Orthodox]] monastery, named for the [[Anthony, John, and Eustathios|Holy Spirit]], is located near the [[Gate of Dawn]].  St. Paraskeva's Orthodox Church in the Old Town is the site of the [[Gannibal#Early life|baptism]] of [[Abram Petrovich Gannibal|Hannibal]], the great-grandfather of [[Pushkin]], by [[Tsar]] [[Peter the Great]] in 1705. A  number of Protestant and other Christian groups are present in Vilnius, most notably the [[Lutheran]] Evangelicals and the [[Baptist]]s.
[[Image:Synagogue of Vilnius.jpg|200 px|right|thumb|The Choral Synagogue of Vilnius, the only synagogue in the city to survive the [[Holocaust]].]] Once widely known as ''Yerushalayim De Lita'' (the "Jerusalem of Lithuania"), Vilnius once was comparable only to [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], as a world center for the study of the [[Torah]], and for its large Jewish population. That is why one part of Vilnius was named ''Jeruzalė''. At the end of the 19th century, the number of [[synagogues]] in Vilnius was more than hundred.
[[Islam in Lithuania|Islam]] came to Lithuania in the 14th century from [[Crimea]] and [[Kazan]], through the [[Tatars]]. Tatars in Lithuania have maintained their religious practices: currently, about 3,000 Tatar Muslims live in Lithuania. There are same few groups of pre-Christian [[pagan]] in the city.

== Subdivisions ==
[[File:Vilniaus seniunijos numeracija.png|thumb|350px|Map of Vilnius elderates. Numbers on the map correspond with numbers in the list]]

The city of Vilnius is made up of 21 [[elderate]]s that are based on [[neighbourhoods]]:
# [[Verkiai]] — includes Baltupiai, Jeruzalė, Santariškės, Balsiai, Visoriai
# [[Antakalnis]] — includes Valakampiai, Turniškės, Dvarčionys
# [[Pašilaičiai]] — includes Tarandė
# [[Fabijoniškės]] — includes Bajorai
# [[Pilaitė]]
# [[Justiniškės]]
# [[Viršuliškės]]
# [[Šeškinė]]
# [[Šnipiškės]]
# [[Žirmūnai]] — includes Šiaurės miestelis
# [[Karoliniškės]]
# [[Žvėrynas]]
# [[Grigiškės]] — a separate town included in the [[Vilnius city municipality]]
# [[Lazdynai]]
# [[Vilkpėdė]] — includes Vingis park
# [[Naujamiestis]] — includes bus and train stations
# [[Vilnius Old Town|Senamiestis (Old Town)]] — includes [[Užupis]]
# [[Naujoji Vilnia]] — includes Pavilnys, Pūčkoriai
# [[Paneriai]] — includes Trakų Vokė, Gariūnai
# [[Naujininkai]] — includes Kirtimai, Salininkai, [[Vilnius International Airport]]
# [[Rasos (Vilnius)|Rasos]] — includes Belmontas, Markučiai

== Transport ==
=== Motorways ===
Vilnius is the starting point of the Vilnius-[[Kaunas]]-[[Klaipėda]] [[motorway]] that runs across Lithuania and connects the three major cities. The Vilnius-[[Panevėžys]] [[motorway]] is a [[branch]] of the [[European route E67|Via-Baltica]].

=== Airports ===
[[Vilnius International Airport]] serves most Lithuanian international flights to many major European destinations.

=== Public Transport ===
Vilnius has a  [[public transport]]ation system.  in 2023 there were 87 bus and 18 trolleybus routes in the city, 426 buses and 190 [[trolleybuses]] used the routes on weekdays. They transport about 500,000 people every day. UAB Vilnius Public Transport runs most of the routes.  Some are run by Transrevis.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Misija ir vizija - UAB "Vilniaus viešasis transportas"|url=https://www.vilniausviesasistransportas.lt/veikla-2/|access-date=2023-08-23|website=www.vilniausviesasistransportas.lt}}</ref>

== Sister cities ==
Vilnius has 14 [[Town twinning|sister cities]].
{|
|
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Akhisar]], [[Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Aalborg]], [[Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Chicago]], [[United States]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Duisburg]], [[Germany]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Erfurt]], [[Germany]]
||
* {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Joensuu]], [[Finland]]
* {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Kiev]], [[Ukraine]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[St.Petersburg]], [[Russia]]
* {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Kraków]], [[Poland]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], [[United States]]
* {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Oslo]], [[Norway]]
||
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Pavia]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Piraeus]], [[Greece]]
* {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]]
* {{flagicon|Taiwan}} [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
* {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]
* {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Donetsk]], [[Ukraine]]
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Other websites==
{{commons|Vilnius}}
* 
* [http://www.vilniustransport.lt/en.php/ Vilnius Public Transport System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917033604/http://www.vilniustransport.lt/en.php/ |date=2008-09-17 }}

{{European capitals}}

[[Category:Vilnius| ]]