The Old Town, Vilnius

The Old Town of Vilnius is a truly remarkable and unique place and one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe. Its origins date back to 1387, when the Lithuanian Grand Duke and King of Poland Jogaila founded it on the Magdeburg rights, the oldest part of Vilnius. Over the course of many centuries, the Old Town has been shaped by the city's history and constantly changing cultural influences.

The Old Town of Vilnius is a place where some of Europe's greatest architectural styles-gothic, renaissance, baroque, and neoclassical-stand side by side and complement each other. There are many Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox churches, residential houses, cultural and architectural monuments, and museums in the Old Town.

Pilies Street is the Old Town's main artery and the hub of cafe and street market life. The main street of Vilnius, Gediminas Avenue, 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 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 Park in Brussels.

In 1994, the Vilnius Old Town was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its universal value and originality. It has been recognized 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, which historically used to be outside the city boundaries. Therefore Užupis is often considered a part of the Old Town of Vilnius.