The ancient city of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is unfairly overlooked by some tourists. This is one of the oldest European capitals, and the spirit of bygone times hovers on the streets of Vilnius. The combination of recognizable architecture, affordable prices and a small geographical distance, in fact, make Vilnius very interesting for tourism. At least once, but it’s definitely worth visiting.
Facts about Vilnius
- In addition to Lithuanians, there are many Poles, Russians, Belarusians, and other nationalities living here.
- With a population of over half a million people, Vilnius is the largest city in Lithuania. (interesting facts about Lithuania).
- According to statistics, the population of Vilnius is increasing by about 10 thousand people annually.
- When it was founded is not known for certain. The first chronicle mention of Vilnius dates back to the 14th century.
- For many centuries, Vilnius was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
- Almost 70% of the entire area of the city is occupied by parks, squares and other green spaces.
- The historic center of Vilnius is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As well as the historical center of Riga, the capital of neighboring Latvia (interesting facts about Riga).
- During World War II, Vilnius was seriously damaged by bombing. After the end of hostilities, it was restored.
- For 17 years in the 20th century, it was part of Poland.
- Vilnius produces more than 25% of the GDP of all Lithuania.
- Once a frost of -37.2 degrees was recorded here. And the maximum heat that hit the city reached +36.4 degrees.
- There are a lot of ancient architectural monuments in Vilnius, but some of them are in a deplorable state.
- On the streets of Vilnius houses a lot of graffiti.
- This is one of the few large cities that still actively use trolleybus transport.
- In 2011, Vilnius ranked first in the number of murders per capita among all cities of the European Union. Since then, the crime situation here, fortunately, has improved.
- The cost of utilities in Vilnius is very high.
- More than 50,000 companies are registered in this city. There are about 200,000 of them registered in Lithuania.