Vilnius celebrates its 700th birthday!

One of the most important events in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is coming up on January 25. In 2023, Vilnius will celebrate its 700th birthday on this date! In this article we will give you a summary of some of the activities that are planned for this big celebration.

Lux Express is here to help everyone get to the heart of the celebration in the Lithuanian capital! Bus trips are taking place in the directions of Riga to Vilnius and of Vilnius to Riga.

History of Vilnius

Where did the city of Vilnius begin?

According to a well-known legend, Grand Duke Gediminas went hunting in the forest areas of the valley at the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers. After a long and fruitful search, the group decided to set up camp and spend the night in the valley as it was getting dark.

Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania had a dream of an iron wolf howling proudly on top of a mountain, facing the moon. The duke, startled by this strange sight, immediately sought advice from the pagan priest Lizdeika. The latter informed the duke that the dream was a divine sign. The priest called the iron wolf an image of the city, a mighty metropolis. This next metropolis is as durable as iron and as famous in the world as a hundred howling wolves!

Of course, the creation of this amazing metropolis was entrusted to Grand Duke Gediminas.

The Grand Duke of Lithuania began the construction of the future capital immediately after having this dream, following the command of the gods. They wanted to make Vilnius the best city ever, but Gediminas lacked the means to do so.

Pagan Lithuanians were not known for living in cities. Writing letters to Western Europeans to encourage people and invite masters to live in the newly created city, Gediminas began the biggest marketing campaign of the 1300s.

Gediminas marketing campaign

Six copies of Gediminas' letters from 1323-1324 have been preserved. Another letter, written on January 25, 1323, was sent to several German cities and also to other cities in the Holy Roman Empire.

According to Gediminas' letters, despite the pagan people, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was particularly welcoming to Christians. He issued an open invitation to merchants, surgeons, wheelwrights, shoemakers, skinners, millers, and others, to come to the Grand Duchy and practice their trade and religion freely.

His invitation was notable for its inclusion of both Christians and German Jews, and its publication coincides with the beginning of the Jewish community in Lithuania.

Peasants were promised tax exemption for ten years. In addition, no tolls or fees were imposed on merchants.

Vilnius is recognized for the first time in this letter as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania! Consequently, 1323 is considered to be the true founding year of Vilnius, and the date of the letter, January 25, is its exact foundation day. This also explains why Vilnius' birthday is one of the most important celebrations in the city in January.

Despite the fact that the city was founded several years before the reign of Gediminas, Gediminas is considered its creator. Gediminas turned Vilnius into a real city.

Vilnius' birthday in January 2023

Birthday celebrations begin in January. We highlight what events are planned in the city for a grand and important birthday.

Vilnius' birthday event on Cathedral Square

The jubilee will be celebrated on January 25 at 19:30 at the Cathedral Square, where a tour will be made through Vilnius' 700 years. There will be a grand performance that honors both Vilnius and the whole of Lithuania.

However, the anniversary celebrations are not limited to the birthday itself, but last through the whole year of 2023. Concerts, theater performances, exhibitions, festivals and other experiences are planned, and these events await everyone who celebrates this forever young city.

Letters of Gediminas of Vilnius

It is believed that the name of Vilnius appeared for the first time in the letters of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, which were addressed to European cities on the day of Vilnius' birth. Vilnius offers the opportunity to all interested persons to see this letter for themselves.

The most reliable document proving the founding of the city of Vilnius is the transcript made in Riga immediately after Gediminas's original letter was received, because none of Gediminas' original letters have survived to this day.

The interactive display, which will be the centerpiece of the entire 700th anniversary celebration, will provide an opportunity to learn more about the significance of Gediminas's letters.

The event is organized by the National Museum of Lithuania and the exhibition runs from January 25 to August 27.

Vilnius Day at the Palace of the Grand Dukes

On January 25, 2023, you can celebrate Vilnius' birthday by revisiting the history of the Lithuanian capital. The original appearance of the Gediminas Tower is shown as a 3D virtual version of Vilnius.

To get to know the city, you can visit the exhibition Dawn of the City of Gediminas. The oldest wooden building in Vilnius and its most unique finds to see the remains of a building that stood on the slope of the castle hill 750 years ago, as well as the possessions of an unknown person in the ruler's circle.

It is also intended for children. In classrooms, where children can draw pictures of Vilnius castles, hear the mythology of the city and delve into the past, they can learn the history of Vilnius. In the educational play We Create Vilnius!, in addition to expert guides, all-knowing crows teach the stories of the city.

Festival of Light

The highlight of Vilnius' anniversary celebrations, during which the city is illuminated with tens of thousands of birthday candles, is the Vilnius Light Festival. In addition to bringing energy and excitement to the city and its residents, the light works on the streets and squares of the Old Town of Vilnius also attract tourists from abroad and warm the city's chilly mid-winter.

Visitors will be fascinated by the original ideas of famous painters, and suddenly even the darkest corners of the city will start to shine - you can see how Vilnius changes its appearance greatly at night!

The light festival will take place in different places of the city from January 25 to 28.

Documentary film: 700 years of Vilnius. The trip was with professor A. Bumblauskas

Together with renowned historian Professor Alfredas Bumblauskas, director Andrius Lygnugaris takes visitors on a journey through time. The narratives of this documentary reconstruction will appeal to everyone, regardless of whether they are experts in the history of Vilnius or have little interest in it. You can see 700 years of Vilnius as a whole. Each of these parts of the series is dedicated to a special century of Vilnius - so it is worth watching all 7 parts. Visitors are effortlessly drawn into the important events of these eras and they will become a part of everything that happened.

The documentary will be shown in Forum Cinemas from December 16, 2022.

Jubilee concerts

Vilnius Poker concert and movie trailer presentation

The Vilnius Poker film concert, held in Vilnius in November to a full house, did not leave anyone unmoved. Now, however, an outstanding jazz event with never-before-seen scenography solutions awaits.

It is accompanied by music specially written for the film Vilnius Poker by composers Kipras Maanauskas and Jievaras Jasinskis. Vilnius JJAZZ Ensemble, a group of 22 experienced jazz musicians, will perform live. In addition, you can watch a movie trailer for the movie Vilnius Poker by Donatas Ulvydas, which is based on the well-known book by Ricardas Gavelis.

This event will take place on January 28, 2023.

Vladimiras Tarasovas concert at Vilnius Poker exhibition

The opening of the Vilnius Poker exhibition will take place in the MO Museum. "Drumming" is Vladimir Tarasov's gift to Vilnius for its 700th birthday.

Improvisation, a key component of jazz music, is reflected in Ricardas Gavelis's novel "Vilnius Poker" as the freedom of the city. World-famous musician Vladimir Tarasov's "Drumming", which takes you to the Vilnius depicted in the novel's universe, will present the MO Museum's next exhibition on January 18, before it opens to guests on April 22.

Exhibitions

Exhibition: I am a Vilnian

What were the people of Vilnius like 700 years ago? Would they feel at home in today's Vilnius? The exhibition offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in a fairy tale consisting of 50 stories. These stories, spanning 700 years, shed light on the innermost thoughts and daily activities of Vilnius residents. This exhibition is rich and diverse, like Vilnius, but all the stories bear witness to the same truth.

The exhibition will take place from December 15, 2022 to August 27, 2023.

Exhibition: Music for Vilnius. 7 stories

What is the relationship between Vilnius and the world's most famous composers? Music specially created for the anniversary of the capital of Lithuania will be performed in various places around the city. Composers participating in the "Music for Vilnius" project:

Anna Korsun (Ukraine),

Michael Gordon (USA),

Heiner Goebbels (Germany),

Agata Zubel (Poland),

Ivan Fedele (Italy),

Toshio Hosokawa (Japan),

and Beat Furrer (Austria).

Each component of the performance tells a unique story, allowing you to learn more about the composers and the Vilnius locations they chose as a source of their great musical inspiration.

Festivals

Vilnius Biennale of Performing Arts

The opening performance of the Vilnius Biennale of Performing Arts is a gift to Vilnius for its anniversary. After that, the first Vilnius Biennale of Performing Arts will be held in the city's open spaces in the summer of 2023.

The National Opera and Ballet Theater is filled with a performance specially developed by the artist Emilija Škarnulytė. The performance gives an opportunity to discover the genre in more detail and to be part of an exciting experience.

You should also prepare for the Vilnius Biennale of Performing Arts, which will run from July 23 to August 6, 2023. Guest artists will present Vilnius at the biennale as a network tightly intertwined with visible and invisible fibers and charged with various voltages.

Children's performing arts festival KITOKS'23

KITOKS'23 is the largest festival in Lithuania where unusual performing arts are performed. The theme of KITOKS'23 is "Inspiring Connections," which was not chosen randomly. The festival, now in its second decade, with an international performance schedule, a presentation of works in Lithuanian, and ongoing educational programs, is a little different this year. All the initiatives there enhance and expand the regular schedule of the festival and welcome Vilnius, which has remained young for 700 years.

As Young as Vilnius Music Festival

It is also important to celebrate the day of Saint Christopher, who is the patron saint of Vilnius. He is the one who protects Vilnius from danger and keeps it on the right course. You can enjoy free music concerts all day in Vingis Park.

The festival is for everyone thanks to the combination of classical and modern music, well-known artists, unique audiovisual effects and summer atmosphere.

Throughout the celebration, Vilnius sounds louder than the cry of the iron wolf in the dream of Grand Duke Gediminas. Long live Vilnius' birthday!