Timeline of Vilnius

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Vilnius, Lithuania.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 16th century

• 1323
  • Gediminas relocates Lithuanian capital to Vilnius from Trakai.
  • Castle on Gediminas Hill expanded.
• 1330 - Coat of arms of Vilnius granted.
• 1345 - Pyatnitzkaya Church built.
• 1348 - Cathedral of the Theotokos built.
• 1387
  • Magdeburg rights granted.
  • St. Nicholas Church built.
• 1397 - Cathedral School active (approximate date).
• 1409 - Gediminas' Tower built.
• 1426 - Church of St. John built.
• 1469 - Church of Saints Bernard and Francis founded.

16th century

• 1500 - St. Anne's Church consecrated.
• 1522
  • City walls and Gate of Dawn built.
  • Francysk Skaryna sets up printing press.
• 1555 - Lutheran Church built on Nyemetzkaya Street.
• 1557 - Vilnius Cathedral rebuilt.
• 1560 - St. Paraskeva Church rebuilt.
• 1588 - Plague.
• 1570 - Jesuit library established.
• 1572 - Synagogue built.
• 1579 - Alma Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Iesu founded.
• 1597 - Monastery of the Holy Ghost founded.

17th century

• 1610 - Fire.
• 1626 - Church of St. Theresa founded.
• 1630 - All Saints Church built.
• 1633 - Great Synagogue built.
• 1644 - Biblioteca Sapehana willed to Vilnia University.
• 1653 - Radziwill Palace built.
• 1655 - July: Battle of Vilnius; Russians in power.
• 1656 - Town becomes part of Russia.
• 1658 - Battle of Werki.
• 1697 - Sapieha Palace built.

18th century

• 1701 - St. Peter and St. Paul's Church built.
• 1702 - Swedes in power.
• 1710 - Plague.
• 1739 - Green Bridge constructed.
• 1749 - Divine Mercy Sanctuary built.
• 1781 - University Botanical Garden established.
• 1788 - Russians in power.
• 1794 - Wilno Uprising.
• 1795
  • Town becomes part of Russia, and capital of Vilna Governorate.
  • St. Paraskeva Church rebuilt.
• 1799
  • Town Hall rebuilt.
  • Romm publishing house relocates to Vilnius.

19th century

• 1801
  • Rasos Cemetery consecrated.
  • Royal Palace demolished.
• 1809 - Antakalnis Cemetery established.
• 1810 - Bernardine Cemetery established.
• 1812
  • Napoleon uses city as military base.
  • Vilnian National Guard formed.
• 1823 - Population: 20,900.
• 1825 - Tuskulenai Manor built.
• 1828 - Jewish cemetery established in Uzupis (approximate date).
• 1831 - Uprising.
• 1832 - University closed.
• 1834 - Presidential Palace renovated.
• 1836 - St. George Avenue laid out.
• 1845 - Theatre opens.
• 1852 - Central Archive of Early Register Books established.
• 1855 - Museum of Antiquities established.
• 1861 - Demonstration against Russian Empire.
• 1863 - Uprising against Russian Empire.
• 1866 - St. Nicholas Orthodox Church reconsecrated.
• 1867 - Pretchistenski Cathedral rebuilt.
• 1881 - Population: 89,560.
• 1883 - Population: 93,760.
• 1897 - Jewish Labor Bund founded in Vilnius.
• 1898 - St. Alexander Nevsky Church and District Court built.

20th century

• 1900 - Population: 162,633.
• 1901 - Kaziukas Fair relocates to Place Lukiskim.
• 1903 - Power Plant, Choral Synagogue and Our Lady of the Sign Church built.
• 1904 - Prison built.
• 1905 - December: Great Seimas of Vilnius held.
• 1906
  • Society of Friends of Science organized.
  • Vileisis Palace built.
• 1907 - lt founded.
• 1911 - St. Casimir Church, Naujoji Vilnia built.
• 1913
  • Orthodox Church of St. Michael and St. Constantine built.
  • Population: 204,290.
• 1915
  • 19 September: Germans in power.
  • City becomes capital of Lithuania District.
• 1916 - Vilna Troupe active.
• 1918
  • February 16: Lithuania declares independence from German Empire.
  • Museum of History and Ethnography established.
• 1919
  • April: Vilna offensive by Polish army.
  • Central Library of Lithuania organized.
  • Jablkowski Brothers department store opens.
• 1920 - October: Zeligowski's Mutiny.
• 1925
  • Darius Stadium opens.
  • Elektrit Radiotechnical Society, Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vilnius, and Yiddish Scientific Institute established.
  • May 6: School massacre.
• 1926 - City becomes capital of Wilno Voivodeship.
• 1928 - Northern Trade Fair begins.
• 1931 - Population: 195,000.
• 1933
  • City Museum established.
  • Smigly Wilno soccer team formed.
• 1939
  • Soviets in power.
  • Vilnius Pedagogical Institute established.
• 1940
  • City becomes capital of Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.
  • Vilnius State Theatre established.
• 1941
  • June: Germans in power.
  • July: Ponary massacre begins.
• 1942 - Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye formed in Vilna Jewish Ghetto.
• 1943 - HKP 562 forced labor camp set up by Germans.
• 1944
  • July 6–15: Operation Ostra Brama; Soviets in power.
  • Airport begins operating.
• 1945 - Music School founded.
• 1946 - Russian Drama Theatre reestablished.
• 1950 - Zalgiris Stadium opens.
• 1951 - Vilnius Heat Plant commissioned.
• 1955 - Seskine village becomes part of city.
• 1956
  • Trolleybuses begin operating.
  • Vilnius Gediminas Technical University established.
• 1963
  • National Library of Lithuania relocates to Vilnius.
  • Polish Theater founded.
• 1964 - Statyba basketball team formed.
• 1965
  • Zirmunai Bridge constructed.
  • Vingis Park renovated.
• 1967 - Technika (publisher) established.
• 1968 - Ratilio ensemble formed.
• 1971 - Palace of Concerts and Sports opens.
• 1972 - Valakampiai Bridge constructed.
• 1974
  • Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre built.
  • Evangelical Cemetery demolished.
• 1979 - Population: 503,000.
• 1980 - Seimas Palace and Vilnius TV Tower built.
• 1983 - Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant commissioned.
• 1987 - Vilnius Jazz Festival begins.
• 1989 - Jewish State Museum established.
• 1990
  • March 11: Lithuania declares independence from USSR.
  • Vilnius Lyceum and Vilniaus lietuviu namai (school) established.
• 1991 - January: City besieged by Soviet forces.
• 1992
  • Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania and Verkiai Regional Park established.
  • Museum of Genocide Victims opens.
• 1994 - Military Academy of Lithuania established.
• 1995 - Alis Vidunas becomes mayor.
• 1997
  • April 1: Uzupis neighborhood declares itself an independent republic.
  • Rolandas Paksas becomes mayor.
  • Kalnai Park established.
• 1999
  • Vilnius Book Fair begins.
  • Juozas Imbrasas becomes mayor.

21st century

• 2000
  • House of the Signatories museum opens.
  • Arturas Zuokas becomes mayor.
• 2001 - Sportima Arena opens.
• 2002
  • Vilnius Ice Palace opens.
  • Energy and Technology Museum established.
• 2003
  • Mindaugas Bridge opens.
  • 750th anniversary of coronation of Mindaugas.
  • FK Vetra relocates to Vilnius.
• 2004
  • Siemens Arena and Vetra Stadium open.
  • European Humanities University relocates to Vilnius.
  • Europa Tower built.
  • Mykolas Romeris University and Vilnius Academy of Business Law established.
  • Vilnius Marathon begins.
• 2005 - Lietuvos rytas Arena opens.
• 2006 - May: City hosts regional democracy conference.
• 2007
  • Juozas Imbrasas becomes mayor again.
  • Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center opens.
• 2008
  • February: City hosts NATO meeting.
  • Vilnius Airport railway station opens.
  • Gariunai Market pavilion built.
• 2009
  • Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania rebuilt.
  • City designated a European Capital of Culture.
• 2011
  • Vilniaus viesasis transportas (bus company) established.
  • Population: 554,060.
  • Arturas Zuokas becomes mayor again.
• 2015 - Remigijus Šimašius becomes mayor.

See also

• History of Vilnius
• Neighborhoods of Vilnius

References

This article incorporates information from the Lithuanian Wikipedia, Polish Wikipedia, and Russian Wikipedia.