The founding of a Lithuanian Capital

Vilnius is home to over 600,000 people and recently surpassed Riga as the Baltic’s largest city 🏙️ (Sorry Tallinn, you have to hit 500,000 first🙈)

The city is officially 702 years old, having found itself thrust into the spotlight in 1323 when the Grand Duke Gediminas decided to take a nap on a hunting trip in the valley of Šventaragis. During his slumber, he dreamt of an Iron Wolf howling atop a mountain as if it had the strength of 100 wolves.. and upon waking, consulted with his chief pagan priest Lizdeika to be told that the Iron Wolf stands for a great city, and the howl for its fame which will spread across the entire world 🐺🦾

So it was settled, and not long after, Gediminas wrote a series of letters in German and Latin to the Cities of the Hanseatic League, the Pope and the Franciscan and Dominican orders inviting merchants, craftsmen and farmers to settle in Vilnius for the promise of safety and privileges. He promoted religious tolerance and the ability to preach without forced conversion, welcoming both Catholic and Orthodox sects whilst he himself remained a pagan. He had hoped his openness to Christianity could finally secure papal protection from the Teutonic Order who had been waging a holy crusade against pagan Lithuania for nearly a century ✝️

Vilnius was an interesting choice for the Lithuanian capital as it had been Kernavė with it’s hill fortress that was the proto-capital previously. Lithuania was also late to the Baltic capital party in founding Vilnius, as Riga had been formally founded in 1201 and Tallin in 1219 as coastal crusader cities and strategic sites of importance for trade and navigation on the Baltic’s eastern shores. However, the story for all three settlements definitely goes back further than this, with evidence of occupation and permanent human activity taking place from at least the year 500 at the site of Vilnius today. Tallinn could be even older, and is also (supposedly) mentioned in the manuscript of Al-Idrisi, geographer and cartographer from Muslim Spain as a settlement in 1154.

Following 1323, the town of Trakai also grew in significance thanks to its defensive positioning between lakes and being situated along important trade routes. It was Gediminas’ sons Kestutis and Algirdas who brought Trakai-Vilnius into significance as they co-ruled as brothers facing West and East from each settlement respectively. Their sons, the cousins Vytautas and Jogaila also co-ruled in a union with Vytautas as Grand Duke of Lithuania and Jogaila as Supreme Duke and King of Poland. It was Vytautas who also fortified the site of Trakai further and built Lithuania’s first brick castle to defend against incursions by the Teutonic Order.

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Interested in finding out more about the origins of Vilnius, Trakai and the Lithuanian story? Then come on our one-day tour from Vilnius to Trakai & the Hill of Angels! Booking made at info@tourlithuania.com. On the 2nd of August we will be running it as a free launch tour from 10am to 3pm. Otherwise jump in weekly on Saturdays for just 10€ for the first two months from the 16th of August 💛💚❤️

Photo by Dan-Marian-Stefan Doroghi on Unsplash