Vilnius, which is attracting more and more new residents, celebrates the 700th anniversary of its foundation

earthpressnews

The whole week was marked in Vilnius by the demonstrations of the 700th anniversary of its foundation in 1323. The city is already at that time the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Grand Duke Gediminas sent a letter to European merchants and artisans inviting them to come and settle. We can say that he launched the first communication campaign to publicize his city.

From our correspondent in Vilnius,

In the letter he sent on January 25, 1323 to several cities and even as far as Avignon in France, which was then the place of residence of the popes, the Grand Duke Gédiminas asked that his letter be copied and let it be nailed to the doors of churches, to spread the word, in a way.

To attract foreigners to come and settle, he promises them to be exempt from any tax on their activity. And it works. Merchants, craftsmen will go to Vilnius and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. We find German merchants, Scottish merchants. The Grand Duke also ensures freedom of worship for all. Thus today, at the bend of an alley, one discovers in Vilnius a Lutheran or Orthodox church, or a synagogue. There is still a street from the Mosque.

The history of the city has not been a long calm river

The 15th and 16th centuries were a fairly prosperous period for the city. Vilnius is at the head of a confederation that stretches from the shores of the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It publishes the statutes of Vilnius, a sort of first Constitution in Europe. Vilnius University was founded in 1579. It lasted until the 18th century.

Then Vilnius and the Grand Duchy fall into the hands of the Russian Tsar. After a short period of independence, it is the Soviet occupation. For 30 years now, Vilnius has again been the capital of independent Lithuania.


A view of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania.

700 years after its foundation, the city continues to expand

Today Vilnius is a city that is constantly growing. It still has more inhabitants each year, more than 600,000 at the start of 2023. The tradition of welcoming is still present: more than 70,000 Ukrainians settled in the country since the start of the war almost a year ago. Before, it was the Belarusians, many of whom fled the repression ofAlexander Lukashenko.

The country is always looking to attract foreign investment, for example in the cinema or in the world of start-ups. Tax exemptions exist to attract talent. But there are still sensitive points, such as the renovation of buildings which would make it possible to better isolate the buildings or the question of the future of Soviet heritage which is still debated in society.



rf-5-general