Timeline of Vilnius

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

Prior to 17th 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.
1413 – City becomes capital of the newly formed Vilnius Voivodeship by the Union of Horodło.
1426 – Church of St. John built.
1469 – Church of Saints Bernard and Francis founded.
1500 – St. Anne's Church consecrated.
1501 – First mentions of Armenians in the city.
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.

1570 – Jesuit library established.
1572 – Synagogue built.
1579 – Alma Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Iesu founded.
1588 – Plague.
1597 – Monastery of the Holy Ghost founded.

17th-18th centuries

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.
1701 – St. Peter and St. Paul's Church built.
1702 – Swedes in power.
1710 – Plague.
1739 – Green Bridge constructed.
1749 – Divine Mercy Sanctuary built.
1778 – Lithuanian 5th Infantry Regiment relocated from Pińsk to Wilno.
1779 – 5th Infantry Regiment relocated from Wilno to Mścibów.
1781 – University Botanical Garden established.
1783 – 5th Infantry Regiment relocated from Mścibów back to Wilno.
1787 – Lithuanian 4th Infantry Regiment stationed in Wilno.
1788 – Russians in power.
1790
- 4th Infantry Regiment relocated from Wilno to Borysów.
- Lithuanian 3rd Infantry Regiment relocated from Kowno to Wilno.
1791
- Lithuanian 3rd Infantry Regiment relocated from Wilno back to Kowno.
- Lithuanian 7th Infantry Regiment stationed in Wilno.
1794 – Vilnius 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 the city as a military base.
- Vilnian National Guard formed.
- 5 July: 3rd Light Cavalry Regiment of the Polish Guards founded in Wilno.
- 22 September: Polish 21st Mounted Rifles Regiment founded in Wilno.
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.
1856 – Public library 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.
1900 – Population: 162,633.

20th century

1901 – Kaziukas Fair relocates to Place Lukiskim.
1903 – Power Plant, Choral Synagogue and Our Lady of the Sign Church built.
1904 – Lukiškės Prison built.
1905 – December: Great Seimas of Vilnius held.
1906
- Society of Friends of Science organized.
- Vileišis Palace built.
1907 – Lithuanian Art Society 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
- 16 February: Lithuania declares independence from German Empire.
- Museum of History and Ethnography established.

1919
- April: Vilna offensive by Polish army.
- Central Library of Lithuania organized.
- Jabłkowski Brothers department store opens.
1920 – October: Żeligowski's Mutiny.
1925
- Darius Stadium opens.
- Elektrit Radiotechnical Society, Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vilnius, and Yiddish Scientific Institute established.
- 6 May: School massacre.
1926 – City becomes capital of Wilno Voivodeship.
1928 – Northern Trade Fair begins.
1931 – Population: 195,000.
1933
- City Museum established.
- Śmigły Wilno soccer team formed.
1939
- 18–19 September: Battle of Wilno (1939) between the Poles and the invading Soviets at the start of World War II.
- Soviets in power.
- 28 October: Lithuanians 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.
- 5 July: Dulag transit camp for prisoners of war deployed in the city.
- August: Dulag transit camp for prisoners of war relocated to Lida.
- August: Subcamp of the Stalag 336 POW camp established by the Germans.
- 9 September: Subcamp of Stalag 336 converted into the Stalag 344 POW camp.
- December: Wehrmacht military prison established.
1942 – Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye formed in Vilna Jewish Ghetto.
1943 – HKP 562 forced labor camp set up by Germans.

1944
- Wehrmacht military prison relocated to Tarnów.
- 6–15 July: Operation Ostra Brama; Soviets in power.
- Airport begins operating.
1945 – Music School founded.
1946 – Russian Drama Theatre re-established.
1950 – Žalgiris Stadium opens.
1951 – Vilnius Heat Plant commissioned.
1955 – Šeškinė village becomes part of the 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
- Žirmūnai Bridge constructed.
- Vingis Park renovated.
- Population: 293,000.
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.
1985 – Population: 544,000.
1987 – Vilnius Jazz Festival begins.
1989 – Jewish State Museum established.
1990
- 11 March: Lithuania declares independence from USSR.
- Vilnius Lyceum and Vilniaus lietuvių 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 Vidūnas becomes mayor.
1997
- 1 April: Užupis neighborhood declares itself an independent republic.
- Rolandas Paksas becomes mayor.
- Kalnai Park established.
1999
- Vilnius Book Fair begins.
- Juozas Imbrasas becomes mayor.
2000
- House of the Signatories museum opens.
- Artūras Zuokas becomes mayor.

21st century

2001 – Sportima Arena opens.
2002
- Vilnius Ice Palace opens.
- Energy and Technology Museum established.
2003
- Mindaugas Bridge opens.
- 750th anniversary of the 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.
- Artūras Zuokas becomes mayor again.
2015 – Remigijus Šimašius becomes mayor.
2023
- July: City hosts NATO meeting.