"Vilnius- capital of Lithuania" Vilniaus Apskritis by laimoncia

The capital of the Republic of Lithuania is VILNIUS. Naturally, it is the largest city in the country: according to the data of 2001 the population of Vilnius is 542.287. Of them 57.8% are Lithuanians, 18.7% Poles, 14% Russians, 4% Byelorussians, 0.5% Jews and the remaining 5% comprising some other nationalities.

Current area of Vilnius is 392 square kilometres. Buildings cover 20.2% of the city and the remaining area is prevailed with the greenery (43.9%) and waters (2.1%). The County of Vilnius covers the regions of Vilnius, Elektrënai, Ðalèininkai, Ðirvintos, Ðvenèionys, Trakai, and Ukmergë totalling to 965,000 ha.

The Old Town, historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Eastern Europe (360 ha). The most valuable historic and cultural heritage is concentrated here. The buildings in the old town - there are about 1.5 thousand of them - were built in a number of different centuries, therefore, it is a mixture of all European architectural styles. Although Vilnius is often called a baroque city, here you will find some buildings of gothic, renaissance and other styles. The main sights of the city are the Gediminas Castle and the Cathedral Square, symbols of the capital. Their combination is also a gateway to the historic centre of the capital. Because of its uniqueness, the Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Vilnius is also the largest administrative centre in Lithuania with all major political, economic, social and cultural centres.