Its spatial structure reflects both the evolution from changes in style and the political and natural calamities that have struck the area. The Vilnius Historic Centre has maintained a radial street pattern that dates back to the Middle Ages. The inscribed property has an extension of 352 ha and contains all the attributes that convey its Outstanding Universal Value. These influences materialised in the works of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, placed furthest eastward in Europe.Ĭriterion (ii): Vilnius is an outstanding example of a medieval foundation which exercised a profound influence on architectural and cultural developments in a wide area of Eastern Europe over several centuries.Ĭriterion (iv): In the townscape and the rich diversity of buildings that it preserves, Vilnius is an exceptional illustration of a Central European town which evolved organically over a period of five centuries. The identity of Vilnius has always been open to influences enhancing the social, economic and cultural activities of the thriving communities. Many of the surviving earlier buildings were rebuilt or refurbished in the School of Vilnius Baroque style, which later left an imprint in the large area of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The successive reconstructions, resulting from different disasters, gave the town many buildings of special character, including the cathedral, town hall, arsenal, and the Tyzenhauzai, Rensai, Pacai and Masalskiai palaces. Christianity, dominating since the Middle Ages, and the growing importance of Judaism led to exemplary material manifestations of these religious communities which include the churches of St Michael, St Stephen, St Casimir, All Saints, and St Theresa. Together with the Lithuanians, other nations of Grand Duchy of Lithuania with their languages, religions and cultures, shaped the development of Vilnius as an outstanding, multicultural city, in which the influences of the West and the East were merged. The elements of the urban pattern in relation to its natural setting also determine the specific silhouettes, panoramas and vistas that are preserved today. The townscape is characterised by the general pattern of the town plan, the network of streets, squares and the boundaries of the plots. They constitute a townscape of great diversity and yet at the same time demonstrating an overarching harmony. The historic buildings are in Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical styles and have a distinct appearance, spatial composition, and elements of internal and external finishes. The street pattern is typically medieval, with small streets dividing it into irregular blocks, but with large squares inserted in later periods. The plan is basically circular, radiating out from the original castle site. The historic centre comprises the areas of the three castles (Upper, Lower and Curved) and the area that was encircled by a wall in the Middle Ages. By the 15th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with its capital Vilnius, had become the largest country in Europe, stretching from the Baltic Sea in the North to the Black Sea in the South. At this time, some brick structures had apparently been erected on a small island formed when the Vilnia changed its course. By 1323, when the first written reference to Vilnia occured, it was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The settlement did not develop as a town until the 13th century, during the struggles of the Baltic peoples against their German invaders. The Vilnius Historic Centre began its history on the glacial hills that had been intermittently occupied from the Neolithic period a wooden castle was built around 1000 AD to fortify Gedimino Hill, at the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers.
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