📰 Vilnius · page 3

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, headquartered on Gediminas Avenue, is also located at the Slushko Palace in Antakalnis.193 Singers who have lectured at the academy include tenors Kipras Petrauskas and Virgilijus Noreika.[105]194

Theatre

The Lithuanian Grand Dukes' entertainment at the castle, rulers' visits abroad and guests' meetings had theatrical elements.195 During Sigismund III Vasa's residence in Vilnius in the early 17th century, English actors performed at the palace.196 Władysław IV Vasa established a professional opera theatre in the Lower Castle in 1635, where drammas per musica were performed by the Italian Virgilio Puccitelli.197 The performances had basic, luxurious scenography.[106]198

A Jesuit School Theatre existed between the 16th and 18th centuries, with its first performance (Hercules by S. Tucci) in 1570 in Vilnius.199 Baroque aesthetics prevailed at the theatre, which also had medieval retrospectives, Renaissance elements, Rococo motifs, and an educational function.200 Performances were in Latin, but elements of the Lithuanian language were included and some of the works had Lithuanian themes (plays dedicated to Algirdas, Mindaugas, Vytautas and other Lithuanian rulers).[107][108]201

Wojciech Bogusławski established Vilnius City Theatre, the city's first public theatre, in 1785.202 The theatre, initially in the Oskierka Palace, moved to the Radziwiłł Palace and Vilnius Town Hall.203 Plays were performed in Polish until 1845, from 1845 to 1864 in Polish and Russian, and after 1864 in Russian.204 After the Lithuanian-language ban was lifted, plays were also performed in Lithuanian.205 The theatre closed in 1914.[109]206

During the interwar period (when the city was part of Poland), Vilnius was known for the modern, experimental Reduta troupe and institute led by Juliusz Osterwa.[110]207 The Vilnius Lithuanian Stage Amateur Company (Vilniaus lietuvių scenos mėgėjų kuopa), established in 1930 and renamed Vilnius's Lithuanian Theatre, performed in the region.208 In 1945, it was merged with the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre.[108]209

After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940, theatre became a means of disseminating Soviet ideology.210 Performances incorporated socialist realism, and a number of revolutionary plays by Russian authors were staged.211 A Repertory Commission was established under the Ministry of Culture to direct theatres, control repertoire, and permit (or ban) performances.[108]212

Theatre changed after Lithuanian independence.[108]213 The independent Vilnius City Opera blends classical and contemporary art.214 The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, State Small Theatre of Vilnius, State Youth Theatre and a number of private theatre companies (including OKT/Vilnius City Theatre and the Anželika Cholina Dance Theatre) present classical, modern and Lithuanian plays directed by noted Lithuanian and foreign directors.215 There is also a Russian-language Old Theatre of Vilnius.[111]216

Photography

According to the memoirs of architect Bolesław Podczaszyński, published in January 1853 in the Gazeta Warszawska, Lithuanian photography began with the daguerreotyping in the summer of 1839 of the reconstructed Verkiai Palace by François Marcillac (governor of the children of Duke Ludwig Wittgenstein).[112]217 The country's unfavorable political situation hampered the development of new technology and cultural activities.218 The first known daguerreotype-portrait atelier in Vilnius was opened in 1843 by C. Ziegler, and ateliers operated in Lithuania until 1859.219 One of the best-known photographers was K. Neupert, from Norway corpus.[112]220

In the 1860s, with the spread of the collodion process, glass negatives and albumen paper were used instead of daguerreotype plates.221 Photo portraits in standard formats became widespread, and commercial photography ateliers were established in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities.222 The first landscape and architectural photographs were made by Vilnius photographers Abdonas Korzonas and Albert Swieykowski, who compiled the 32-image Vilnius Album (Lithuania's first set of photographs).223 In 1862, Provisional Censorship Regulations governing the activities of photographic institutions were adopted in 1862, supervised by the Central Press Board of the Ministry of the Interior.224 Those who photographed the rebels in the January Uprising were punished; A. Korzonas was deported to Siberia.225 Other prominent 19th-century photographers were Stanisław Filibert Fleury (a stereoscopic-photography pioneer),[113] Aleksander Władysław Strauss, and Józef Czechowicz.[112]226

The world's second photoheliograph was installed in 1865 at the Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory, and photographed sunspots.[112]227 An unprecedented system of photographing solar dynamics began in 1868 in Vilnius.[114]228 Jan Bułhak founded the country's first photography club in Vilnius in 1927.[115]229 In 1952, Švyturys magazine organized the city's first photography exhibition.[112]230

Crafts

Iron tools, weapons, brass, glass and silver jewelry have been produced in present-day Lithuania since the first century.[116]231 Pottery wood products, and weaving became widespread in the second and fourth centuries.232 During the feudal era, home crafts were components of a subsistence economy.233 During the 13th and 14th centuries, crafts became a branch of the economy separate from agriculture.234 The Grand Dukes of Lithuania promoted the development of crafts in cities, and weaving, shoemaking, fur-making and other crafts predominated.235 With the early-14th-century introduction of foreign artisans, the development of crafts accelerated; crafts and trade stimulated the growth of Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities.236 In the 14th and 15th centuries, crafts were specialized (especially the production of tools, household items, fabrics, clothing, weapons, and jewelry); workshops were established which trained and defended the interests of craftspeople.237 Production of fine glassware began, goldsmithing was developed, and the level of pottery and weaving rose during the 16th century, and the 1529 and 1588 Statutes of Lithuania identify 25 crafts.[116]238 European goldsmiths worked in the Vilnius Goldsmiths' Workshop (established in 1495), which controlled trade in precious metals and gemstones and served the Daugava and Dnieper regions, the Catholic Church, the Grand Duke, the nobility, and townspeople.[117]239 The Vilnius Mint, the main mint of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, minted the Lithuanian denarius, shillings, groschen, thalers, ducats, and other coins from 1387 to 1666.[118]240

Crafting declined in the second half of the 17th century due to the Russo-Polish War, and most goods were imported and sold by Lithuanian and Polish nobles.241 It revived from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, with Vilnius the largest Lithuanian craft center.242 After the abolition of serfdom, craft schools were established in Lithuanian cities; crafts have prevailed in clothing manufacturing, goldsmithing, woodworking, food processing, and other fields.243 Under Soviet occupation, craftspeople worked in artels until 1960 and then in combines.244 After independence, crafts were produced by small and medium-sized businesses.[116]245

Language

See also: Demographic history of Vilnius § Historic ethnic makeup, Lithuanian language

A multicultural city, Vilnius's language changed over the centuries.246 The predominant spoken language in medieval Lithuania was Lithuanian.247 It had no literary tradition, however, and was not used in writing except for religious texts such as the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary.[119][83]248 Vytautas the Great spoke in Lithuanian with Jogaila, whose son Casimir IV Jagiellon also spoke Lithuanian.[120][121][122]249 Saint Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania, knew Lithuanian, Polish, German and Latin.[123]250 Fifteenth-century Byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles reported that the Lithuanians had a distinct language.[124]251 In the 15th to 18th centuries, the most common theory was that the Lithuanians hailed from the Roman people and the similarity of the Lithuanian language to Latin was emphasized.[125]252

Ruthenian was used after the incorporation of Kievan Rus', forming the basis of 19th-century Ukrainian and Belarusian.253 Written Ruthenian stemmed from the interaction of Church Slavonic and Old East Slavic with Ruthenian dialects, becoming the main language of the chancery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th and 15th centuries and maintained its dominance until the mid-17th century.[119][126]254

Latin and Polish were also widely used in the chancery; Polish replaced Ruthenian in written sources and Lithuanian in public use during the second half of the 17th century.255 The first state documents in Lithuanian appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the end of its existence.[119]256

At the Vilnius court of Sigismund II Augustus, the last Grand Duke of Lithuania before the Union of Lublin, Polish and Lithuanian were spoken.[127]257 In 1552, Sigismund ordered that orders from the Magistrate of Vilnius be announced in Lithuanian, Polish, and Ruthenian.[128]258 Minorities such as Jews, Lipka Tatars, and Crimean Karaites were ruled by the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and their languages were only used among themselves.[129]259 According to Article 14 of the Lithuanian constitution, Lithuanian is the official language; however, interpreter assistance is sometimes provided.[130]260

Fashion

According to historian Antanas Čaplinskas, wives of merchants and craftsmen wore rings decorated with gemstones.261 Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century property inventories list long, wide-sleeved jackets (known as kontuszy), żupany decorated with fur, and kontusz belts.[131]262 Buttons, made of pearl, coral, brilliant-cut diamonds and emeralds, were decorated with diamonds and enamel.[131]263 Delias and dolmans were popular with townspeople and nobles.[132]264

Wealthy townspeople in luxurious clothing aroused the envy of Lithuanian nobility, who demanded laws regulating attire.265 The 1588 Statute of Lithuania limited townspeople to two rings, and Jews could not wear gold chains and brooches.[131]266 Broader restrictions were imposed by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which adopted the 1613 Act of Thrift forbidding non-noble townspeople from wearing expensive furs in public.[131]267 Payment of a fee later removed the limitations.[131]268

During the late 18th century, almost all men shaved; their hair was short, and they wore open-front blue, green or black tailcoats and waistcoats with white or light-yellow trousers;[132] women's clothing echoed West European styles.269 In the early 20th century, clothing followed West European fashion trends.270 The State Art Institute of Lithuania introduced clothing-design studies, and the Vilnius Model House (popularizing apparel and footwear) was established in 1961.[133]271

The annual Vilnius spring Mados infekcija (Fashion Infection), Lithuania's largest fashion show, began in 1999.[134]272 Lithuanian clothing designer Juozas Statkevičius usually presents his shows in the city.[135]273

Holidays and festivals

Catholic holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Saint John's Eve) are widely celebrated.[136]274 On 16 February (anniversary of the Act of Independence of Lithuania) and 11 March (anniversary of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania), festive and religious events take place in Vilnius.[137][138]275 On the evening of 12 January, bonfires are lit to commemorate the January Events.[139]276

Kaziuko mugė (Saint Casimir's Fair), held annually in the city's markets and streets on the Sunday nearest to 4 March (the feast of Saint Casimir), attracts many visitors and Lithuanian and foreign craftspeople.277 Easter palms (Verbos) are symbolic of the fair.[140]278 Capital Days (Sostinės dienos), Vilnius's largest festival of music and culture, is held from 30 August to 1 September.[141]279 The river Vilnia is dyed green every year for Saint Patrick's Day.[142]280 During the annual Vilnius Culture Night, artists and cultural organisations hold events and performances throughout the city.[143]281

Since 2023, the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest is organised annually to celebrate the cold beetroot soup šaltibarščiai.[144]282

Administration

Government

See also: Voivode of Vilnius, Mayor of Vilnius

Before Magdeburg rights were granted to Vilnius in 1378, the city was ruled by vicegerents.283 Government was later granted to a magistrate or a city council, subordinate to the ruler.284 In wartime, it was led by a voivode.[145]285 The government headquarters was at Vilnius Town Hall.[146]286

The magistrate was responsible for the city's economy: collecting taxes, overseeing the treasury, and accumulating stocks of grain to avoid starvation during famine or wars.287 He was a notary in transactions and testaments, a judge in conflicts involving construction and renovation, and took care of craftspeople; statutes involving workshops were approved by the ruler, but Sigismund II Augustus gave this responsibility to magistrates in 1552.288 Since a 1522 ruling by Sigismund I the Old, Vilnius magistrates had to protect the city and its residents with 24 armed guards.289 During wartime, the night watch was conducted by the magistrate, bishop and castle men.[145][147]290

The chief city administrator was a Catholic vaitas (a vicegerent of the Grand Duke of Lithuania),[148] most of whom were beginning their careers in the magistracy, and chaired city-council meetings.291 He adjudicated criminal cases, with the right to impose capital punishment.292 Originally examining cases alone, two suolininkai also began examining important cases in the 16th century.293 At that time, the city council consisted of 12 burgomasters and 24 councilors; half were Catholics, the other half Orthodox).294 Members were chosen by wealthy townspeople, merchants, and workshop elders.295 Burgomasters were lifetime appointments; at death, another member of the council with the same religion was chosen.296 In 1536, Sigismund I the Old signed an edict prohibiting close relatives on the council and requiring prior agreement by the townspeople of new taxes, obligations and regulations.[145]297

Under the Russian Empire, the city council was replaced with a city duma.[149]298 Vilnius was the capital of the Lithuania Governorate from 1797 to 1801, the Vilna Governorate-General from 1794 to 1912, and the Vilna Governorate from 1795 to 1915.[150][151]299 After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Vilnius was the capital of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.[149]300

Vilnius City Municipality

The Vilnius City Municipality is the representative self-government organ, one of 60 municipalities of Lithuania.301 In addition to Vilnius proper, it includes the town of Grigiškės, as well as the villages and rural areas of the Grigiškės eldership.302