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During World War I, Vilnius was occupied by Germany from 1915 until 1918. Still under German occupation, the Council of Lithuania proclaimed the Act of Independence of Lithuania in Vilnius on 16 February 1918.
Kaunas pogrom in German-occupied Lithuania, June 1941. Photograph attributed to Wilhelm Gunsilius. [18]On June 22, 1941, the territory of the Lithuanian SSR was invaded by two advancing German army groups: Army Group North, which took over western and northern Lithuania, and Army Group Centre, which took over most of the Vilnius Region.
6 days ago · In 1795 Vilnius passed to Russia in the Third Partition of Poland. It was occupied by the Germans in World Wars I and II and suffered heavy damage. From 1920 to 1939 it was included in Poland (see Vilnius dispute); it was taken by Soviet troops in 1939 and restored to Lithuania. The Soviets annexed Lithuania, including Vilnius, in June 1940.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Early History
- Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Period
- In Poland
Historians tend to identify the city with Voruta, a legendary capital of Mindaugas who was crowned in 1253 as King of Lithuania. The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1323, in letters of Grand Duke Gediminas that were sent to German cities and invited Germans and members of the Jewish community to settle in the capital city. In 1387, t...
Between 1503 and 1522 the walls were built to protect the city, and at the time it had nine city gates and three towers. Vilnius reached the peak of its development under the reign of Sigismund August, who moved his court there in 1544. In the following centuries, Vilnius became a constantly growing and developing city. This growth was due in part ...
During World War I, Vilnius – as with the rest of Lithuania – was occupied by the German Empire from 1915 until 1918. The Act of Independence of Lithuania, that restored Lithuanian independence from any affiliation to any other nation was proclaimed in the city on February 16 1918. After the withdrawal of German forces, Lithuanian forces were force...
Jan 28, 2023 · On 19 September 1939, during the Second World War, Vilnius was occupied and plundered by the Soviet Union. On 10 October, the city was given to Lithuania by the Lithuanian-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance, and on 28 October, the Lithuanian army entered Vilnius.
Vilnius is 312 km (194 mi) from the Baltic Sea and Klaipėda, the main Lithuanian seaport. It is connected by road to other major Lithuanian cities, such as Kaunas (102 km or 63 mi away), Šiauliai (214 km or 133 mi away) and Panevėžys (135 km or 84 mi away). Vilnius has an area of 402 km 2 (155 sq mi).
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6 days ago · In 1920 Lithuania concluded a peace treaty with Soviet Russia according to which Vilnius was recognized as Lithuanian. During the Polish-Russian war of 1920, Vilnius was occupied by the Red Army on July 14. The Lithuanians occupied it in the wake of the Soviet retreat a month later.
