Vilnius

Vilnius City Clockwise from top right: Gediminas' Tower, Vilnius business district, Presidential Palace, Pilies Street, Gate of Dawn, St. Anne's Church. Clockwise from top right: Gediminas' Tower, Vilnius business district, Presidential Palace, Pilies Street, Gate of Dawn, St. Anne's Church. Flag of Vilnius Flag Coat of arms of Vilnius Coat of arms Official logo of Vilnius Logo Nickname(s): Jerusalem of Lithuania,[1] Rome of the North,[2] Athens of the North,[3] New Babylon,[4] The city/capital of Palemon[5] Motto(s): Unitas, Justitia, Spes (Latin: Unity, Justice, Hope) Vilnius is located in LithuaniaVilniusVilnius Location of Vilnius in Lithuania Show map of Lithuania Show map of Europe Show all Coordinates: 54°41′N 25°17′ECoordinates: 54°41′N 25°17′E Country Lithuania County Vilnius County flag.svg Vilnius County Municipality Vilnius City Municipality Capital of Lithuania First mentioned 1323 Granted city rights 1387 Elderships List[show] Government • Type City council • Mayor Remigijus Šimašius (Liberal) Area • City 401 km2 (155 sq mi) • Metro 9,731 km2 (3,757 sq mi) Elevation 112 m (367 ft) Population (2018)[6] • City 547,484 • Rank (53rd in EU) • Density 1,392/km2 (3,610/sq mi) • Urban 641,220 • Metro 805,367including Vilnius County • Metro density 83/km2 (210/sq mi) Demonym(s) Vilnian Time zone EET (UTC+2) • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Postal code 01001-14191 Area code(s) (+370) 5 GDP (nominal) Vilnius county[7] 2016 - Total €16.1 billion($36 billion, PPP) - Per capita €20,000($44,000, PPP) HDI (2015) 0.884[8] – very high Website www.vilnius.lt UNESCO World Heritage Site Official name Historic Centre of Vilnius Type Cultural Criteria ii, iv Designated 1994 (18th session) Reference no. [2] UNESCO region Europe Vilnius (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈvʲɪlʲnʲʊs] (About this sound listen), see also other names) is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city, with a population of 574,221 as of 2017.[9] Vilnius is in the southeast part of Lithuania and is the second largest city in the Baltic states. Vilnius is the seat of the main government institutions of Lithuania and the Vilnius District Municipality. Vilnius is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies, and is known for the architecture in its Old Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.[10] Before World War II, Vilnius was one of the largest Jewish centres in Europe. Its Jewish influence has led to it being described as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North"[11] as he was passing through in 1812. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz.[12]