Vilnius (W3)
Der Name der litauischen Hauptstadt lit. "Vilnius" (dt. "Wilna", poln. "Wilno", russ. "Wilnjus") geht auf den Namen des Flußes "Vilnia", dt. "Wilija" zurück, der "Welle" bedeutet.(E?)(L?) http://www.vilnius.lt/
(E?)(L?) http://www.vilnius.lt/newvilniusweb/index.php/252/?env=110
Vilnius is the capital of the Republic of Lithuania and the largest administrative centre in Lithuania with all major political, economic, social and cultural centres.
Naturally, it is the largest city in the country: according to the data of 2007 the population of Vilnius is approximately 554,400. 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 about 400 square kilometres. Buildings cover 29.1% of the city and the remaining area is prevailed with the greenery (68.8%) and waters (2.1%). The County of Vilnius covers the regions of Vilnius, Elektrenai, alcininkai, irvintos, vencionys, Trakai, and Ukmerge 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.