The Vilnius city wall (Lithuanian: Vilniaus miesto gynybinė siena) was a defensive wall around Vilnius, capital city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was built between 1503 and 1522 for protection from the attacks by the Crimean Khanate at the beginning of the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars. The stone and brick wall was a key element of the defensive system of Vilnius, and was paid for by the city's landowners. It contained nine gates and an artillery bastion.[1] Some of the original constructions have survived.

Vilnius city wall in the 16th century
Subačius Gate in the 18th century

An artillery bastion was built to protect the eastern side of the city. It is currently a museum of militaria from Vilnius and is under renovation.

Following the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russian government ordered to tear down most of the wall and all the gates, except the Gate of Dawn. Some parts of the wall are still visible throughout the Old Town of Vilnius or are going to be restored and displayed.

References

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  1. ^ Вялікае Княства Літоўскае. Энцыклапедыя Т. 1: Абаленскі — Кадэнцыя. — Мінск: Беларуская Энцыклапедыя, 2005. — 684 с.: іл. ISBN 985-11-0314-4., старонка 436—437
  2. ^ a b c d Bednarczuk 2010, p. 8.
  3. ^ a b Bednarczuk 2010, p. 9.

Bibliography

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  • Bednarczuk, Leszek (2010). "Nazwy Wilna i jego mieszkańców w dokumentach Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego (WKL)" [Linguistic picture of Wilno/Vilnius and its inhabitants in the documents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania] (PDF). Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Linguistica. V.
  • (in Lithuanian) Ragauskienė, R.; Antanavičius, D; Burba, D.; ir kt. Vilniaus žemutinė pilis XIV a. – XIX a. pradžioje: 2002–2004 m. istorinių šaltinių paieškos. Vilnius. 2006

54°40′27″N 25°17′22″E / 54.674265°N 25.28955°E / 54.674265; 25.28955