The capital and largest city of Lithuania; located in southeastern Lithuania; Also called: Vilna, Vilno, capital of Lithuania.
Capital of Lithuania; Industries include engineering and the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, and foodstuffs.
From a 10th-century settlement, Vilnius became the Lithuanian capital 1323 and a center of Polish and Jewish culture. It was then Polish from 1386 until the Russian annexation 1795. Claimed by both Poland and Lithuania after World War I, it was given to Poland 1921, occupied by the USSR 1939, and immediately transferred to Lithuania. The city was the focal point of Lithuania's agitation for independence from the USSR 1989–91, and became the country's capital when independence was achieved 1991.