Sculpture 'Gediminas' letter' bottom

Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (born ca 1275, reigned 1316–1341), often referred to in sources as the “king of the Lithuanians and many of the Ruthenians”, was one of the most eminent rulers of Lithuania. Continuing the policy of adding Ruthenian lands and inviting people from Central and Western Europe to Lithuania, he became the founder of a European superstate – the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, an “unproclaimed empire”. Gediminas’ Lithuania became a home for people of various nationalities and faiths; both the Byzantine Eastern and the Latin Western cultural traditions could thrive here.

Vilnius, the ruler’s city, was first mentioned in Gediminas’ letter on January 25, 1323. This was the first known mention of the eternal capital of Lithuania in written sources, which is why Vilnius is celebrating its 700th anniversary in 2023. The Vilnius Club has taken the initiative to commemorate this anniversary and special historical fact accordingly by creating a memorial to be positioned near Gediminas’ castle tower, in the Grand Courtyard of the reconstructed Palace of the Grand Dukes.