Vilnius News
EU Comission: Lithuania “Ready to Join Euro” In 2015
Aug 14th, 2014Lithuania is ready to adopt the euro currency on January 1st 2015, after the European Commission announced that Lithuania had met the criteria for joining the single currency, the euro. In January 2015 Lithuania will have become the 19th member...
Read more »Baltic Pride Parade Might Take Place In City Centre
Apr 12th, 2013As the online news portal Lithuania Tribute reports, the municipality of Vilnius and the organizers of Baltic Pride 2013, the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL), have to negotiate the location of the march again. The Regional Administrative Court nullified...
Read more »Lithuania to turn Google Street View on tax cheats
Feb 22nd, 2013According to AFP press agency Lithuanian tax authorities announced they would use the Baltic state's recently launched Google Street View platform to track tax cheats by identifying the real value of property holdings. "It will help ascertain which...
Read more »Dispute Boils, Hill Disappears
Dec 19th, 2012The only capital city mountain available for skiers and snowboarders, Liepkalnis, has long been a very poor condition. Its tracks and service quality have been complained on by those who meet for winter entertainment. At least, winter sports lovers...
Read more »Vilnius Manuscripts join World Digital Library
Nov 28th, 2012A raft of manuscripts from the Vilnius University Library has been added to the online collection of the World Digital Library. The elegantly written manuscripts, penned in Old Belarussian and Polish, were created shortly after the so-called...
Read more »Amber country out of amber?
Nov 16th, 2012Sources report that Lithuania the self-called amber country imports most of its amber from neighboring Kalliningrad, Russia, rather than obtaining the "Lithuanian gold from domestic sources. According to Albertas Petkevičius, leader of Palanga...
Read more »Lithuania investigates war criminals
Jun 24th, 2012An investigation by a Vilnius-based academic centre has pinpointed over 1000 possible Lithuanian war criminals believed to have actively taken part in the Holocaust. Although this number is likely to double by the time that the investigation ends...
Read more »Following in Napoleon's Footsteps
Apr 30th, 2012History aficionados from across Europe gathered in Vilnius in late April, before setting out on an epic trek following Napoleon's 1812 retreat from Russia. Led by Dutch enthusiast Joost van Hvell tot Westervlier, the participants are raising money...
Read more »Courage triumphs at Vilnius Film Festival
Mar 30th, 2012Polish director Grzegorz Zglinski triumphed at the 17th Vilnius Film Festival in late March, in what was one of the most buzzing years for the event to date. Courage (Zmyk) tells the tale of two brothers, Alfred and Jerzy, who are at odds with...
Read more »Soviet collaborators unveiled
Feb 26th, 2012The Lithuanian government has published the names of 238 citizens who collaborated with the KGB during Soviet rule over the country. The unmasked figures had already informed a government commission of their activities, but authorities have...
Read more »Vilnius bans begging
Dec 29th, 2011Begging has been banned in the Lithuanian capital, with both beggars and donors set to be penalised if they break the new law. Giving money to people on the street is wrong," said Mayor Arturas Zuokas, as quoted by the Associated Press. "By...
Read more »Vilnius mayor suggests buying Greek island
Oct 30th, 2011The mayor of Vilnius has proposed buying an island from debt-stricken Greece, in an attempt to both help bail out the Mediterranean country and create an oasis for Lithuania in the sun. Arturas Zuokas hopes that big-hitting local businessmen will...
Read more »Ignalina power plant a museum?
Oct 25th, 2011Community representatives of Visaginas, 70km north-east off Vilnius expressed they would like to see the closed Ignalina nuclear power plant turned to an atomic energy museum, with the use of EU funds. They hope thus to attract guests from all over...
Read more »Shoah commemorated in Vilnius
Sep 28th, 2011Young and old inhabitants of Vilnius have taken part in a special ceremony commemorating victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania. Volunteers took turns to read names from a vast list that records ever single inhabitant of the former Vilnius Ghetto,...
Read more »Mayor mashes up Mercedes in publicity stunt
Aug 21st, 2011In a bid to crack down on illegally parked vehicles, Vilnius mayor Arturas Suokas took part in a decidedly forthright publicity campaign. In pictures that have now graced the pages of newspapers worldwide, Mr Suokas is seen riding gleefully over...
Read more »Revealing relics of a lost Jerusalem
Jul 27th, 2011Lithuania's prime minister Andrius Kubilius has visited the newly revealed remains of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius. The house of worship, built in 1633 on the site of an older synagogue, was heavily damaged by the Germans during World War II,...
Read more »Lithuanian cracks ice cream record
Jun 20th, 2011A 21-year-old Lithuanian man has munched his way into the Guinness hall of fame by breaking the world record for speed-eating ice cream. Mindaugus Puodzhyus managed to scoff 350g of ice cream in just twenty-nine seconds. I love ice...
Read more »Vilnius convicts former Soviet commando
May 26th, 2011The domino-effect which brought the Soviet Union to its knees twenty years ago is often hailed as a bloodless victory. But there were immediate casualties of those heady events, and a Vilnius court endeavoured to enact justice this month for...
Read more »Homer's beer habit prompts fine for publishers
Apr 25th, 2011It's a classic.Homer no function beer well without. So spoke Homer Simpson, one of the world's best-loved goofy Dads, in an episode of cult cartoon The Simpsons. But Lithuanian authorities failed to see the funny side of Homer's soft spot for...
Read more »Customs seize WWII machine gun
Mar 27th, 2011A fully operational WWII machine gun with rounds of live ammunition turned up in an unprepossessing package at Vilnius airport last week. The 20 kilogram parcel had been packaged in Lithuania and was destined for Germany. Customs officials...
Read more »Chomp your way through a room of chocolate
Feb 24th, 2011Artists in Vilnius have pulled off a sweet feat that would make Willy Wonka proud. Visitors to Vilnius's Akropolis shopping centre will find a room constructed entirely from chocolate. The cocoa-fuelled marvel has been wowing shoppers in the...
Read more »Lithuania Launches National Perfume
Jan 27th, 2011The Lithuanian foreign ministry has a new trick up its sleeve.... and it smells. Lithuania, as the new scent is called, has already been dispatched to dozens of embassies. The idea was to create a product that captured the spirit of the land and...
Read more »Lithuanian Breaks Guinness Record With Mighty Beard
Dec 30th, 2010A Lithuanian man has broken the world record in the curious sport of beard-lifting. Antanas Kontrimas managed to hoist an obliging Chinese lady who weighs some 63.4 kg. Mr Kontrimas beat his own record, adding an extra 200 grams to his previously...
Read more »Wizz Air Expands To Vilnius
Nov 23rd, 2010The low-cost airline has announced that it is to open a new base in the Lithuanian capital. Eight new routes will operate via the carrier's new Airbus A320, connecting Vilnius with the UK, Ireland, Spain, Holland, Italy and Sweden. The service...
Read more »Blonde Resort Raises Eyebrows
Oct 18th, 2010A Lithuanian travel company that plans to open an island resort staffed exclusively by blondes has sparked a predictable reaction amongst feminists and arbiters of modern taste. Olialia Group hopes to open the resort in the dreamy Maldive Islands,...
Read more »Banga wins Lithuania's baby race
Sep 16th, 2010A nine-month-old tot by the name of Banga has triumphed in Lithuania's annual baby race. The yearly competition pits the fastest crawlers in the land against each other in a 5-metre dash. 25 babies lined up for this month's clash, with parents...
Read more »For Zappa fans, it's Vilnius and bust
Jun 16th, 2010Well, Frank Zappa's been in Vilnius since 1996. His statue, not his ghost.Hes attracted tourists from all over the world but now Frank will embark on his own journey. The city is preparing to ship a copy of Zappas bust to Baltimore, Maryland, his...
Read more »Blow against illegal cigarettes producers
Apr 23rd, 2010Lithuanian Customs officials have shut down a factory that produced counterfeit cigarettes for smuggling. The European Anti Fraud Office (OLAF) discovered the factory based in Vilnius that had the capacity to produce about 1,000 cigarettes per...
Read more »Amnesty Condemns New Homophobic Law
Aug 3rd, 2009Amnesty International, the Human Rights watchdog, has strongly condemned last month's passing of a law that effectively bans any discussion of gay issues within schools, by the country's government.The parliamentarians claim that the new law on...
Read more »Steer Clear of Sausages in Vilnius
Jul 5th, 2009While sausages arent exactly famed for their health promoting properties, you really might want to give them a wide berth if youre in Lithuania anytime soon, after one variety has been condemned by a food watchdog.Middle Europe is renown for its love...
Read more »The Lights go out across Lithuania
Jun 13th, 2009If you're planning a trip to the country's capital you might want to pack some candles, after a tourist trade protest snuffed out the lights in the nation's hotels and cafes. The protest was held against a massive tax hike on businesses in the...
Read more »Register Today to Race
May 30th, 2009As of today 30 May youve just over 100 days left before the gun fires and its off from the starting blocks at Vilniuss Annual Marathon. So no excuses, theres plenty of time to get into that extensive training routine of, er, staggering home from...
Read more »A Royal Visit
Apr 24th, 2009It's been announced that Vilnius will be visited by a Couple of very prominent guests: His Majesty King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, accompanied by a delegation of representatives of the Royal Household, diplomacy and the media. The...
Read more »Vilnius Cinema Spring
Mar 27th, 200914th Vilnius International Film Festival, also known as Cinema Spring (Kino pavasaris) is in session! As usual, the festival is a great event, extremely popular among the true cinema fans. Most of the films screened during the festival have already...
Read more »Vilnius Cinema Spring
Mar 27th, 200914th Vilnius International Film Festival, also known as Cinema Spring (Kino pavasaris) is in session! As usual, the festival is a great event, extremely popular among the true cinema fans. Most of the films screened during the festival have already...
Read more »New Labor Exchange in Vilnius
Feb 24th, 2009All of the Vilnius residents who have lost their jobs can sleep tight - there is hope! A new labor exchange was opened in Vilnius Bernardinai church, where both the unemployed and businessmen who are looking for employees can meet and exchange...
Read more »Verdict About Polish Street Names In Vilnius
Jan 29th, 2009According to Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court decree, street signs with Polish names on them which are put next to the ones with Lithuanian names of the streets are breaking the law. Now, the Vilnius district authorities have to get rid...
Read more »2009 Cultural Calendar
Dec 17th, 2008Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, is the first Baltic city to be honored with the Cultural Capital title. "Vilnius is the most important city for Lithuanians. I believe that next year, when Lithuania will celebrate the millennium anniversary of its...
Read more »Make Up Store In Vilnius
Nov 26th, 2008Over 100 euros have been invested into building a huge Make Up Store shop in Lithuania's capital. According to Kristina Tripolskaja (head of the company Kristyle, which represents Make Up Store in Lithuania), opening the famous international retail...
Read more »Restoration of Jewish properties
Oct 24th, 2008Petras Vaitiekunas, Lithuanian Foreign Minister, stated that the government needs to take care of the Jewish property restitution issue. The discussion took place during his meeting with Rabbi Andrew Baker - the director of the international affairs...
Read more »Creating The Capital Of Culture
Feb 6th, 2008Whilst Liverpool, home city of the Beatles, is donning the crown of European Capital of Culture in 2008, next year will see Vilnius step into the spotlight. It's a big occasion for the Lithuanian capital, and all kinds of inspiring ideas are being...
Read more »Euro Challenger On His Way To Vilnius
Nov 13th, 2007If you've been backpacking around Europe then you'll no doubt have met a few crazy travellers along your way. The travelling community is well known for its association with footwear-espousing hippies, who hitchhike around the continent with a banjo...
Read more »Gay Rights Rally Up In Smoke (Again)!
Oct 29th, 2007When the Brussels-based, EU-backed International Lesbian Gay Association (ILGA) chose Vilnius as the host city for their annual conference, they did so for just this reason. Because, as documented on this site and elsewhere, homophobia is...
Read more »Grave Concerns Over Jewish Cemetery
Oct 19th, 2007This news story is long overdue, we know. The fact is, this issue has been idling for months and we're all waiting for...something to happen. Well, nothing has except for further protests which have successfully brought this very local issue...
Read more »LT Throws KGB Files in Russia's Face (And Yours)
Sep 11th, 2007On September 3rd, the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Centre launched a public website which allows visitors to view formerly confidential KGB documents online. Kgbdocuments.eu displays documents from various KGB departments as well as descriptive...
Read more »Baltic Ballers
Sep 3rd, 2007In another case of Lithuanians chasing after silly superlatives (see 'Centre of Europe'), top politicians gathered in Vilnius Wednesday for the unveiling of the 'first monument in the world honouring basketball.' Though proper research would probably...
Read more »'Stock Up On Booze This Friday' Says LT President
Aug 28th, 2007It's no secret that Vilnius has some of the least inhibited students in Europe. Undoubtedly they are to credit for much of the city's atmosphere and energy. And its silly alcohol restrictions. On September 1st, alcohol sales will be prohibited in...
Read more »Russians Seek Aid of Lithuanians to Sexually Satisfy Their Wives
Aug 2nd, 2007According to Lithuanian newspaper, Lietuvos Rytas, Russian diplomat Alexander Zemzerov has been whisked back to Russia following a rather unusual sex scandal in Vilnius. Zemzerov, first assistant to the Russian defense attache in Lithuania, was...
Read more »Hooligan Happy Violence at Vetra
Jul 10th, 2007Local football side, Vetra Vilnius' 'Vetra Stadium' saw some of the most violent scenes of its brief history this weekend when a match between the home team and Legia Warsaw erupted into violence. With Ventra leading 2-0 going into halftime of their...
Read more »A Carny's Life is the Life For Me
Jun 25th, 2007Good to know that the profession of 'illusionism' is still alive and well in Lithuania, as brother and sister circus duo Arvydas and Diana Gaiciunas proved this week when they broke the world record for holding their breath underwater in a nationally...
Read more »No Love For the Haters
Jun 5th, 2007Turns out that Vilnius Major Juozas Imbrasas may have actually been protecting homosexuals when she quashed Vilnius' first-ever attempt at any sort of public gay rights event, claiming her fear that it might spark violence in the city. Still, her...
Read more »Vilnius Downloadable PDF Guide!
May 31st, 2007We know you've spent a lot of wishful hours thinking, "Dang, Vilnius Life is the cat's pajamas - I just wish I could take it with me!" Well sweetheart, now you can. Our new Vilnius Life pdf can be downloaded and printed out with the coy click of a...
Read more »LT and EU Face Off Over Homosexuality
May 22nd, 2007The latest in a veritable deluge of homophobia in Lithuania's capital, the country now seems to be ready to go head-to-head with the EU over gay tolerance after banning the EU's 'anti-discrimination truck' from entering Vilnius. Sexual tolerance...
Read more »Rainbow Bus Busted by Homophobes
May 15th, 2007Overt homophobia has reared its unsexy head once again in Lithuania's capital. After years of closeted meetings and hush-hush efforts, Vilnius' gay rights organisations are finally stepping into the public eye as part of a ramping up for the...
Read more »Giraffes Gone Wild!
May 10th, 2007In a seldom seen square-off between man and beast, a giraffe has been both accused of and applauded for attacking three intoxicated trespassers in its habitat at the Kaunas Zoo. Celebrating a festival nearby the zoo Monday, May 7th, the drunken...
Read more »New Interactive Vilnius Map!
May 4th, 2007It gives us great pleasure to introduce to you our brand-spankin' new, hot-off-the-pixels Vilnius map. Go ahead there, give it a whirl - click at will, drag it around - it's frickin' unstoppable! The new Vilnius Life map is fully interactive; it...
Read more »Honey, Come Home...
Apr 19th, 2007According to a poll published April 17th, more than half of all Lithuanian citizens want to bring their troops home from Iraq. The survey showed that 56.3 percent of Lithuanians support the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, while 31.2 percent said the...
Read more »Lithuanians Accused of Something...
Apr 19th, 2007Making international headlines today was the almost informationless story of a group of drunken Lithuanians pummeling passengers on a bus bound from Kaliningrad to Tallinn, Estonia. According to outraged passengers, the incident occurred near...
Read more »Lithuania Opposes GM Crops
Apr 5th, 2007This week Lithuanian authorities held up their position on genetically modified food by rejecting the application of a German company seeking to grow genetically modified rapeseed. Despite the affirmation that the rapeseed would be grown only for the...
Read more »Dinosaur Demands Female Philologist Sacrifice
Apr 5th, 2007On April 14th, at 15:00, an enormous green dinosaur will emerge from its hiding place for its annual feast upon the flesh of a female philology student. To accommodate the rampaging behemoth, Vilnius officials will block traffic, keeping civilian...
Read more »In Praise of iPods
Mar 29th, 2007Some Vilnius commuters now have a new aggravation to look forward to. A new project, called Learning By Moving, subjects commuters already unpleasantly (and perilously) crammed into trolleybuses 2 and 19 to an inescapable repeating voice recording...
Read more »Fit To Be Tied
Mar 22nd, 2007On March 19th, Vilnius residents awoke to find that the statues in their good city had been "silenced." White ribbons and banners were tied around the mouths of several statues and monuments as part of a protest against the lack of freedom of speech...
Read more »Focus On Vilnius 2009
Feb 24th, 2007The Vilnius European Capital of Culture 2009 Bureau has announced its team and plans for the celebrations. The event is a momentous challenge for the crew, who are looking to raise the profile of Vilnius across the world. "As a new member state,...
Read more »Hannibal the Cannibal
Feb 13th, 2007Lithuania serves as the unlikely backdrop for blockbuster movie of the moment Hannibal Rising. The multi-million dollar movie is a prequel to Red Dragon, casting creepy light on Dr Lecter's little known past. As you might have guessed, Hannibal is...
Read more »Aer Lingus Lithuania Bound
Jan 10th, 2007Ireland's national airline 'Aer Lingus' has announced that they are launching a new service to Lithuania. Aer Lingus will be providing the service from May onwards, beginning with thrice weekly flights from Dublin to Vilnius. The move comes in the...
Read more »Christmas Concerts
Nov 27th, 2006Exploring Vilnius's churches is always a delight, and this Christmas, travellers have the opportunity to enjoy them in an especially festive fashion. A handful of the capital's most evocative churches will be hosting Christmas concerts, beginning on...
Read more »Reunited At Last
Nov 22nd, 2006An eighty-four-year-old Jewish lady is to be reunited with the Lithuanian family that saved her life sixty years ago. Lea Ingel and her husband Samuel escaped from the Nazis' Jewish Ghetto in Kaunas in 1943, wandering 66 miles through the...
Read more »Talking Buses Bust Into Town
Oct 26th, 2006On a recent trip to England, Vilnius Life's scribbler was struck by a certain robotic tendency in public places. Now, before you get the wrong impression, we're not suggesting that aliens had come down and turned the Brits into cyber-bots. No, not...
Read more »Queen Elizabeth in Vilnius
Oct 17th, 2006Cheering crowds greeted Queen Elizabeth II today as she began her tour of the Baltic states. Union Jacks were aflutter, and the British anthem was given a hearty rendition. The Vilnius visit marks the Queen's first trip to the region, although as...
Read more »Baring Up In Vilnius
Sep 14th, 2006A Vilnius bus driver went on a one man parade on Monday, baring all but his absolute essentials to staff at the Defense Ministry. In a scene that was reminiscent of slapstick comedy, the driver calmly removed his shirt, jacket and trousers, before...
Read more »Elton John Leads 'Capital Days'
Aug 24th, 2006Flamboyant pop legend Elton John is set to headline Vilnius's Capital Days festival this September 1st. The eccentric British star, known for his catchy tunes, his penchant for flowers, and his colourful taste in clothes, will be playing in the...
Read more »Simply Red Revs Up For Vilnius
Aug 9th, 2006Surely the best kind of fame is when you have the world at your feet but you can still pass unrecognised in the world at large. Who wants to be harangued whilst taking the dog for a walk, nobbled whilst choosing a chow mein at the Chinese. It's...
Read more »Drought Leaves Farmers Desperate
Aug 8th, 2006The fine weather may have delighted holiday-makers, but the searing temperatures have taken a terrible toll on Lithuania's agriculture. So much so that the government has declared a state of emergency. Last week, it emerged that the damage has...
Read more »On Her Majesty's Intoxicated Service
Aug 1st, 2006A diplomatic immunity is supposed to come in handy when a bright spark decides to round up the men in grey suits and launch a good old fashioned revolution. More commonly though, they're simply a stalling block to regimes who lash the scape-goat whip...
Read more »UEFA Smells A Rat
Jun 22nd, 2006One of Lithuania's leading soccer teams has become embroiled in a UEFA disciplinary case. The affair harks back to last year's Intertoto Cup, when FK Zalgiras Vilnius beat Greece's Egaleo FC 3-1 in a third round play-off. The Vilnius team emerges...
Read more »One for the Road (Or was that 101?)
May 25th, 2006A Lithuanian lorry-driver amazed police on Tuesday morning when it became apparent that he had drunk 18 times the national limit. "This guy should have been lying dead, but he was still driving - it must be an unofficial national record," a...
Read more »Bradt Book Due In Shops
May 22nd, 2006Vilnius is not the best covered city in the world when it comes to guidebooks, but travellers in search of a decent tome will have a new option this Spring. The award-winning Bradt firm is publishing their Vilnius guide this Spring, and it should...
Read more »Lithuania Scuppered On Euro
May 22nd, 2006Lithuania was struck by a lightening flash of bad luck last week when The European Commission and European Central Bank ruled that the Baltic country would not be joining Slovenia in the first wave of new countries to adopt the Euro next year. ...
Read more »An Aroma Worth Fighting For?
May 22nd, 2006A Lithuanian restaurant chain has baffled legal experts by making a bid to trademark the aroma of freshly baked pizza. The Cilija firm, which has numerous outlets both in Lithuania and neighbouring Latvia, is nervous of rivals reeling out the...
Read more »Almost the Winners
May 22nd, 2006As many observers were swift to point out, naming a Eurovision song entry 'We Are The Winners' seemed to be rather tempting fate. What's more, initial exposure of the sharp-suited Lithuanian boy band LT United did not appear to arbour well. American...
Read more »Lithuania's Government Falls
May 2nd, 2006Lithuania's government collapsed on Wednesday, hot on the heels of the country's rejection by Brussels over the single currency. However, whilst the stalling of Lithuania's bid to join the currency may have hastened the demise, it was allegations of...
Read more »Pitt the Piddler
Feb 20th, 2006William Pitt is a name that's known to all Britishers. Yet surprisingly, Kevin William Pitt - a British policeman who has been fined for relieving himself in public in central Vilnius - is not descended from the two Wiliam Pitts who attained the rank...
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Who Hit John