Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, which, however, hasn’t always been true. For over five centuries, until the 18th century, Vilnius had been the political and cultural center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Later on, it went through very difficult periods, especially during the wartime, when it was occupied by Germany, Poland and the Soviet Russia. The impacts of the occupation are still obvious in the cultural and religious diversity of the city.

Vilnius became independent in 1991 and in 2004 Lithuania joined NATO and the EU. Vilnius represents the bustling heart of Lithuania and one of the most quickly developing towns in Eastern Europe. In spite of the fact that Vilnius remained untouched by commercialism and tourism for a long time, nowadays the number of tourists increases every year, as do the prices.

The Old Town of Vilnius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 because the town "has preserved an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical buildings as well as its medieval layout and natural setting".

The numerous foreign occupants brought to Vilnius their culture and customs. Therefore one can find a mixture of all European architectural styles here. It is conspicuous that due to the numerous baroque churches located here, Vilnius has gained the status of a baroque city. On the other hand, there are lots of modern art and culture features as well, for example the first bronze cast of Frank Zappa in the world was installed not far from the center of Vilnius with the permission of the government in 1995.