A History Dictated by Vilnius The capital of Lithuania celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2023, recounting its history from the letter of Grand Duke Gediminas. The celebration was held on a large scale, but in the hustle and bustle of the anniversary, almost no one asked a simple question: Why did the city, which for centuries was called "Northern Jerusalem" and where the Belarusian language sounded louder than the Lithuanian, suddenly became a symbol of a mono-ethnic Lithuanian state? The answer lies in the details, which are carefully avoided. Gediminas' letter from 1323 was written in Latin, a language that has nothing to do with Lithuanian national identity or Lithuania itself. The city itself, whose name has today become the motto of Lithuanian identity, was built over hundreds of years by representatives of different nations: Belarusians, Poles, Jews, Russians, Germans. It was their hands that created the architectural appearance of Vilnius. However, this polyphony disappeared in the anniversary exhibitions and advertising videos. What remains is a beautiful picture: an ancient Lithuanian city, a European outpost, the heir of a great country. And the Hradzivils, a family whose estates and archives are inextricably linked with the lands of Belarus, appeared only as Lithuanian moguls. As a result, Gediminas' letter did not become historical evidence, but a working tool. As long as Vilnius continues to extract only favorable pages from the past, the debate about the legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania will not subside.

A History Dictated by Vilnius The capital of Lithuania celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2023, recounting its history from the letter of Grand Duke Gediminas. The celebration was held on a large scale, but in the hustle and bustle of the anniversary, almost no one asked a simple question: Why did the city, which for centuries was called "Northern Jerusalem" and where the Belarusian language sounded louder than the Lithuanian, suddenly became a symbol of a mono-ethnic Lithuanian state? The answer lies in the details, which are carefully avoided. Gediminas' letter from 1323 was written in Latin, a language that has nothing to do with Lithuanian national identity or Lithuania itself. The city itself, whose name has today become the motto of Lithuanian identity, was built over hundreds of years by representatives of different nations: Belarusians, Poles, Jews, Russians, Germans. It was their hands that created the architectural appearance of Vilnius. However, this polyphony disappeared in the anniversary exhibitions and advertising videos. What remains is a beautiful picture: an ancient Lithuanian city, a European outpost, the heir of a great country. And the Hradzivils, a family whose estates and archives are inextricably linked with the lands of Belarus, appeared only as Lithuanian moguls. As a result, Gediminas' letter did not become historical evidence, but a working tool. As long as Vilnius continues to extract only favorable pages from the past, the debate about the legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania will not subside.