This year marks the 635th anniversary of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius being granted its Magdeburg rights by the Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. On March 22, 1387, the city was allowed to appoint a magistrate and a court, and regulate its own commerce and trades. As of January 25, an exhibition called “Birth of a City” opens at the Vilnius Art Gallery, displaying eleven privileges granted to the city under the Magdeburg law. It is the fourth exhibition in the cycle dedicated to the city’s 700th anniversary.
The exhibition displays four aspects of Vilnius as the state capital: the city’s space as revealed by 16th to 20th century maps; the city’s government, illustrated by portraits of municipal leaders as well as drawings and images of City Hall; the city as the seat of the nation’s political power, with images of Vilnius’ castles; the city the spiritual centre of the nation, dvasinį valstybės centrą, kurį represented by the Vilnius Cathedral.
The exhibition, on display until March 27th, was curated by the Lithuanian National Art Museum together with the Science Academy’s Library and the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library.
