Vilnius (, see also other names) is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city, with a population of 542,664 . Vilnius is located in the southeast part of Lithuania and is the second largest city in the Baltic states. Vilnius is the seat of the main government institutions of Lithuania as well as of the Vilnius District Municipality. Vilnius is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies, and is known for the architecture in its Old Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Prior to World War II, Vilnius was one of the largest Jewish centers in Europe. Its Jewish influence has led to it being described as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North" as he was passing through in 1812. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz. 

The name of the city originates from the Vilnia River. The city has also been known by many derivate spellings in various languages throughout its history: "Vilna" was common in English. The most notable non-Lithuanian names for the city include: , , , , , , . A Russian name from the time of the Russian Empire was Вильна/Вильно ("Vilna/Vilno"), although Вильнюс ("Vilnius") is now used. The names "Wilno", "Wilna" and "Vilna" have also been used in older English, German, French and Italian language publications when the city was one of the capitals of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and later of Second Polish Republic. The name "Vilna" is still used in Finnish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Hebrew. "Wilna" is still used in German, along with "Vilnius".
Where is Vilnius?
Vilnius is located in the southeast part of Lithuania