| 6000 BCE | The earliest artefacts testify to signs of human activity in the Vilnius castles territory. | ||
| 2nd to 8th centuries | A fortified wooden settlement was established and existed as part of the Vilnius Lower Castle, also on the site of the later Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. | ||
| Second half of the 8th – first half of the 14th centuries | Part of the settlement was transformed into a castle, the first pre-Gothic and Gothic brick buildings were erected that can be associated with the ancestors of the Gediminids and this dynasty’s first rulers – Vytenis and Gediminas. | ||
| 1323 | Having factually moved the state’s capital to Vilnius and settling into its castles, this is where Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (1316–1341) writes his letters to Europe, receives envoys and signs treaties. | ||
| Mid-14th century | The Vilnius Lower Castle was surrounded by brick defensive fortifications with towers. | ||
| 1386–1387 | Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Jogaila (1377–1381, 1382/1386–1434) stays at the Vilnius castles for longer periods, introduces Christianity to Lithuania and establishes the Diocese of Vilnius, also embarking on construction of the Cathedral. | ||
| 1390 | The Teutonic Order attacked Vilnius and destroyed the nearby Crooked Castle. Participating in the attack were Henry Bolingbroke, the Earl of Derby (who was later to become King Henry IV of England (1399–1413)), and Grand Duke Vytautas, seeking to reclaim the throne of Lithuania. | ||
| 1402 | The Teutonic Order lay its last unsuccessful siege to the castles in Vilnius. Jogaila’s brother Švitrigaila also participated in the siege | ||
| 1413 | Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas (1392/1401–1430) is known to have resided in the Vilnius Lower Castle. | ||
| 1430 | With the support of the King of Rome Sigismund von Luxemburg (1411–1437), the future Holy Roman Emperor, Vytautas the Great planned to be crowned King of Lithuania in Vilnius, and thus had the castles and Cathedral reconstructed. | ||
| 1432 | Sigismund (1432–1440), the son of Kęstutis and the brother of Vytautas the Great, became Grand Duke of Lithuania. | ||
| 1440 | Casimir Jagiellon (1440–1492, King of Poland from 1447), the son of Jogaila, became Grand Duke of Lithuania. | ||
| 1449 (1443?) | In accordance with the historical tradition, Hacı I Giray is declared the first Khan of Crimea at the Vilnius castles. | ||
| 1455–1468 | Casimir Jagiellon and his wife Elisabeth of Austria (1436–1505), known as the “Mother of Kings”, who was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Albert II (1437–1439), King of Bohemia and King of Hungary, often visited and resided in the Vilnius castles; the rulers developed the Gothic castle and were generous patrons of churches. | ||
| 1492 | Alexander Jagiellon (1492–1506, King of Poland from 1501), Casimir Jagiellon’s son, became Grand Duke of Lithuania. | ||
| 1494 | A grand legation from Moscow visited Vilnius to negotiate the marriage of the daughter of the Grand Duke of Moscow to Alexander Jagiellon. | ||
| 1495 | Vilnius hosted the marriage ceremony of Alexander Jagiellon and Helena, the daughter of Ivan III (1462–1505), the Grand Duke of Moscow. | ||
| Late 15th to early 16th century | • As the court of Alexander Jagiellon and his wife expanded, a larger and more modern residence was needed for the capital, yet no detailed data has survived about its construction. • Crimean khans were held in the Vilnius, Trakai and Kaunas castles as honourable prisoners. | ||
| 1502 | Sigismund Zanthay, an envoy from Alexander Jagiellon’s brother Ladislaus, the King of Bohemia (1471–1516) and King of Hungary (1490–1516), was received in the palace. | ||
| 1503 | An envoy from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Bayezid II (1481–1512), visited the Vilnius castles. | ||
| 1506 | Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon died in the residential palace in the Lower Castle (his remains are buried in the Cathedral). He was succeeded by his youngest brother Sigismund the Old (1506–1548). | ||
| 1513 | A fire destroyed the Vilnius Lower Castle and the new wooden residence. | ||
1514–1530 | Sigismund the Old proceeded to rebuild and expand the residence in the Vilnius Lower Castle after the fire by starting to erect a modern Renaissance palace. | ||
| 1517 | Sigismund vom Herberstein, the envoy of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1493–1519), visited the castle to negotiate the marriage of Sigismund the Old to Bona Sforza (1494–1557), a daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza (1476–1494), the Duke of Milan. | ||
| 1528 | Sigismund the Old received Cornelius Schepper, the envoy of his son-in-law the King of Hungary János Zápolyai (Zápolya, 1526–1540) and of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor (1519–1556) and King of Spain (1516–1556). | ||
| 1529 | • The young Sigismund Augustus became Grand Duke of Lithuania (1544–1572, King of Poland from 1548). • An envoy from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Süleyman I (1520–1566) visited the palace, while trophy military standards were destroyed by fire in the Vilnius Cathedral. | ||
| 1535 | Modenino, the envoy of Ercole II d’Este, the Duke of Ferrara, was received in the palace | ||
| 1539 | At Bona Sforza’s request, a staircase was built near her apartments, mention is made of a garden being planned for the palace | ||
| After 1544 | After becoming ruler of Lithuania, Sigismund Augustus continued extending the Grand Dukes’ Palace, and built what came to be called the “New Palace” | ||
| 1544–1545 | Sigismund Augustus’ first wife Elisabeth Habsburg (1526–1545), the daughter of Ferdinand I (1558–1564), the Holy Roman Emperor, lived and died in the palace (she is buried in Vilnius Cathedral). | ||
| 1545, 1546, 1551 | Albrecht of Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia and a cousin of Sigismund Augustus, visited the palace. He later sent his cousin paintings, weapons, wines and horses | ||
| 1548 | Barbara Radziwiłł (1520/1523–1551) was installed in the palace as Grand Duchess of Lithuania. | ||
| 1551 | Barbara Radziwiłł died in Krakow and her body was brought back to Vilnius and laid to rest in Vilnius Cathedral. Sigismund Augustus began to rebuild the Church of St Anne in the Lower Castle to serve as a family mausoleum. | ||
| 1554–1559 | Catherine Habsburg (1533–1572), the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I and widow of Francesco III, the Duke of Mantua, and sister of Sigismund’s first wife, became Sigismund’s third wife. She frequently visited the palace, and expressed very positive opinions about life in Vilnius. | ||
| 1555 | Luigi Lippomano, the Bishop of Verona and first papal nuncio, was received in the palace. | ||
| 1560 | Bishop Bernardo Bongiovanni, the envoy of Pope Pius IV, was received in the palace. He was greatly impressed on being shown the palace treasury by Sigismund Augustus. | ||
| 1561 | The so-called Treaty of Vilnius was signed in the palace, according to which Livonia surrendered to Lithuania, and the newly-established Duchy of Courland was transferred to be ruled over by the Kettler family. | ||
| 1562 | The marriage ceremony of Catherine Jagiellon (1526–1583) and Duke of Finland John III Vasa (1569–1592), the future King of Sweden, was held at the palace, opening the way for the Vasa dynasty to assume the thrones of Poland and Lithuania. | ||
| From 1569 | After the signing of the Union of Lublin, the palace became the residence of the common rulers of Lithuania and Poland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and hosted sittings of the Convocation of Vilnius. | ||
| 1580 | • In the presence of Giovanni Andrea Caligari, the nuncio of Pope Gregory XIII, Merkelis Giedraitis, the Bishop of Samogitia, presented to Stephen Bathory the Pope’s gift of a specially blessed ceremonial sword and a pearl-encrusted hat. This ceremony was viewed in Lithuania as marking Stephen Bathory’s (1576–1586) elevation to the position of grand duke. • The envoy Achmed (Ahmad) from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Murad II (1421–1444) was received in the Vilnius residence. | ||
| 1584 | The Third Statute of Lithuania was drawn up in the palace, and later (in 1636) a special room was set aside for editing and updating it. | ||
| Ca 1585 | Stephen Bathory received Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini, the papal nuncio, at the Vilnius palace, who later became Pope Clement VIII and proclaimed the canonisation of Prince Casimir. | ||
| 1589 | Annibale di Capua, the papal nuncio of Pope Sixtus V, was received at the Vilnius palace. | ||
| 1601–1602 | Envoys of the Grand Duke of Moscow and the Crimean khan visited the palace. | ||
| 1609 | The Marquis Luigi Bevilacqua, an envoy of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, visited the palace. | ||
| 1610 | After a fire, Sigismund Vasa had the palace rebuilt and remodelled in the style of Northern European Mannerism. | ||
| 1611 | Anne Vasa (1568–1625), a Swedish princess and the sister of Sigismund Vasa, the ruler of Poland and Lithuania, lived in the palace. | ||
| After 1624 | Rulers of Lithuania and Poland Sigismund and Ladislaus Vasa remodelled the palace into a lavish early Italian Baroque style residence. | ||
| 1633 | Friedrich Kettler, the Duke of Courland, swore an oath of vassal allegiance to Ladislaus Vasa (1632–1648), the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, in the palace. | ||
| 1636 | • Juan Croÿ, Conte di Solre, the envoy of King Philip IV of Spain (1621–1665), was received at the Vilnius residence. • In honour of the Spanish envoy’s visit, Il Ratto di Helena (The Abduction of Helen) was staged at the palace; it was the first opera to be performed in Lithuania (with music by Marco Scacchi (ca 1602 – before 1685) and a libretto by Virgilio Puccitelli (1599–1654)). | ||
| 1639 | Jacob Kettler, the Duke of Courland, swore an oath of vassal allegiance to Ladislaus Vasa, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, in the palace. | ||
| 1643 | Prince Valdemar Christian, the son of King Christian IV of Denmark (1588–1648), was received at the palace. | ||
| 1644 | • Envoys of the Shah of Iran and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire were received at the palace while the family of the rulers of Lithuania and Poland were visiting Vilnius. • The opera L’Andromeda, based on Ovid’s (43 BCE – 18 BC) Metamorphoses, was staged at the palace during palace decoration works and after the end of a carnival. • Cecilia Renata Habsburg (1611–1644), the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand II (1619–1637) , and first wife of Ladislaus Vasa, died in the palace. She is buried in Krakow Cathedral. | ||
| 1648 | • The opera Circe delusa was staged at the palace in honour of the formal arrival of Marie Louise Gonzaga de Nevers (1611–1667), a ward of King Louis XIII of France (1610–1643), and Ladislaus Vasa’s second wife. • Ladislaus Vasa prepared to accept the French Order of the Holy Spirit from King Louis XIV (1643–1715). However, he died in Merkinė before the award could be conferred (his heart is buried in Vilnius Cathedral). | ||
| 1655 | The Muscovite and Ukrainian Cossack armies, led by Ivan Zolotarenko, occupied Vilnius and looted and destroyed the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Alexei Mikhailovich, the Grand Duke of Moscow, declared himself Grand Duke of Lithuania. | ||
| 1661 | After a long siege, the Muscovite army was repulsed from Vilnius; the castles with the destroyed, plundered and looted palace were retaken. The Russian military leader was beheaded. | ||
| Second half of the 17th–18th centuries | The Lithuanian nobility repeatedly demanded at meetings of the local sejmiks that the destroyed palace be rebuilt, and that the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as Grand Duke of Lithuania, should reside in it every third year. | ||
| 1766 | The Parliament of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth decreed that the Vilnius castles (i.e, including the dilapidated palace) should be used for the needs of society. | ||
| Second half of the 18th century | Burghers and the lesser nobility of Vilnius were permitted to live in the palace, while a plan was drawn up to adapt the palace for use by state institutions. | ||
| 1799–1801 | On the orders of the Imperial Russian administration, the remaining walls of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania were demolished, while the bricks were sold off. | ||
| 1831 | Fearing an attack from Lithuania’s and Poland’s rebels, the site of the former palace was adapted to serve as a barracks for the Russian army, complete with ditches and ramparts. | ||
| Second half of the 19th century | After the dismantling of the Russian fortifications, the palace territory was levelled and laid out as a park. | ||
| Early 20th century | The first archaeological excavations on the site of the Vilnius castles were carried out; the first visions for the palace’s reconstruction emerged. | ||
| 1983 | A plan was proposed to rebuild the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in the Lower Castle, for it to function as a National Gallery of Art. | ||
| 1987 | Systematic excavations of the site of the palace began, and the idea to rebuild the old residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took hold. | ||
| 2000 | The Lithuanian Parliament passed a law authorising reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. | ||
| 2001 | The Government of Lithuania passed a resolution that specified the conception of the reconstruction and use of the palace. | ||
| May 10, 2002 | Reconstruction of the palace commenced. | ||
| January 1, 2009 | The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is officially established. | ||
July 6, 2009 | To commemorate Lithuania’s Millenium and with the participation of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and the former President Algirdas Brazauskas, along with the heads of state or government representatives of 14 states (Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Russia, Georgia, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, the Vatican and Germany), the symbolic opening ceremony of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania was held. | ||
| July 6, 2013 | Grand opening of the first part of the reconstructed palace, attended by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė. | ||
| Second half of 2013 | The most important representational and cultural events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the European Union Council were held at the palace, including the Eastern Partnership Summit. | ||
| October 9, 2013 | Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik visited the palace. | ||
| November 28, 2013 | An informal dinner of the Eastern Partnership Summit, as part of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council, was held at the palace, in which around 40 heads of state of EU countries, and partner country delegation members, participated. | ||
| September, 2014 | A ceremonial procession was organised by the museum, along with the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuanian Police and the Vilnius City Municipality, to mark the 500th anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Orsha; the procession went from the Gate of Dawn to Cathedral Square and included a cultural programme at Cathedral Square and in the Grand Courtyard of the palace. | ||
| October 8, 2015 | Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia visited the palace and arranged a reciprocal dinner in honour of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė. | ||
| December 29, 2016 | US Senators John McCain and Amy Klobuchar visited the palace. | ||
| September 26, 2017 | The exhibition held at the museum to commemorate the baptism of Lithuania was opened by the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Prof. Viktoras Pranckietis, Marshal of the Parliament of the Republic of Poland Marek Kuchciński and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis. | ||
| October 25, 2017 | Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, visited the palace. | ||
| February 16, 2018 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė arranged a reception for the leaders of foreign states and other guests to mark the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state. | ||
| July 5, 2018 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and President of the Republic of Italy Sergio Mattarella – patrons of the exhibition of Florentine painting – visited the museum and inspected the works on display. | ||
| July 6, 2018 | • The ceremonial completion of the palace’s reconstruction was held, with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis; now all of the museum’s spaces are opened to the public. • The exhibition of treasures from Dresden was attended by the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Prof. Viktoras Pranckietis, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Culture and the Media Prof. Monika Grütters. | ||
| October 10, 2018 | Prince Edward, Count of Wessex, representative of the British royal family, visited the Palace. | ||
| October 11, 2018 | Alexander, Prince of Saxony Duke of Saxony, and his wife Gisela, Princess of Saxony and Bavaria, visited the palace. | ||
| February 27, 2019 | The 10th anniversary of the museum’s establishment was ceremonially commemorated with the participation of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Prof. Viktoras Pranckietis, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and the Minister of Culture Dr Mindaugas Kvietkauskas. | ||
| July 6, 2019 | The exhibition dedicated to mark the 450th anniversary of the Union of Lublin was opened by the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Prof. Viktoras Pranckietis, Marshal of the Parliament of the Republic of Poland Marek Kuchciński, and the special occasion was honoured by the participation of the elected president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. | ||
| October 10, 2019 | An exclusive exhibition was organised at the palace, dedicated to the history and legacy of the Radvila princes, which, along with representatives of the Radvila family, was opened by the exhibition patron – President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda. | ||
| November 27, 2019 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė arranged a ceremonial dinner in honour of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Mrs Olena Zelenska. Before the dinner, the guests of honour had the chance to see the museum’s expositions highlighting the historical bonds between Lithuania and Ukraine. | ||
| September 17, 2020 | For the first time after more than 200 years, a joint session of the Lithuanian and Polish governments was held at the palace, chaired by the Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. | ||
| September 28, 2020 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė arranged a ceremonial dinner in honour of President of the Republic of France Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron. Before the dinner, the guests of honour had the chance to see the museum’s expositions highlighting the historical bonds between Lithuania and France. | ||
| January 21, 2021 | Contracts were signed with art patron Dr Pranas Kiznis for the gifting of 14th–17th-century Italian paintings and their long-term loan for the museum’s permanent expositions. | ||
| April 27, 2021 | The Lithuanian Institute of History gave the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania the building at 5 Kražių Street, Vilnius; it now houses the museum’s Department of Archaeology and Architectural Research and Department of Restoration. | ||
| July 8, 2021 | Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė arranged a special lunch in honour of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain Pedro Sánchez. | ||
| August 14, 2021 | With the participation of the secretary of the Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the palace hosted a meeting with the newly consecrated Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the nuncio of the Holy See in Ukraine appointed by Pope Francis. | ||
| October 19, 2021 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda participated in the ceremonial opening of the exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the 1791 Constitution and the Mutual Assurance of the Two Nations. | ||
| October 24, 2022 | President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė arranged a ceremonial dinner in honour of the King of Belgium Philippe and Queen Mathilde, while beforehand the guests of honour viewed the museum’s expositions and had the chance to see evidence of the historical bonds between Lithuania and Belgium. | ||
| April 12, 2023 | Prince of Bavaria Luitpold Rupprecht Heinrich, of the Wittelsbach dynasty, visited the palace. | ||
| May 3, 2023 | One of the most expensive international exhibitions in the history of Lithuanian museology opened – The Tapestries of Sigismund Augustus in Vilnius. It was brought over from the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków. The exhibition’s patrons were President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda. | ||
| May 30, 2023 | President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the palace. He and the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda participated in a symposium held at the Palace of the Grand Dukes, entited “Lithuania and Germany in Europe: a Glance from a 700-Year Perspective”. | ||
| July 11–12, 2023 | • The ceremonial reception of NATO Summit heads was held in the Grand Courtyard of the palace. • First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė arranged a special programme for the partners of the Alliance’s heads of state and governments, acquainting them with the origins of Lithuanian statehood – the reconstructed residence of the Lithuanian grand dukes. | ||
| October 19, 2023 | Art patron Dr Pranas Kiznis transferred to the museum 26 paintings representing 15th–17th-century West European art; the second hall of the Dr Pranas Kiznis Gallery was opened as well. | ||
| April 11, 2024 | A high-level Three Seas Initiative business forum was held at the Palace of the Grand Dukes; it involved 25 countries’ leaders (among them – ten states), including the presidents of neighbouring Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine. |
