The first medal presenting the capital will promote the legend about Vilnius

The ceremony held today in the Vincas Kudirka square solemnly presented the first souvenir medal representing Vilnius. The medal shows the iron wolf, the symbol of the city, and its main objects – the Gediminas Castle, the Hill of Three Crosses, the Cathedral of Vilnius, the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Saint Jones and Saint Anne’s church, the fountain of Bernardinai Garden. The medal represents Vilnius, conveys its unique spirit and retells the legend on the founding of the city.

‘The medal is kind of a city guide showing the most important places of interest in the capital. I hope that the medal will become a nice symbol of the city, and a wanted souvenir for both residents of Vilnius and its guests’ said the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius.

According to Jolanta Beniulienė, Director of the Vilnius Tourism Information Centre, guests of Vilnius has been looking for a souvenir symbolically reflecting Vilnius and a reminder of it, but most probably, every genuine resident of Vilnius should be carrying a medal like that.

The obverse of the medal depicts the coat-of-arms of Vilnius, Vytis, the national symbol of Lithuania, and the coats-of-arms of the other cities of Lithuania that will later become part of the series of souvenir medals – Druskininkai, Neringa, Kaunas, Klapėda, Šiauliai and Trakai. The specially designed colourful package tells the legend of the foundation of Vilnius, and the main facts about the city.

‘What do the guests of the city see visiting our souvenir shops? Plastic figurines, wooden Lithuania-shaped maps, some amber pictures, etc. We wanted to create something that genuinely reflects Vilnius and its unique spirit. When designing the medal the iron wolf and the city’s founding legend were the actual sources of inspiration’, says Saulius Vatiekūnas, Director of the Lithuanian Mint.

The author of the medal is Vladas Žukas. Currently 3,000 medals made of copper and nickel alloy have been issued and are available at tourist information centres or souvenir shops.

Marketing and Communication Division, vrt@vilnius.lt