Wilno 2015-01-29
Wilna – Porubanek airport.
History of the city of Vilnius.
The first settlement in today’s Vilnius was established in the 11th century. The first mention of the existence of the city dates back to the 14th century (1323). Trakai was the most important settlement at that time. It is known that in 1365, Vilnius was attacked by the Teutonic Order, which captured and burned it. Another similar invasion took place in 1383. The change took place in 1387, thanks to the Polish-Lithuanian union and King Władysław Jagiełło. It was then that Lithuania was baptized. The Diocese of Vilnius was subordinated to the Archdiocese of Gniezno. Vilnius received a location law based on Western law. Since then, Vilnius has been developing dynamically. Craft guilds were established. From the next invasion of the Teutonic Knights in 1390, Vilnius defended itself, although with heavy losses. In the fifteenth century, brick castles, Upper and Lower, are built, and in the period 1503 – 1522, defensive walls with nine gates and three towers were built. To date, only the Miednicka Gate, better known as the Gate of Dawn, has remained. Vilnius was developing. A mint, arsenal, mill, printing house, bridges, hospitals and palaces were established. In 1579, a Jesuit academy was established, which years later became the University of Vilnius. Vilnius became a city of many nations: Lithuanians, Poles, Ruthenians, Jews, Italians, Armenians, Tatars. The development of the city was stopped by a great fire in 1610. In the middle of the 17th century, Lithuania was invaded by the Muscovite state under the leadership of Tsar Alexis. 25,000 inhabitants, i.e. 1/3 of all people, were murdered. The fires lasted 17 days and completely consumed the city. Works of art have been destroyed or stolen. In addition, Muscovites caused a great plague, which decimated the remaining inhabitants and the occupiers themselves. In 1660, the city was liberated by the army of Michał Kazimierz Pac. The next, Third Northern War also brought losses to the city. During the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794, the city defended itself against Muscovites. The defenders surrendered due to lack of means to defend themselves. In 1795, Vilnius became the capital of the governorate in the Muscovite partition. In 1812, during the Napoleonic Wars, the city regained its freedom for a short time. The Muscovites took the city again on December 10, 1812. In the 19th century, patriotic organizations developed in the city. In 1823, there were numerous arrests of Polish youth. At that time, Adam Mickiewicz studied and was imprisoned in Vilnius. During the January Uprising of 1861, there were fierce fights in Vilnius, which led to the complete pacification by the Muscovite governor-general, who was nicknamed "The Hanger".
In December 1862, the Warsaw-Petersburg railway was launched. Vilnius became a railway junction. In 1893, a horse tram was launched. In 1897, in Vilnius, Poles accounted for 39%, and Lithuanians were only 2%.
On August 1, 1914, the Great World War broke out. In the period 1915 – 1918, Vilnius was occupied by Germans. When the Germans withdrew, the nations living in the area attempted a peace agreement, which ended in failure. The outbreak of a conflict between Poles and Lithuanians over Vilnius and the Vilnius land, cleverly stoked by Germans and Muscovites. The Polish population established the Vilnius self-defence (Self-Defense of the Vilnius Land numbering 1,200 volunteers, Self-Defence of Lithuania and Belarus), which took over Vilnius on January 1, 1919. At that time, communists of Polish and Jewish descent revealed themselves, who secretly founded their gang in Vilnius on December 15, 1918. On January 2, 1919, there were fights between Poles and communists who wanted to give power in Vilnius to the Bolsheviks. The first attack of the red army was repelled, which was a big surprise for the hangovers. The second attack was with the overwhelming force of the Bolshevik plague. On January 5, 1919, Vilnius was captured by the Bolsheviks. The retreating Polish troops were partially disarmed by the Germans.
At the end of 1918, there was already a government of the Republic of Lithuania supported by both Germans and Muscovites. Belarus at that time had already been annexed to the Muscovite state. Against this background, there was a territorial dispute between Lithuanians and Belarusians. The Lithuanian government, not wanting a confrontation with the Bolsheviks and Poles, evacuated to Grodno, which at that time was occupied by the Germans.
On January 4, 1919, the first Polish-Bolshevik fights took place, which some historians consider the beginning of the Polish-Bolshevik war, because regular units of the Polish Army took part on the Polish side. In February 1919, Vilnius was proclaimed the capital of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania and Belarus. In July 1920, there were further clashes of the Polish Army against the Bolsheviks and Lithuanian troops. In order to regain Vilnius, Józef Piłsudski resorted to deception through the "revolt" of General Lucjan Żeligowski. On October 9, 1920, the Żeligowskie troops entered Vilnius. The creation of Central Lithuania was proclaimed and the Vilnius Seym was established, which on February 20, 1922 announced the incorporation of Central Lithuania into the Republic of Poland.
A golden period of Vilnius development followed. The "Elektrim" Radiotechnical Society was founded, which was the largest producer of radio receivers. An astronomical observatory was built. In 1927, Polish Radio Vilnius was established, which occupied new, modern buildings. In 1930, a scientific research institute was opened. Theater, culture and art developed.
World War II broke out. Vilnius was occupied by Muscovites on September 19, 1939. On October 26, 1939, they handed them over to the Lithuanians. But on June 15, 1940, they reoccupied it. The Soviet terror, executions and deportations deep into the CCCP began. When the brothers (Muscovites and Germans) took their heads, on June 22, 1941, the Germans bombed the city and on June 25, 1940, they captured it. The terror of the Polish population continued, to which the new occupier added the terror of the Jewish population. In Ponary, a suburb of Vilnius, 70,000 Jews and 20,000 Poles were murdered.
On July 7, 1944, units of the Home Army began the liberation operation "Operation Ostra Brama". The Home Army troops were supported by red army men. On July 13, 1944, Vilnius was free, but for a while. The NKVD (Moscow political police) joined the operation, arresting and disarming Polish troops. The Vilnius region was included in the CCCP, and Poles were deported or resettled. Since then, Lithuanians and Muscovites began to settle in Vilnius en masse.
Vilnius became a provincial Soviet city. The independence movements started in June 1988 by the Lithuanian Movement for Redevelopment intensified in 1990, and in January 1991, there were clashes at the TV tower. The communists used tanks. 17 people died and about 600 were injured. Since September 17, 1991, Vilnius has been the capital of independent Lithuania. In 1993, Vilnius was visited by Pope Saint John Paul II the Great on a pastoral visit.
Vilnius location.
Vilnius has a geographical location of 54° 41′ N, 25° 17′ E. It is 140 km from Vilnius to the border with the Republic of Poland. Vilnius has an area of 401 km2. It lies at an altitude of 112-148 m above sea level. It has 560,000 inhabitants (2010). It is administratively divided into 20 districts. Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. It has 8 universities. The historic center has been on the World Heritage List since 1994. Vilnius is a great religious center: Catholics (40 temples), Orthodox, Protestants, Jews, Old Believers church. Several organizations of Polish culture, science and politics operate in Vilnius.
Porubanek airport.
Porubanek Airport is now Vilnius International Airport. It is located 6 km from the center of Vilnius. However, there is no exact information when the airport was built. On the official website of the airport and on the websites of airline companies, the date is August 17, 1932. It is true that at that time the first communication connection between Warsaw and Vilnius was launched. However, we know from numerous accounts of witnesses and participants of the fights from the times of the Great World War that the Porubanek Airport already existed. The crux of the matter is that the Vilnius region had a very turbulent history. For a significant period of history, these areas belonged to the Lithuanians, and as a state to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Vilnius was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a bishopric and an academy. After the third partition of the Republic of Poland, Vilnius was annexed by Moscow and incorporated into the Russian Empire. That was until the outbreak of the Great World War.
In 1918, Poles, Lithuanians, Muscovites and even Germans demanded Vilnius. Vilnius was inhabited by Poles (60%), Belarusians (23%) as well as Jews, Lithuanians, Russians and other nations. 62% are followers of the Roman Catholic religion. In 1939, Vilnius was inhabited by nearly 200,000 inhabitants. Vilnius was the fifth largest city in Poland.
I wrote about it to signal the reader with the background for subsequent historical events. In 1918, with the collapse of the partitioning powers, the independence aspirations of Poles and Lithuanians revived, which caused a sharp dispute over Vilnius. On January 1, 1919, part of the city was occupied by the Polish units of the Vilnius Self-Defense, later transformed into the Polish Military Organization. On January 5, 1919, after heavy fighting, the city was occupied by Muscovites-Bolsheviks. In January 1919, the Lithuanians were supported by the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Bolshevik terror against the landowners, the intelligentsia and the clergy began. The Bolsheviks and Lithuanians were supported by the Germans, politically and with arms. The offensive of the Polish Army began on April 16, 1919. On April 19, 1919, Vilnius was liberated with the help of its inhabitants. There were plans to restore the First Republic. However, Lithuanians wanted their own state with the capital in Vilnius, although they knew that only 2% of Lithuanians lived here. Finally, they chose Kaunas as the capital. In July 1919, in Paris, it was approved to leave Vilnius, Grodno and Lida within the borders of Poland (according to the Foch line).
On January 30, 1919, with the support of the Germans, the Lithuanian Air Force was established under the name Air Formation (Aviacijas Dalis). In the absence of a sufficient number of their own soldiers, the Lithuanians took in 6 pilots, 4 observers and 5 mechanics from the German Flieger Abteilung 425, which was stationed in Kaunas. Mixed German-Lithuanian crews took part in the fights against the Bolsheviks. In February 1919, the Lithuanians bought the planes from the Germans and the first plane with Lithuanian markings took off on March 1, 1919. The first Lithuanian pilot took part in the fighting on June 19, 1919. The first purely Lithuanian aviation unit was established on April 1, 1920. Their main base was the airport in Kaunas.
In July 1920, the fighting flared up again and the great offensive of the Moscow state was launched, stopped only before Warsaw. The Battle of the Niemen brought the liberation of the Vilnius region. The Bolsheviks managed to provoke another conflict by transferring power in Vilnius to the Lithuanians.
On July 12, 1920, Lithuania signed a peace treaty with the CCCP, granting Lithuania Vilnius, Smorgon, Lida and Grodno, where the Lithuanian population hardly lived. On August 26, 1920, the Bolsheviks handed over Vilnius to them, and on August 29, 1920, 6 Lithuanian planes landed at the Porubanek airport.
Soon the situation turned around. The Polish army went on the offensive. Lithuanian planes carrying out bombing and reconnaissance of Polish positions returned to the airfield with numerous holes in the wings and fuselage. Throughout September 1920, the Lithuanian Air Force bombarded Polish camps, military columns and fortifications. Bombs were falling on Suwałki and Augustów. In mid-September 1920, there was a battle on the Niemen River in which the Polish Army captured one third of the Lithuanian army. In October 1920, the launches of the Lithuanian air force were increasing. Airmen died or were taken prisoner. Vilnius was captured on October 9, 1920 and the Lithuanians left the Porubanek Airport.
Polish planes appeared at Porubanek Airport. Their presence provoked the Lithuanians to bomb the airport with four planes on October 20, 1920. From October 27, 1920, the 16th Intelligence Squadron from Lida was based at the Porubanek Airport. It had four Breguet XIV A2 aircraft at its disposal. Officially, the squadron was placed under the command of the puppet Central Lithuania (General Lucjan Żeligowski). White and red chessboards were painted over with the hallmarks of Central Lithuania. On October 31, 1920, the planes entered the battle and attacks on the Lithuanian troops near Kaunas and the airport in Kaunas began. On November 6, 1920, the first Polish-Lithuanian air fight took place. The targets were the airports in Kaunas in Poniemoń, railway stations and bridges, columns of Lithuanian soldiers. Fighting ceased in December 1920.
The official recovery of Vilnius by the Poles was impossible due to the obligations of the Polish Government. General Lucjan Żeligowski’s "rebellion" led to the recovery of Vilnius. Finally, Vilnius returned to Poland on February 20, 1922. The Vilnius Land was the last area of the Second Polish Republic to receive the status of a voivodship. This happened only on January 20, 1926, when, in accordance with the act of December 22, 1925, it was transformed into the Vilnius Voivodeship. Vilnius was the fifth largest city in Poland and a cultural and scientific center with the third oldest university.
The Porubanek airport was established during the war (before 1917) and was built by the Germans. The area near Porubanek was chosen for the airport. Its advantage was the short distance from the city. Just 6 km to the south. There was a railway line nearby and the former Porubanek railway station. Currently, the town is within the boundaries of Vilnius in the Kirtimai district. The name of the region – Nowy Świat is also often mentioned.
In the Second Republic of Poland, the Porubanek Airport was treated as a very valuable field airport from 1922, and a little later as a backup airport for the Polish Army. At that time, the field of ascents was very large. It had dimensions of 1000 m x 800 m. Its surface was very damaged. In 1919, there was one steel hangar at the airport, which was built by the Germans. There was also one small brick building and several wooden barracks.
Air units of the Polish Army did not come to the Vilnius region for good until around 1925, when the 11th Fighter Regiment began stationing at the Lida Airport. In 1928, the unit expanded to the 5th Aviation Regiment. In the fall of 1932, an air force subordinated to the 5th Aviation Regiment was established at the Porubanek Airport. The 51st line squadron and the 53rd accompanying squadron developed in Porubank. In the following years, the squadrons developed, and in 1937, they received new aviation equipment. In 1939, as a result of preparations for the German aggression, units from Vilnius were moved into the interior of the country, strengthening the Modlin Army and the Karpaty Army.
In 1931, the authorities of LOT Polish Airlines decided to launch a regular connection on the Warsaw-Vilnius route and further to Riga and Tallinn. For its needs, the first small airport station was built, which was destroyed during World War II. Presumably, the station was built with funds from PLL LOT and the city of Lviv, as the Polish Army did not participate in its expansion. The army was focused on expanding the airport in nearby Lida, where the 5th Aviation Regiment was stationed. On August 17, 1932, LOT Polish Airlines made its first flight. The inauguration was very solemn. It was attended by the President of the Republic of Poland Ignacy Mościcki and other representatives of the government, military authorities and representatives of Latvia and Estonia. Two 10-seat Fokker F.VII/3m aircraft flew to Vilnius. The flight from Warsaw to Vilnius lasted about two hours. At that time, Porubanek Airport was decorated with Polish, Latvian and Estonian flags. After the welcome, one aircraft flew on to Riga and Tallinn, while the other remained on sightseeing flights over the city. The flight to Riga and Tallinn was propaganda. On board was the director of PLL LOT, who was carrying two invitation letters for the Estonian and Latvian authorities. The route from Warsaw to Tallinn in Estonia was covered in seven hours, plus two stops of thirty minutes each. The same route was covered by an express train with sleeping cars in 18 hours. The plane ticket cost respectively: Warsaw-Vilnius PLN 50, Warsaw-Riga PLN 95, Warsaw-Tallinn PLN 137, Vilnius-Riga PLN 40, Vilnius-Tallinn PLN 82. The planes flew three times a week. From 1933, flights on the Warsaw-Vilnius route were performed daily.
In the second half of the 30 years, Polish-Lithuanian relations improved so much that flights to Kaunas became real. It was then decided that Kaunas was included in the route Warsaw-Vilnius-Kaunas-Riga-Tallinn and sporadically further to Helsinki in Finland. The first such flight to Kaunas took place on July 15, 1938. PLL LOT’s plans included flights on the Warsaw-Kaunas-Riga route, omitting Vilnius, which were not carried out due to the war.
Passengers, mail and goods were transported by Fokker F-VIIA/1m and F-VII/3m aircraft. In 1939, LOT Polish Airlines had the longest route in Europe in the north-south direction; Tallinn (Estonia)-Athens (Greece). For 30 years, LOT Polish Airlines was one of the best managed aviation companies in the world. This was facilitated by state subsidies and the far-sighted policy of the company’s management. Fast aircraft Lockheed L-10 Electra, Lockheed L-14 Super Electra and Douglas DC-2 were introduced to the routes.
In 1936, Porubanek Airport witnessed the Challenge aviation competition. It was on the penultimate stage of the rally almost all over Europe. The last stage was the flight to Warsaw. The victory of this rally was pilot Jerzy Bajan.
Until 1939, the Porubanek Airport was developing dynamically, both civil and military. It received category A. The authorities of Vilnius and LOT Polish Airlines supported the development of the airport. In the second half of the 1930s, the construction of a new station was started, which was to be named the Summer Palace. The building was destroyed in July 1944 by the retreating German army.
Outside the Republic of Poland.
On September 17, 1939, the troops of the Moscow state crossed the eastern border of Poland. Vilnius was occupied on September 19, 1939. The city was ostentatiously handed over to the Lithuanians. However, already in 1940, hangovers were taken from Vilnius from Lithuania. Another terror against the Polish population began.
After World War II, Lithuania became one of the CCCP republics. The airport resumed passenger transport on July 17, 1944, ensuring contact with Moscow and consolidating communist power. In 1945, the construction of a small air station began. This facility exists to this day and serves as a technical base for airlines.
In 1949, the construction of a new air station was started according to Soviet models. It was designed by architects Dmitry Burdin and Gennady Yelkina. The first passenger was served on October 22, 1954, and the destination of the flight was Moscow. The facade of the building was decorated with bas-reliefs of soldiers, workers, pilots as well as wreaths and garlands of plants. The interior was decorated with stars, laurel leaves and victory wreaths. In an exposed place there was a symbol of a sickle and a hammer. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling of the main hall. Socialist symbols were removed at the beginning of the 1990s. In addition to the interesting facade of the building, the characteristic tower with numerous windows, a huge skylight, looks interesting. An identical tower was erected in the 50s at the Bemowo airport in Poland. The facility served as a weather station and communication center. Originally, the station was designed to handle 20 passenger planes a day. Currently, the facility houses the administration of the port and service units.
Social and political changes and the emergence of a sovereign Lithuania resulted in a significant revival of passenger traffic at the Vilnius airport. The old station did not meet modern requirements and it was necessary to build a new terminal. Since the station was entered in the register of monuments of the Republic of Lithuania, it remained in its place and performs administrative functions. The designers placed the new terminal behind it on the old platform slab. As a result, the new terminal is perfectly visible to passengers from planes, and invisible to people coming from the city. The new terminal is adjacent to the station building and was built on a U-shaped plan. It is equipped with six flight bridges. Its area is about 3,500 m2. It has 12 check-in points. Security control area, ticket offices, tourist information desk, duty-free shops, restaurants, cafes, bank, post office, pharmacy, VIP area, area for parents with small children, waiting room. There was also a car rental. There are five small car parks nearby. The terminal was designed in 2005 and construction started in 2006. It was commissioned in November 2007. In 2008, the terminal served over two million passengers for the first time, while performing approximately 37,000 air operations at the same time.
Quick access to the airport is provided by the city train connecting the airport with the Central Railway Station in the city center, which was launched in October 2008. The distance is just over 4 km. The funicular runs every 30 minutes during peak hours and every hour and a half off peak hours. The airport can also be reached by public buses and buses of private carriers.
The airport has one runway with dimensions of 2,515 m x 50 m, laid in the direction 02/20. Asphalt and concrete surface. Currently, Vilnius International Airport has the IATA code: VNO, ICAO: EYVI. Main carriers: Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Aurela, Austrian Airlines, Aviavilsa, Czech Airlines, Estonian Air, Finnair, flyLAL, Flysmaland, LOT, Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle, SAS, UtAir.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman