The paper deals with the „Vilnius text“ (in the terminological sense introduced by Vladimir Toporov and Yury Lotman) and its development from the XVI c. up to the second half of the XX c. The author discusses its multicultural character and one of its essential unifying elements, namely, longing for the city, experienced and expressed not only by the individual authors, but by entire ethnic groups (Lithuanians, Poles, Jews, Belorussians).