Before I dive into the joys of visiting Vilnius, let me get the obvious out of the way: it feels rather strange to be writing about travel in the midst of a global lockdown. What is the point of discussing far-flung destinations when crossing borders is off limits for the foreseeable future?
While hopping on a plane has been put on an indefinite hold, international travel will one day resume, making now the perfect time to research that dream trip (or two!). Aside from research, travel blogs have been a great source of escape for me during this time. I recently read a great post at The Indie Traveller, chronicling Marek’s recent trip to Cabo Verde and rather than deepening my despair that I couldn’t travel, it only served to stimulate my senses and inspire me to get back out there once this is all over. I hope my posts on Vilnius can do the same for you.
Senamiestis (Old Town)
When you run into other backpackers in the Baltics, the same question usually comes up: Which of the three capitals- Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius- do you like the best? If you’ll allow me to act as if I were a parent diplomatically refusing to name a favorite child, I genuinely loved all three cities, but if you asked me which of three had the best Old Town, the answer would easily be Vilnius.
Part of that reasoning is straight up geography. Tallinn and Rīga are both port cities, allowing for the dreaded daytrippers to descend on each Old Town with their selfie sticks and umbrella-wielding tour guides. Vilnius is much farther inland and although there are still a fair amount of tourists, it takes a bit more effort to reach Lithuania’s capital city. There’s more room to breathe and take in the winding streets and myriad of historic churches that Vilnius’ Senamiestis has to offer.
Katedros aikštė (Cathedral Square)
Katedros aikštė (Cathedral Square) sits on the northern lip of Senamiestis and is lined with some Vilnius’ most popular historical attractions. Vilniaus katedra (Vilnius Cathedral) was closed for renovations when I visited, but most of its imposing outer Gothic structure had already been restored. The Soviets used the cathedral as a warehouse and part-time concert venue causing repairs to be extensive, time-consuming and costly.
Vilniaus katedros varpinė (Vilnius Cathedral Belfry)
Unlike the cathedral itself, the nearby belfry was open to ascend the twisty staircase to the top. Vilnius has a long history of bell making, beginning in the 14th Century when the Grand Duke commissioned the first large bell to be cast in Lithuania. The tower contains an interesting exhibit about the history of the bells, complete with mallets and smaller to practice your bell-ringing skills on. There are much better views of Vilnius than the one provided at the top of the belfry, but it’s still worth the exercise to check out the oldest remaining bell in the capital. Cast in 1673, the large bell is ornately decorated and still tolls on the hour; I planned my climb to coincide with the ringing of the bell and it made the somewhat steep admission price a little more reasonable.
Nacionalinis muziejus Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės valdovų rūmai (National Museum’s Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania)
The Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės valdovų rūmai (Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania) has an interesting history and currently houses exhibits from The National Museum which illuminate Lithuania’s (and Vilnius’) early histories until Lithuania was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 17th Century.
Unlike Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania shares most of its early history with Poland, of which Vilnius was a major metropolis in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Technically, Lithuania was a Grand Duchy of the Polish Empire, hence the title Grand Dukes of Lithuania rather than the “kings” of Lithuania.
A palace housing the Grand Duke and his Royal Family stood on this spot beginning in the early 15th Century. Over the next 200 years the palace was remodeled several times and acted as a defensive symbol for the city against eastern attacks on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s borders. Eventually the Russian Army proved to be too strong for Vilnius’ defenses and the city fell to its conquerors.
After the Russian Army knocked out the Commonwealth alliance and incorporated Lithuania into the Russian Empire around 1650, the palace was abandoned and stood unattended to for 150 years. Regular citizens actually moved into the the decaying building, occupying the former royal chambers.
In 1800, what remained of the palace was razed to the ground and the area became a city park. After Lithuania regained their independence in 1990, several plans were put forth about what to do with this land. It had been nearly 200 years since a palace occupied this spot, but there was a strong sentiment amongst the populace to spur a Lithuanian cultural renaissance and the newly-formed government agreed to fund a reconstruction of the palace.
Construction began in 2002 using old blueprints, diagrams and historical accounts of the palace from journals and local newspapers. The process lasted 16 years, and the palace was finally opened to the public in 2018.
Buying a ticket to the palace can be a bit of a head-scratcher. The museum has been divided up into four sections and you’re able to either buy one master ticket, granting you entrance to nearly 70 rooms in the palace or you can purchase four “tour routes” separately or in concert with one another. (I don’t know why someone would purchase routes 1, 3 & 4 and skip 2, but there you have it.) Unless you’re really in a crunch for time, budget an hour or two and take all four routes.
Gedimino pilis (Gediminas Castle)
Rising up on Gediminas Hill behind the palace sits Gedimino pilis (Gediminas Castle), an unmissable landmark of Vilnius. This is the last of the original medieval towers that protected the capital in the 14th and 15th Centuries. Inside the tower is an overpriced little museum that displays models of the former hilltop fortifications, but the viewing platform on the roof of tower is thankfully free. From Gedimino pilis you can see all of Senamiestis to the south; the modern “new” city stretches out to the west and north. Both the palace and tower can become crowded by midday, so I suggest getting up early and hitting the palace right when it opens to avoid the crowds.
The Churches of Senamiestis
Normally I’m not one for making a checklist of churches that I must see in each capital city- and that goes double for European cities where there’s a church on every other corner. There’s always that one church with a fantastic spire that provides you with a 360-degree view of the city, but after you’ve done that, they all start to blur together. This is partly due to the way these churches are presented in guidebooks and tours (read: incredibly dry and unimaginatively). Church X’s construction began in 1615 and was completed in 1618. Cathedral Y’s altar was made from four types of woods and took ten craftsmen eight years to complete. Church Z has stained glasses windows designed by A, installed by B and restored by C. These facts and figures seem designed to go in one ear and out the other. Unless you’re an expert in the field, I don’t know how anyone would be expected to retain this information, let alone not be put to sleep by it.
Vilnius turned out to be an exception to this rule. The plethora of churches in Senamiestis are genuinely beautiful, brightly colored and charming in both grand and low-key ways. Sure, you can still get bogged down in the minutiae of dates and how many light bulbs there are in the chandelier, but I found it peaceful to spend an afternoon wandering from church to church and snapping photos of the pink, yellow and red buildings stacked up against the bright blue sky.
One of the more fascinating aspects of these churches is what became of them during the second Soviet occupation from 1944-1990. Saint Catherine’s was turned into a warehouse; Saint Casimir’s got the ultimate slap in the face by morphing into the Soviet Museum of Atheism in 1963. (It was returned to the Catholic Church after independence in 1991.)
Visų Šventųjų bažnyčia (Church of All Saints)
The Church of All Saints abuts Vilnius’ historically Jewish Quarter, which the Nazis turned in the Jewish Ghetto during the German Occupation from 1941-44. The priest of the church at the time built an underground tunnel connecting the basement of All Saints with the Ghetto. He smuggled in as much food as possible and trafficked out as many Jews as he could. During Soviet times, the church became a museum of folk art.
In the adjoining park is a delightful statue known as “Lazdynų Pelėda” or Hazelnut Owl. Lazdynų Pelėda was the dual pen name of two Lithuanian turn-of-the-century authors, who also happened to be sisters. Their celebrated literary criticism would not have been taken seriously coming from women during this period and therefore they published under this secret identity. Now their likenesses can publicly read for eternity outdoors in Vilnius.
Aušros Vartai (Gates of Dawn)
Aušros Vartai (Gates of Dawn) straddles the oldest street in Vilnius and marks the last standing entryway through the once-all-encompassing medieval town wall. You can espy a golden icon of the Virgin Mary through the window above the gate, which is said to have magical healing powers. Many walking tours begin at the Aušros Vartai, so the area can be quite crowded during the day. Given its name, you would think everyone would show up at dawn, but I had the street and gate to myself at this early hour. (Travel truism: the early bird really DOES catch the worm.)
Šventė Onos Bažnyčia (Saint Anne’s Church) Šventė Pranciškus Asyžiečio (Bernardinų) parapija (Saint Francis of Assisi [Bernadine] Church)
Saint Anne’s and the Bernadine Church stand side by side and make for a striking pair. The former was bestowed the privilege of being one of the few churches in the capital that the Soviets allowed to remain open during their occupation. The Bernadine Church became a warehouse, like so many others, but now stands fully restored, complete with gardens in the rear that are popular with strolling locals on a summer evening.
In the foreground you can a statue of Adam Mickiewicz, a Polish and Lithuanian poet, whose image was used as a rallying cry by the Lithuanian Freedom League in the 1980s. Demonstrations were held outside Saint Anne’s that had to be frequently broken up by Soviet troops.
Šventė Jono bažnyčios bokštas (Saint John’s Church Bell Tower)
Remember when I said there’s always that one church that provides the best views in town? Well in Vilnius, that church would be Saint John’s. Its bell tower is actually the tallest structure in all of Senamiestis and a Foucault Pendulum hangs from the top, swinging in tandem with the rotation of the Earth. Better still, an elevator has been installed that will whisk you up to the top of the tower in seconds.
The views from Saint John’s will knock your socks off:
Vilniaus Universitetas (Vilnius University)
Vilniaus Universitetas was founded in 1579, making it the oldest Lithuanian institution of learning. The campus is located right next to Saint John’s in the heart of Senamiestis. The university buildings fit together to create thirteen courtyards, each with their own design scheme. The 25,000 active students are obviously free to roam the campus, but tourists must buy a ticket at the admissions office to visit the baker’s dozen courtyards. The other option is to utilize the bell tower for a bird’s eye view of the campus.
The pride of the university is the library- Lithuania’s oldest- which houses the very first book ever printed in the Lithuanian language. If you’re interested in the architecture of the university, sign up for one of the student-led tours and get an inside look into the various faculty departments.
Prezidentūra (Presidential Palace)
After the Russians abandoned the Palace of the Grand Dukes in 1650, the new government moved to the Prezidentūra, which today acts as both the Office of the President and his or her residence. (I visited Lithuania during Dalia Grybauskaitė’s second presidential term; she was the first female president of Lithuania and the first president to be elected for two consecutive terms.)
There is a changing of the guard every evening at 18:00 and tours of the Prezidentūra can be scheduled in advance, but English tours are only offered during the summer months. There is a viewing platform in the rear of the palace to observe the carefully tended gardens which are not otherwise open to the public.
A Day Well-Spent in Senamiestis
Looking back now, I realize I spent a lot more time in Vilnius’ Old Town than I even was aware of at the time. I truly let myself relax and take everything in without rushing from place to place. Out of my four days in Lithuania’s capital, giving over a full day to explore Senamiestis was a good decision. Now, get ready, because up next I’ll be covering Vilnius’s Soviet past, the works of a great Lithuanian painter, an independent “republic” within the city and a side trip to a nearby forest with a tragic past…
