Vilnius I: A Historical Overview

Vilnius begins literally, figuratively, and indeed historically at Gediminas Hill. The hill takes its name from the Grand Duke who according to legend dreamt of an iron wolf howling upon it with the voices of a hundred wolves, which he took as a signal to build a fortress city as powerful as their cries. The site was actually inhabited long before Gediminas had his dream in 1323, although the modern city of Vilnius did arise around that time. The Lower Castle (which is currently being rebuilt) guarded the base of the Hill, while the Upper Castle(which today houses a museum) stood on its summit, with the town clustered in between.

Beside the ruins of the Lower Castle stands the airy neoclassical Cathedral, the finest of the city’s many churches and one of the few not to date from the baroque era that saw Vilnius become an important city in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth as a center for the Counter-Reformation. Nearby, the interesting National Museum,Applied Arts Museum, and Archaeological Museum occupy a splendid set of buildings. Across Vrublenskio gatve is Gediminio prospektas, the center of the modern city and a lovely walking street.

Vilnius’ Baroque Old Town occupies the area directly south of the Cathedral and its square (Katedros aikste) and contains innumerable delightful buildings, including several fine churches. It’s best to first walk from the Cathedral to the Gates of Dawn, along a meandering pedestrianized street whose name varies, to get a sense of its scale and then to explore its sidestreets. The gates themselves are the only of the city’s original nine gates that remain, but they are better known for the miracle-working Icon of the Virgin housed above them.

Of particular note within the Old Town are the stunning brick St. Anne’s Church, the historic Vilnius University (and the fine St. John’s Churchinside its walls), the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit, and the ornate St. Teresa’s Church. The Old Town’s chief pleasure lies in aimlessly wandering it; there’s hardly a building that isn’t of either historical or architectural interest.

The most interesting attractions outside the Old Town are the infamous Frank Zappa Monument, Three Crosses Hill, The Lithuanian State Jewish Museum, and the Museum of Lithuanian Genocide Victims covering the horrors of Soviet rule. The television tower where Soviet troops killed unarmed civilians in 1991, bringing the country’s plight to the world’s attention, is located in the suburbs.

Quick Tips:

As soon as you arrive, purchase a copy of Vilnius in Your Pocket, a quixotic English-language city guide that has been given official status--it’s available just about everywhere. It’s updated regularly and contains information on sightseeing, accommodation, nightlife, and excellent maps. Many listings and a free smaller version are available online.

You may be surprised by how friendly people are. As always, when traveling, you should take precautions, but my experience in Vilnius (and throughout Lithuania) is that tourists are enough of a novelty that many people just want to help and to share a conversation.

There is an ATM in the airport and others throughout the Old Town, so avoid the currency exchanges, which are invariably give worse rates, unless absolutely necessary.

The main post office is at Gediminio prospektas 7. It’s the best place to make international phone calls, as well as to send mail.

The Old Town’s best Internet café is Collegium, located in a courtyard just off Pilies gatve and open 8am-midnight. Confusingly, the address is Pilies gatve 22-1.

Avoid the beggars who cluster around the Gates of Dawn in order to take advantage of the emotions visitors feel after seeing the shrine above them.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting to Vilnius:

Vilnius’ airport is 5km south of the bus/train stations, to which it is connected by Buses 1 and 2 (1 LT). A taxi from the airport costs LT25, and a taxi between the Old Town and these stations costs about LT10. Lithuanian Airlines and AirBaltic have the most flights to and from the rest of the Baltic region and Western Europe. Both carriers sell reasonably priced one-way tickets, making it economical to fly into Vilnius and out of Riga or Tallinn (or the reverse). Travel within Lithuania and to Latvia is best done by bus-– trains in Lithuania are nearly always slower, more expensive, and far more infrequent than buses. The train and bus station are next to one another south of the Old Town.

Getting Around Vilnius:

Vilnius is best appreciated and explored on foot. Indeed, a stroll between Gediminas Hill and the Gates of Dawn is pretty much essential for appreciating the Old Town and assimilating its sights. A walk down the new town’s Gediminio prospektas serves the same purpose for the rest of the city. Both of these routes are largely pedestrianized, and nearly all sights are near one or the other.

Fittingly, many artists have used Gediminas Hill, where the Grand Duke of the same name established the fortress that became Vilnius in 1323, to symbolize Vilnius. Although legend holds that he chose to fortify the site because he dreamt of an iron wolf howling on its summit with the voices of one hundred wolves, it seems more likely that its strategic location overlooking the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris Rivers led Gediminas to fortify the settlement that already existed on the site. Nevertheless, a metal statute at the Hill’s base commemorates the story, although it strangely (some might even say "iron-ically") features a wolf made of stone.

Opposite the statue, at the Hill’s base, are the remains of the Lower Castle which are currently the subject of Lithuania’s most extensive archaeological excavations. These have been so successful that the original plan to rebuild the Castle that stood on the site has been delayed. At the time of my visit in June 2004, a hoard of 62 silver coins dating to the late 14th century had just been found on the site, leading to speculation that it the site had significance even earlier than had been thought.

Historians generally believe that the Lower Castle served both to guard the Vilnius (at that time located on the Hill) from incursions by the Teutonic Knights, and as a residence for Gediminas and his successors. In 1802, seven years after the Third Partition of Poland removed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the map of Europe, Russian troops destroyed the Castle. The excavation itself is closed to the public except for prearranged tours, although it’s possible to view it from a small pavilion.

The Higher Castle, which you can reach either by a funicular to the rear of the National Museum or a gentle pathway that wraps around the east side of the Hill, is Vilnius’ finest single sight. The current brick structure is actually a 1930s reconstruction of the western tower of the original three-towered Gothic castle built by Grand Duke Vytautas in 1419 to replace the wooden structure that had burned in the Great Fire of Vilnius in the same year. This fortress stood until it was seriously damaged by Russian forces between 1655 and 1661. Ironically, it was under Russian rule that the fortress was repaired to afford the Tsarist authorities with a power base in the wake of the 1831 Lithuanian Rebellion.

The historical exhibitions inside the reconstructed tower cover this history, as well as the castle’s brief role as a 17th-century prison for noblemen, but its chief charm is the view that it affords. To this day, the platform on top of the tower is the only publicly available place from which all of the Old Town’s key sights are visible, as well as much of the New Town--making it as strategic a vantage point for modern photographers as medieval warriors. Quite simply, there’s no better place from which to view Vilnius.

It’s perhaps appropriate that much of the neoclassical exterior of Vilnius’ Cathedral resembles a pagan Greek temple since it occupies a site where Lithuanians once worshipped the fire god Perkunas. When Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387 as a condition of Lithuania’s Royal Union with Poland, he took the name Wladislaw (Ladislaus) and ordered the construction of a church to serve as part of the Lower Castle complex. In recognition of his conversion and the Royal Union, the church was dedicated to SS Ladislaus and Stanislaus, the latter being Poland’s patron saint.

The neoclassical structure, designed by Laurynas Gucevicius between 1783 and 1801, gives no hint of the larger Gothic cathedral that Grand Duke Vytautas ordered built on the site. The Belfry that stands independently in front of the cathedral was actually originally part of the Lower Castle, but was converted to its present use in the 1520s when a pair of octagonal tiers were added to its top. The curious cupola that jars with the otherwise harmonious design of the cathedral itself represents Gucevicius’ attempt to incorporate the Chapel of St. Casimir, the only remnant of the cathedral’s baroque incarnation.

The cathedral’s airy interior is the most attractive in the Baltic, and one of the most delightful anywhere in Europe. With the except of the aforementioned Chapel of St. Casimir, it echoes the design of the exterior, with the relatively plain column-lined nave resembling a classical temple, thereby directing viewers attention to the magnificent high altar, shaped like the front of such a temple itself. The paintings hung on the columns are a complete series depicting the Apostles by Franciszek Smuglewicz (1745-1807). The Polish-born Smuglewicz was the foremost practitioner of neoclassical painting in Lithuania and also executed The Martyrdom of St. Stanislaus, which hangs over the high altar.

The cathedral’s highlight, however, is the exquisitely decorated Chapel of St. Casimir, which was built between 1622 and 1636 by Constantino Tencalla to provide a resting place for the remains of the eponymous patron saint of Lithuania, who died in 1484. The chapel’s dominant feature is the lavish black, white, and colored marble paneling, which was executed over the course of a century, primarily by Italian artisans. Tencalla’s countrymen Hiacinto Campana and Michelangelo Palloni painted the ceiling and side frescoes respectively, while Pietro Peretti exceuted the ornate stucco backdrop to the silver shrine to St. Casimir. The eight small niche statues, which depict Lithuanian Grand Dukes, were added in the 18th century, as was the goblet-shaped moveable pulpit.

The cathedral is open daily to visitors and for evening mass at 6 and 7pm, with services held almost hourly on Sunday. Visitors can supposedly sometimes visit the vault, which holds some of the remains of the Perkunas Temple, as well as royal coffins and fragments from the previous churches on the same site. Unfortunately, my experience was that this was not possible, but you may wish to enquire nonetheless.

Main Exhibition
Located in the attractive 18th-century New Arsenal, the nature of the National Museum of Lithuania evokes the peaks and valleys of Lithuania’s modern history rather more effectively than its collections themselves. Its somewhat rambling permanent collection is strongest in its repository of portraits, ecclesiastical objects, coins, and books from the Lithuania’s four centuries in union with Poland (1387-1795). The combined state was the largest and most powerful in Europe in the late 17th century, but unfortunately, the displays contain precious few descriptions in Lithuanian, let alone English, to elucidate this.

The visitor is left to infer Vilnius’ role as a major center for the counter-Reformation from the plethora of liturgical objects, although, quite frankly, the folk art collection of traditional carved crosses is rather more extensive and interesting. While other museums amply elucidate Lithuania’s role as a center for Jewish culture and the country’s suffering under Soviet occupation, it’s a pity that neither is touched on here. One could put this down to Vilnius’ exclusion from the inter-war Lithuanian Republic, when it was ruled by Poland as Wilno and Kaunas served as the country’s capital, consequently becoming home to the country’s best museums. Unfortunately, this piece of history is ignored as well.

The National Museum proper’s saving grace, however, is that it plays host to good temporary exhibitions. At the time of my visit, one covered the recent discovery of a mass grave of French soldiers from Napoleon’s invasion of Russia (which began in present-day Lithuania) and of historic maps of Vilnius. These were thoughtfully curated and accompanied by good explanations-–it is to be hoped that the museum as a whole is renovated to resemble them.

Archaeological Exhibition
The Museum’s oldest collections are thoughtfully displayed in the Old Arsenal, which is entered on a separate ticket. The ground floor’s exhibitions contain archaeological finds from the entire country, arranged chronologically and covering the period from the Paleolithic era to the birth of Christ. Considering the fact that Lithuania remained pagan until 1387, the longest of any European country, this is a somewhat arbitrary choice, but there’s little else to complain about, as the finds are immaculately labeled in Lithuanian and English alike. Pride of place belongs to amber jewelry and well-preserved wooden implements from the vicinity of modern-day Palanga on Lithuania’s Baltic coast.

The upstairs exhibition consists of thematically arranged displays covering the period between the birth of Christ and the formation of the Lithuanian state in the 13th century. Several glass cases document daily life and trade during this period by displaying excavated objects. Others illustrate the cultures of the diverse tribes that Grand Duke Mindaugas welded into the Lithuanian nation by means of mannequins dressed in the clothes and jewelry they are thought to have worn, carrying reconstructed tools and weapons. The superb English explanations accompanying both exhibits and several contemporary excavated graves are the best I encountered anywhere in the Baltics.

Founded in 1570, Vilnius University dominates the northwestern portion of the Old Town, symbolizing the role it has enjoyed in the country’s intellectual life since its foundation. Although visitors are officially supposed to pay a nominal entry fee, you actually have to go quite out of your way to do so, as the entrance is open to pedestrian traffic and the ticket office, whose staff members speak little English, is difficult to find. Given the confusion I encountered when I conscientiously sought to pay for entry (which ended up being apologetically refused!), I would advise any visitor to enter unobtrusively and to contribute to the university’s well-being by making a purchase at the excellent gift shop, which sells fine original drawings of Vilnius beside tourist bric-a-brac.

The university’s walls contain a dozen courtyards, whose muddle of architectural styles reflect its distinguished essence though turbulent history. Established as a center to inculcate Counter-Reformation dogma in Lithuania’s priests and nobility (many of the latter of having to the Lutheran faith), the university also became an important center for scientific inquiry. Under Russian rule it also became a hotbed for Lithuanian nationalist thought, leading to its closure in 1832 in the wake of the rebellion the previous year. The university was reopened when Lithuania regained its independence in 1919, but was forced to spout Marxist-Leninist dogma under Soviet occupation. With independence it has recovered its role as the country’s premier university.

While its buildings contain innumerable artistic treasures, only the University Church dedicated to the two Saint Johns is readily accessible to the public. While its hulking presence is visible from Pilies gatve, the Old Town’s main street, entrance is only possible through the Great Courtyard within the university’s walls. The original church dates to the conversion of Grand Duke Jogaila (Ladislaus) to Christianity, although its present form dates largely to the 1738-1749 renovation under the auspices of Jan Krysztof Glaubitz. This accounts for the startling distinction between its dull exterior and sumptuous interior.

The church’s decorations are the most ornate to be found anywhere in Vilnius, making ample use of plasterwork, precious metals, and paintings alike. The 10 interconnected altars that together compose the high altar are also noteworthy. Although a few glass cases containing old scientific tracts hint at the church’s erstwhile role as the university’s Science Museum, a designation that began under Soviet rule, they are dwarfed by monuments to Polish and Lithuanian patriots. The most memorable honors Adam Mickiewicz, the author of Poland’s national epic Pan Tadeusz, who was born near Vilnius and attended the university until he was expelled in 1824 for anti-Russian activities.

The University Church is open from 10am to 5pm daily, and the university itself supposedly share these opening hours, though in practice you may enter as long as the gate on Universiteto gatve is open. The gift shop is open during business hours and located off the Great Courtyard to the left of the University Church.