What to See in Vilnius - Top Sights and Attractions

The Vilnius Castle Complex is a group of cultural, and historic structures on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnia River, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The buildings, which evolved between the 10th and 18th centuries, were one of Lithuania's major defensive structures.

The complex consisted of three castles: the Upper, the Lower, and the Crooked (Lithuanian: Kreivoji pilis). The Crooked Castle was burned down by the Teutonic Knights in 1390 and was never rebuilt. The Vilnius Castles were attacked several times by the Teutonic Order after 1390, but they did not succeed in taking the entire complex. Its complete capture occurred for the first time during the 1655 Battle of Vilnius. Soon afterwards, the severely damaged castles lost their importance, and many buildings were abandoned. During the Tsarist annexation, several historic buildings were demolished; many more were damaged during the fortress construction in the 19th century.

Today, the remaining Gediminas Tower is a major symbol of the city of Vilnius and of the nation itself. Annually, on 1 January, the Lithuanian tricolor is hoisted on Gediminas Tower to commemorate Flag Day. The complex is part of the National Museum of Lithuania, one of the largest museums in the country.^[1]

Restored, classical Catholic cathedral. The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off Cathedral Square. Dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, the church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in Lithuania.

The coronations of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took place within its confines. Inside its crypts and catacombs are buried many famous people from Lithuanian and Polish history including Vytautas (1430), his wife Anna (1418), his brother Sigismund (Žygimantas) (1440), his cousin Švitrigaila (1452), Saint Casimir (1484), Alexander Jagiellon (1506), and two wives of Sigismund II Augustus: Elisabeth of Habsburg (1545) and Barbara Radziwiłł (1551). The heart of the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław IV Vasa was buried there upon his death, although the rest of his body is buried at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków.

Inside, there are more than forty works of art dating from the 16th through 19th centuries, including frescoes and paintings of various sizes. During the restoration of the cathedral, the altars of a presumed pagan temple and the original floor, laid during the reign of King Mindaugas, were uncovered. In addition, the remains of the cathedral built in 1387 were also located. A fresco dating from the end of the 14th century, the oldest known fresco in Lithuania, was found on the wall of one of the cathedral's underground chapels.

During the Soviet regime initially the cathedral was converted into a warehouse. Masses were celebrated again starting in 1988, although the cathedral was still officially called "The Gallery of Images" at that time. In 1989, its status as a cathedral was restored.^[7]

Historic monument with city views. Three Crosses is a prominent monument in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the Hill of Three Crosses, originally known as the Bald Hill, in Kalnai Park. According to a legend, which finds its source in some historic events, seven Franciscan friars were beheaded on top of this hill. Wooden crosses have been sited in the location since the early 17th century, and they became a symbol of the city and an integral part of the city's skyline.

As the wood rotted, the crosses needed to be periodically replaced. In 1916, a concrete monument was designed by Polish–Lithuanian architect and sculptor Antoni Wiwulski or Antanas Vivulskis in Lithuanian. It was torn down in 1950 by order of the Soviet authorities. A new monument designed by Henrikas Šilgalis was erected in its place in 1989. The monument was depicted on 50 litas banknote. A panorama of the Vilnius Old Town can be observed from a small observation deck at the base of the crosses.^[9]

Shopping mall. Akropolis is the largest shopping mall in the Baltics by floor area, a shopping center and entertainment center in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. It was built in Šeškinė by Akropolis Group in 2002 and opened in April 2002. The bank "Hansa-LTB" financed the construction. The authors of the project "Akropolis" were architects Gediminas Jurevičius and Algimantas Nasvytis from Vilnius. Interior project author was designer Unko Kunnap.

There is a free car park next to the building. In Akropolis there are grocery stores, Maxima LT supermarket, shops etc. The shopping center also has a bookstore. The area has an area of 110,000 square meters. Not far away is the other shopping center, PC Ozas, built by German companies.^[12]

Museum dedicated to murdered Lithuanians. The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius, Lithuania, was established in 1992 by order of the Minister of Culture and Education and the president of the Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees. In 1997, it was transferred to the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania. The museum is located in the former KGB headquarters across from the Lukiškės Square and is informally referred to as the KGB Museum.

The museum is dedicated mostly to collecting and exhibiting documents relating to the 50-year occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, the anti-Soviet Lithuanian partisans, and the victims of the arrests, deportations, and executions that took place during this period. Before 2018, the museum was known as the Museum of Genocide Victims, reflecting a broadened definition of the genocide used by the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre. Although these events are considered a genocide only by a few historians, just a small part of the space is devoted to the Holocaust in Lithuania, the event that is universally considered a genocide. In 2018, the museum was renamed the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights.^[15]

Palace in Vilnius. Slushko Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania is a Baroque palace situated on the left bank of Neris River in the Old Town elderate, former Antakalnis suburb of the city.

The palace was erected in 1690–1700 by voivode of Polock Dominik Słuszko of the Clan of Ostoja, who ordered creating an artificial peninsula on Neris for the purpose of building the palace there. The peninsula was formed from the soil of the leveled down hill separating Antakalnis from the Vilnius Castles. Initially the façades of the palace were unified by a giant order of Ionic pilasters framing huge windows. It is believed that the decoration works of the palace were performed by Michelangelo Palloni and Giovanni Pietro Perti who was the architect of the palace.

The Polish–Lithuanian rulers used to stay in the palace during their visits in the city after the Royal Palace was damaged. The Russian tsar Peter the Great stayed and had his headquarters established here in 1705 and 1709.

After Słuszko's death the palace was owned by the Puzyna princely family (of Rurikid stock) since 1727 and by the Potocki family since 1745. The Piarist monks bought the palace in 1756 and established a collegiate and a printing house. Later it was bought by Michał Kazimierz Ogiński in 1766 and reconstructed by Pietro Rossi. The palace was confiscated by the tsarist government in 1794 and transformed into an apartment house. It housed a brewery of Dominik Zajkowski from 1803 until 1831 when the palace was taken by tsarist military. The building was rearranged, the floors were redivided into four, and the palace served as a military prison since 1872. The rich original interior and exterior of the palace have not survived.

Nowadays the palace houses the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. In the meantime the outhouses are undergoing the restoration and the main palace is planned to come next. The palace is planned to regain its original two main floors layout and original Baroque style windows.^[16]

Art and history exhibits in a palace. The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is a palace in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was originally constructed in the 15th century for the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the future Kings of Poland. The palace, located in the lower castle of Vilnius, evolved over the years and prospered during the 16th and mid-17th centuries. For four centuries the palace was the political, administrative and cultural centre of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was demolished in 1801. Work on a new palace started in 2002 on the site of the original building and it took 16 years to complete it in 2018. The palace was rebuilt in Renaissance style to match the Cathedral of Vilnius and, according to the testimony of one of the couriers of Grand Duchess Bona Sforza, such initial reconstruction from 1520 to 1530 cost 100,000 gold ducats and was ordered by Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old. It is believed that the reconstruction was made for the proclamation ceremonies of Sigismund II Augustus, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, as the Grand Duke of Lithuania.^[18]

Lithuanian Theater, Music and Cinema Museum is a museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is located in the Minor Radvilos Palace. The material stored in the Museum reflects life, creation, and spiritual experience of Lithuanian artists. The Museum accumulates, preserves and examines showpieces related to the history of Lithuanian theatre, music, and cinema, organize evenings in commemoration of artists of these spheres, and exhibitions of collections, conducts exhaustive topical excursions and educational programs, prepare educational publications and consult visitors. Communicating with foreign institutions, international exhibitions are also held there to present significant artists of foreign countries. Furthermore, modern art exhibitions are held there, and summers are especially rich with various events in the amphitheatre of the Museum.^[25]

3-story 15th-century brick tower. Gediminas' Tower is the remaining part of the Upper Castle in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas. The three-floor tower was rebuilt in 1933 by Polish architect Jan Borowski. Some remnants of the old castle have been restored, guided by archaeological research.

The hilltop can be reached on foot or by lift. The tower houses a museum exhibiting archaeological findings from the hill and the surrounding areas. This building is 3 stories tall and is made of decades old bricks. The museum has models of Vilnius castles from the 14th to the 17th centuries, armament, and iconographic material of the Old Vilnius.

Gediminas' Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself. It was depicted on the former national currency, the litas, and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs. The flag of Lithuania was re-hoisted atop the tower on October 7, 1988, during the independence movement that was finalized by the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11, 1990.

A reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Lithuania was completed in 2009, and is located near the base of the hill upon which Gediminas' Tower stands.^[32]

Building. The Church of St. Casimir is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, close to the Vilnius' Town Hall. It is the first and the oldest baroque church in Vilnius, built in 1618.

The construction of the church began in 1604 in memory of the holy prince Saint Casimir. It was built by the Jesuits with funding by the Great Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lew Sapieha, Voivode of Vilnius Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, and other nobles. It is traditionally assumed that the corner stone (which can be seen on the façade wall) was pulled into the city by procession of 700 Vilniusites from the Antakalnis hills. The construction was finished in 1616, and the interior design completed in 1618.

The Church of St. Casimir is one of the earliest exemplary Baroque buildings in the city. Its spatial composition and facade were designed along the line of the famous Il Gesù church in Rome. The shape of the building was modeled after the churches in Kraków and Lublin, with additional towers. The author of the design was Jan Frankiewicz, a pupil of architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni.

In the middle of the 18th century the church was reconstructed by architect Thomas Zebrowski. Under his supervision a stepped lantern cupola with a crown was erected. This large and impressive cupola is unique in the entire region of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Under Russia's occupation the church of St. Casimir was converted into a Russian Orthodox church. In 1915 Vilnius was occupied by the Germans and the church was converted into the Evangelical Lutheran prayer house of the Vilnius Garrison. In 1919 the church of St. Casimir was returned to the Catholics, but was damaged again during the Second World War, closed down and in 1963 converted into a Museum of Atheism. The church was reconsecrated in 1991.

The church is known for excellent acoustics and organ concerts with renowned international musicians.^[33]

Catholic church in Vilnius, Lithuania. Monastery of the Holy Trinity is a monastery built in Vilnius by the Ruthenian Uniate Church and Grand Hetman of Lithuania Konstanty Ostrogski as a thanksgiving to the God for the victory in Battle of Orsha. It belongs to the Order of Saint Basil the Great and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Beside this church, the monastery compound contains a fortified entrance gate, a university, a hotel complex for visitors, monastic cells including the Konrad's cell. The church is surrounded by adjoining four towers at each corner.

This monastery is associated with the Union of Brest personalities like Josaphat Kuntsevych, Archbishop of Polatsk who took vows here and spent first years of his monastic life, as well as a prominent reformer of the Basilian Order, Veliamyn Rutsky.^[34]