the Gediminas tower, landmark of Vilnius towering over the Old Town
Vilnius is considered one of the best preserved old towns of Europe, ‘old’ meaning medieval. It was established in 1323 and grew to become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, including large parts of Belarus and Ukraine, and even Russia. However, its biggest expansion period was the 16th century, when the walls were built, the nine gates – of which one is left -, the palace of the Grand Dukes and the university. And much of the old town seems to date from this time, or a little later, demonstrating a distinctive baroque architecture. This has either been maintained very, very well over the years, or has been restored, as much of it, the stucco and the frescos of the university, for instance, look too perfect to be original. Many of the baroque churches, too, seem to have been patched up, with all the details, perhaps because during Soviet times they have been neglected. The defence works and parts of the wall are, well, horribly over-restored, really.
the Gate of Dawn, the only gate left
the neighbourhood full of narrow, cobbled streets
or otherwise alleys leading off to yet another corner
the Grand Duke’s palace, impressive building, now a museum
and the is the monument to the Grand Duke Gemenimas
front facade of the cathedral, next to the palace
and the inside of the cathedral
the clock tower, a stand alone tower in front of the cathedral
a fountain – always nice for variation
more variation, colourful city bikes
one of the entrances to the former ghetto
the balconies on the outside of the former ghetto
large square in the middle of the Old Town of Vilnius
the inside of the Ortodox Church of the Holy Spirit
with the relics of three saints covered by a purple cloth – only the feet are visible
the courtyard of the university
inside the Saint John’s church, part of the university complex, a very barroque interior – quite unlike the Lutheran churches of Estonia and Latvia
they are nice enough, though, patched up and all
decorated with frescos, which I don’t think are entirely original anymore
I don’t think the city suffered badly during the war, except for the two Ghettos, which have been totally destroyed. Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of the North, with 60,000 Jews living there before 1940, of which only very few have survived. The ghettos have been rebuilt, kind of, and although my guide book insists that we have to go and have a look there, it is not particularly attractive – of course not, compared to the rest of town.
Which is nice enough – but remember we are suffering a bit from city fatigue, after all these weeks. Lots of churches, again, like Kaunas, and here especially the expansive and detailed decorations of the Baroque are fully developed. Quite a few squares provide space in between the often narrow, often cobbled, streets. And lots of people outside, and in restaurants and on terraces, there is a good atmosphere. Quite a few tourists, too, but I suppose that is unavoidable, Vilnius Old Town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Saint Anne’s church, so beautiful that Napoleon, apparently, had wanted to ship it lock, stock and barrel to France
luckily he didn’t get the time to carry out his plan
and inside Saint Anne’s church
fresco on the ceiling of Saint Anne’s chapel, part of Saint John’s church
yet another church, Saint Casimir’s
sculptures at the side of the National Opera and Ballet Theatre
depicting the arts that are being preformed here
another little cobbled street, outside the walls, just beciause it is so picturesque
stairs and walking paths past the numerous tombs at the Antakalnio cemetery
some of the thriteen graves of those who died during the independence protests in 1991
and the memorial, complete with soldiers keeping watch
and tomb stones as works of art
tombstones as rogh stones, meant artistically
Outside the Old Town is the Antakalnio cemetery, originally a military burial ground. A section is devoted to Polish soldiers, another large grave contains remains from Napoleon’s Grand Armee of the early 19th century; the thirteen victims who died during independence protests in 1991 are also buried here. But the most attractive part, if you can use that term for a cemetery, is the park itself, tree-shaded, undulating, and graves everywhere. And although many of the graves are standard, crosses or simple head stones, quite a few have been adorned with elaborately sculpted stones, that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern art gallery. I am a sucker for cemeteries.
And for modern art galleries, one of which is not far north of Vilnius.
like this one, for instance
flowers on one of the graves
a rare moment of colour at the cemetery
