Travel Guide to Vilnius, Lithuania

Due to the numerous baroque styled buildings, arcades of narrow medieval streets, mysterious small squares, towers and castles, a great number of churches and cathedrals create a special, unforgettable atmosphere in the city on the Neris River. The capital of Lithuania is first of all famous as the city of hundreds of churches, among which you can find a lot of really amazing buildings. Only in the center of it are situated about 30 of them. So it's not surprising that the historic part of the city is in the UNESCO Heritage List.

The Cathedral. The marvelous Vilnius Cathedral is the religious and political center and Lithuania. The first Christian cathedral on this place was built by Mindaugas, when he embraced Christianity. The history of the modern building started in the 15th century, it got through lots of fires and reconstructions. The inside decoration of the cathedral is amazingly beautiful: there one can find paintings, tombs, sculptures of Lithuanian Grand Dukes and Polish Kings, art objects of the 16th-19th centuries. The exposition also tells us about the history of the cathedral from the moment, when it was only projected, till present day. In the cathedral are buried a number of important historical persons. The underground tombs date back to the 12th century. The separately located tower, which is 57 m tall, was built on the place of the former donjon.

St Anne's Church. St Anne's Church of the 14th century is one of the most attractive buildings in Vilnius. This wonderful example of Late Gothic can compete with the most famous ones for the name of the most beautiful in the world. Long time ago at this place used to stand a wooden church, created by the order of Vytautas the Great. Primordially the church was a part of the fortification. St Anne's Church is first of all famous for a good many of well-decorated sepulchers. According to the legend, it impressed Napoleon to such a degree that he even wanted to move it to Paris.

Vilnius University. One of the most amazing buildings of Lithuania is the University complex, built in 1579. Vilnius University is the oldest university in Eastern Europe. Stephen Báthory founded it, when became King consort of Poland and Grand Duke consort of Lithuania. For all its more than 400-years' history Vilnius University faced ups and downs. Was opened and closed for several times. The complex also contains St Jan's Church. There you can also find the Lithuanian Library that contains 180 000 rare book and magazines from Lithuania, Poland, Russia and other countries. The oldest of them date back to the 15th century.

The Sunrise Gate. The Sunrise Gate, built in the 16th century primordially were a part of the city wall. It is the only one from the nine, which left undestroyed. In the upper part of the gate takes place the marvelous chapel, created by Carmelites. There they keep one of the main sacred objects of Lithuania – the icon of The Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy. The neoclassic interior of the chapel deserves special attention. From all over the world the gates attract a lot Catholics, who believe into the curative effect of the icon.

The Church of Holy Spirit. The Church of Holy Spirit is the most important Orthodox Church in Lithuania. It has some magnificent icons that used to belong to Dominicans. Later reconstructions brought features of baroque and even rococo. The inside decoration has mainly the baroque style: lots of golden and silver details, fantastically beautiful green-colored altar and the multicolored font really shock. In the church they keep the incorruptible relics of the three orthodox martyrs: Anthony, John and Eustace. In 1347 they were hanged by Lithuanian pagans, because of the refusal to eat meat during the fast. Right behind the Church of Holy Spirit you'll see St Teresa's Cathedral, built in 1650.

The City Hall. In 1387 Vilnius got the urban law from the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Władysław II Jagiełło. Some time passed and the building works of the City Hall started. It's is first mentioned in 1432. The present classical construction appeared in the 18th century. In 1845-1924 there used to take place a theatre. Till 1991 the City Hall served as the Art Museum. In 1998 the building as presented to the city and nowadays the City Hall is used for important ceremonies and presentations.

Gediminas' Tower. Gediminas' Tower is the symbol not only of Vilnius, but of the country on the whole. A nice story is connected with it. According to the legend, Vilnius was founded in 1320 by Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas. He had a prophetic dream and ordered to build on the hill the city wall, towers and house – so Vilnius appeared. Unfortunately, nowadays we can look just on one tower and the ruins of the upper castle. The first restoration works started only in 1930. At present day in Gediminas' Tower the branch of the National Museum of Lithuania is situated. Its exposition helps us to learn more about the history of the city. The modern funicular will rise just for 30 seconds to the observing point, where one can enjoy the fantastic view on the city. You can also get upstairs and imagine yourself a part of history.