Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and is known for its architecture in the old town. Before WWII Vilnius (called Vilna) was home to one of the largest populations of Jews in Europe. More on that in the next post. I've come to Lithuania because my mother was born here and is a Holocaust survivor. More on that later too.

Vilnius is first mentioned in the 13th century and was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Over time Lithuania grew and shrank depending on who was conquering whom. At various times it encompassed modern day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and parts of Russia. Migrants came from many places partly because it was a tolerant society and a number of different languages have been spoken. The photos included in this post will tell parts of the story.

In the heart of the city is the Cathedral dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus. Pope Francis was here a few days before us and the square was full. Just as we've learned from other sites this was the site of a pagan temple so naturally the church built on top of it. Inside there are crypts of many famous people from Lithuanian history. Christianity came very late to this part of the world, not until the 13th century and initially was not well received. Churches were built and rebuilt on this site and during Soviet times the cathedral was used as a warehouse. It was restored starting in 1988 and hidden in one of the walls the restorers found a trove of church ornaments and documents. This cathedral has been added to so many times since it was first erected that you can see Gothic style, Renaissance style, and finally Neoclassical style. For those of you in Art Appreciation maybe you can try to figure out what belongs to what style. The cathedral was completely restored in 2008.

Yes the bell tower is leaning slightly and is the only tower associated with the cathedral. There were other towers attached to the building but over the centuries these fell. Scholars believe this tower was one of the towers of the fortification wall around the city and is one of the few freestanding bell towers outside of Italy. Lower part of the tower was built in the 13th century so some believe this was the site of the small pagan temple but no evidence exists for that. The rest of the tower was built in the 18th century.

The presidential palace is a few blocks from the cathedral. There a was no flag flying from the roof the day we were there because the president of Lithuania was at the United Nations. That is part of the reason there is probably no visible security but even if the president is not there you could not get this close to the presidential home. That is a group of small children playing around by the flagpoles. The flags by the way, includes the flag of the European Union, as Lithuania is a member. The palace was built in the 14th century on the orders of the bishop of the city and is sometimes referred to as the Bishop's Palace. In the early part of the 19th century both Czar Nicholas and Napoleon lived there for a time. Napoleon planned his invasion of Russia from here. Lithuania became independent from Russia in 1918 and it served as offices for foreign affairs, after WWII it was a military center, following that an art center, and finally the office of the president in 1997. Plans are to make it the president's residence in the near future. The architectural style is Empire style and you'll see a number of buildings in this style from the later part of the 18th and early 19th century. It's associated with Napoleon so you can see hints of French architecture and of course Neoclassicism but very clean lines.

The back of the Presidential Palace shows us a formal garden in Renaissance style. The horseshoe layout is meant to symbolize good luck and protection.

When the Presidential Palace was first occupied by the church this courtyard was the residence area for the lower clergy attending him. It has since been renovated and serves as offices and businesses. It's a typical example of courtyards throughout the city.

Vilnius University is one of the oldest in Northern Europe and it's history gives you a sense of the turmoil and change in this region. It was founded in 1579 by the Jesuits financed by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland. After the third partition of Poland in 1795 it was basically closed until 1918, briefly reopened, and then closed again by the Russians. After German occupation, then Soviet occupation it was finally reopened in 1990 when Lithuania became independent. The architectural style is a combination of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical. This is the library building.

Entrance doors to the university tell the story of the printing of the first book in Lithuania, a country that takes great pride in its literacy. There are more bookstores around town than I've seen in a long time, and none of them are called Amazon. The first book was a religious text printing in 1595.

Footprints found in Riga also mark the Baltic Way, a human chain that went unbroken from Tallin (Estonia) to Riga (Latvia) and finishing in Vilnius (Lithuania) in August 1989. Two million people held hands over 975 kilometers (419 miles). The day was chosen as it marked the 50th anniversary of the Molotov Ribbentrop pact between the Soviets and the Nazi Germany that carved up Eastern Europe and led to the occupation by the Soviets of the Baltic states. The protest drew hostile criticism from Soviet authorities but thankfully no bloodshed. Within months of the demonstration the Baltic States were granted independence from the Soviet Union. These footprints are a reminder and some say standing in them can bring good luck.

St. Casimir's Church looks like a wedding cake to me, built in 1616. It's not as much of a hybrid in architecture, predominantly Baroque in style. Just like the other major building projects this was funded by the Jesuits and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It is designed to mirror Il Gesu in Rome. Under Russian Occupation (the first one) it was converted into a Russian Orthodox church, then a Lutheran Church when the Germans were in control, damaged during WWII, and then reopened by the Soviets as a Museum of Atheism. It was reconstructed in 1991 and is now back to its original Roman Catholic congregation.

Dawn Gate, built in 1503 is one of the city gates in the fortifications of Vilnius. This is the only gate left standing, the others torn down during the 18th century. In the 16th century gates often included religious monuments and icons for protection and above the gate inside the windows one can still see the image of Lady of the Dawn Gate. People from many places pray here on bended knee and mass is held here in Lithuanian and Polish.

The city center is a combination of broad boulevards and narrow alleys. It gives the appearance of a prosperous city.

One of the narrow alleys that radiate from the boulevards. Just like everything else in this city, whoever was in charge left their mark on city planning (or not).

These apartment blocks reflect the Soviet and/or Stalin type of architecture that can be seen throughout countries of this region. In Soviet times one was given an apartment so they were built as cheaply as possible. Many are in disrepair, though from the outside these at least have newly painted facades.

Another Soviet era apartment block.

Newer buildings are mixed in with some quite old and there is a lot of renovation and repair going on in the city. A lot less adornment than we saw in Riga.

St. Anne's Church, quite unexpected in purely Gothic style. The brick construction stands out for a church built in 1495 to replace a wooden one on the same site that had burned. Legend is that Napoleon was so taken with this church he wanted it dismantled and taken to France. Fortunately, he was dissuaded from doing so.