Lithuania’s landscape is generally rural and extremely flat, although pine forests and tranquil lakes are a feature of its National Parks. Numerous storks can often be seen standing in fields or occupying nests atop telephone poles and any other handy elevated spot.
Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius is the largest (population nearly 550,000) and one of the oldest cities in this newly independent Baltic country. UNESCO World Heritage listed, it’s a deeply absorbing city; quirky and eccentric (hosting huge Esperanto language conferences and holding a strange fondness for Frank Zappa); brimming with history, culture and wonderful architecture. Vilnius was first historically recorded around 1323, a time when craftsmen, merchants and monks lived and worked here. It was then a centre of tolerance, where people of various nationalities and religions such as Poles, Byelorussians, Russians, Germans and Jews settled and lived harmoniously. A University was established in 1579 when Vilnius became the largest centre of culture and education in the region. The independence of the Lithuanian State was declared in Vilnius in 1918.
Vilnius is the largest northernmost and easternmost city of Europe, with an influence of Western cultures evident in its architectural harmony, interspersed with older architectural styles such as Gothic, Renaissance, late-Baroque and Classical. There are many elegant and imposing churches and cathedrals woven randomly into this panoramic patchwork.
You might also be surprised to learn that, geographically, Lithuania is right in the very centre of Europe, making it one of several categorically distinct European centres. Today, it’s the fastest growing and advancing capital in the relatively young Baltic States. Home to the majority of Lithuania’s national art and cultural institutions, Vilnius hosts many annual summertime, international and national cultural events, encompassing music, dance and other creative genres.
The world’s only memorial statue to American musician Frank Zappa (who died in 1993) is located in Vilnius, in a small square directly opposite the Belgian Embassy. The statue is simple but stunning, consisting of a lifelike bust of Frank’s head mounted on a long column cemented into the surface of the square. Behind the statue is a feature wall, brightly adorned with paintings of Frank and several Zappa-esque scenes.
Not far from the Zappa memorial is the absorbing and informative Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. The collection includes ritual objects and everyday items used or produced by Lithuanian Jews; Jewish documentation - books, letters, posters, cigarette packet pieces with handwritten notes, copies of Ghetto diaries, seals of various organizations, translations, periodicals, proclamations, archival material from the former USSR and works by pre-war artists. There are also rooms containing information on the Partisan movement in Lithuania during World War II, relics reflecting the career of Lithuania’s most famous violinist, plus a very moving and emotional space dedicated to the Order Of The Righteous (which officially recognises and honours gentile rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust). 94% of Lithuanian Jews were massacred, either in the ghettoes or at Paneriai death camp during the Holocaust, but these unsung heroes managed, in many different, selfless ways and often at their own peril, to save the lives of many Jews who might have been otherwise murdered.
The Museum also participates in many unique aspects of Jewish life, and performs work not normally connected with museum activities, providing valuable information to researchers, journalists, filmmakers and authors. It also collaborates with many local institutions and the Jewish community in general.
Gedimino prospektas, a wide, ruler-straight boulevard on the fringe of the Old Town, encompasses the main shopping and banking precinct, with excellent cafés and the Vilnaeus Bankus, an excellent place to cash traveller’s cheques without hassle.
Not far away are the narrow, jumbled and cobbled streets of the Old Town. In Cathedral Square, explore the dim and capacious interior of the imposing Vilnius Cathedral, majestically crested by three 5 metre high statues of saints. The interior and echoing chambers of the Cathedral are gorgeous, especially the circa-1600’s Chapel of St Casimir. The devout regularly kneel in prayer on the stone step leading into this Chapel, which is barred from public entry by a gate.
From Cathedral Square, it’s just a short walk to the National Museum and Gedimino Hill, an ancient pagan site. You can walk or pay a few litas to take a short funicular ride up the 48m high Hill to reach Gedimino Tower at the very top. After climbing the stairs to the top of this red brick tower, a magnificent panorama of the city can be enjoyed. Many landmarks can be discerned from this high vantage point; a skyline bristling with church spires and the Hill of the Three Crosses. This trio of white crosses are old Vilnius landmarks, said to have stood here since the 1600’s in memory of three monks crucified at this very spot. Today’s crosses are replicas of those knocked down and buried by Soviet authorities during their rule of Vilnius. Diminutive Lithuania finally won its independence from the mighty Soviet Union in 1991.
Vilnius eateries within the Old Town are not laid out in one easy-to-find restaurant and café strip, but are scattered randomly through rather higgledy-piggledy streets, creating enjoyable exploration opportunities. Food ranges from (?) The legginess and height of the gorgeous Lithuanian women is also easily apparent in Vilnius, with not one short, overweight or unattractive female to be seen for miles!
As with many large cities of the world, poverty is a painful fact of life in Vilnius and street beggars, many of them quite young, are common around both the New and Old Towns. The local authorities do not support giving money to beggars and posted signs request that people donate accommodation or food vouchers instead. Seeing this kind of poverty certainly makes one appreciate how very lucky most of us are living in the Western world.
Highly recommended accommodation in Vilnius is the Eurotel or its overflow establishment, the 4-star Marija’s Hotel, hostessed by an eccentric but warmly welcoming Lithuanian lady and her family. Marija’s guest rooms are contained within a spacious, palatial family home. The gardens are lovely and the entire property is securely fenced, with parking available inside the yard on the sweeping driveway. Enormous double rooms (one even featuring a walk-in wardrobe) are available for 60-70 euro per night.
A short walk from Marija’s is a handy stop for the trolleybus (Vilnius’ bus network operated by electric, tram-like lines running overhead) and prepaid tickets for a 10 minute ride into the city centre can be purchased from numerous newsagent kiosks located around the city. If seeking exercise, a walk into the centre only takes about 20 minutes.
For alternative, cheaper accommodation options and other attractions of Vilnius, it’s worth a visit to the Tourist Information Burea (location ?) to arrange a booking, but note that this is closed on Sundays.
Vilnius – mysterious, intriguing, welcoming. Get a taste of the Baltics now.
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