Monument to Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas

The courtyard of the palace. In 1834 the building was reconstructed and acquired its present appearance. In 1919 it was given to the university and was home to several well-known professors The façade is harmonious, moderately decorated. The façades of the servants' house facing the courtyard and Bokšto Str. (No. 5) Today the palace houses the Vilnius Picture Gallery and the Lithuanian Art MuseumAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Church of the Assumption is one of the Vilnius' most beautiful Baroque churches and most mature building of the Vilnius' Baroque schoolConstruction on the church began in 1695 and the final work was carried out by Vilnius' Baroque architect Johann Christoph Glaubitz (1700-1767) in 1750-1756The front façade is adorned by a domical rotunda vestibule, and two elegant towers with clocks All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

A plaque above the entrance to the courtyard of the house in which Mark Antokolski lived in the Old Town of VilniusThe inner courtyard of the house in which Mark Antokolski livedMark Antokolski returned to Vilnius every summer while studying at the Imperial Art Academy in St. Petersburg in the years 1862-1868All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Trakai Island Castle is comprised of two parts - the bailey (grand courtyard of the lower part of the castle) and residential palace (upper part of the castle), which is divided by a canal, which at the time was filled with lake waterIn bailey lived the castle's garrison, which was for defending. The courtyard was used for general purposes The bailey of Trakai Island Castle has four defensive towers including gate towerAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences was established in 1941 together with the Academy of Sciences, in the building of the former State Wróblewski LibraryBetween two world wars, State Wróblewski Library was one of the largest libraries in Vilnius. It was founded by lower Tadeusz Wróblewski. In 1941, the new Library inherited from it some 163.000 volumes, more than 35.000 manuscripts, large collections of numismatics, cartography, and artworksAfter WWII, the Library was supplemented by extensive collections from other libraries. Today, its stocks count more than 3.77 mln itemsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The architect of the Vilnius Bastion is unknown. The building that rose in the early 17th century is attributed to the period of late Renaissance and in that period Vilnius did not have a municipal architectThe wars of the mid-17th century and the 18th century weakened the military power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The army led by the Russian Emperor Aleksey Mikhailovich approached Vilnius in August 1655 and seized the cityWhen Vilnius was liberated in 1660, the city's defensive fortifications needed repair. However, there was not enough funds and the citizens were unable to maintain defensive fortifications, supply them with arms and gunpowder and provide securityAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

An idea to designate this small street a memorial site to writers began to be implemented in 2008Literatų Street No. 5: The Piasecki house built in the late 18th century. In 1823, having arrived from Kaunas, Adam Mickiewicz resided here at the invitation of the parents of his friend Kazimierz Piasecki. On the pediment of the entry arch a memorial plaque with a Polish inscription is set up; plaques with Lithuanian and Russian inscriptions are set below on both sides of the arch In the 19th century there were many bookshops on this street, hence its nameAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

In 1695 the Trinitarians set up a community on the right bank of the River Neris just to the north of Vilnius. Therefore, the place is known as Trinapolis (a city of the Trinitarians)In 1750-1760 Trinapolis was reconstructed in the late Baroque style. It was a summer residence of Vilnius bishopsIn Soviet times the church was closed down. Today, the monastery is used as a retreat house by an order of nuns, and the church is not regularly openAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2022 

In this house, belonging at the time to a university professor, Adam Mickiewicz stayed for a short period in 1822 and completed the poem "Gražina"It is small museum of three rooms but it is currently being expended. Among the exhibits are several portraits of Adam Mickiewicz and some period furniture, including a table and chair from Kaunas and a chair from Paris that the poet himself usedThe exhibition includes among the many volumes of his work in foreign languages, for instance, a Persian translation of his "Sonnets from the Crimea" All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The church was originally Gothic but in 1750-1755 it was restored according to design by Franz Ignatius Hoffer and acquired some late Baroque and Rococo featuresNearby the church building stand the 17th-18th-century buildings of the Carmelite Monastery which had a rich archive and library. A study centre opereted there. In 1797-1944 it housed the Ecclesiastical Seminary  Today the buildings are used by the Centre for Book Research and Libraries, and the church is closed to the publicAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is a national cultural institution open to all users, active in the areas of dissemination of information, culture, science, and education, performing library activities and ensuring implementation of the national information policy falling within its competence The mission of the library is to be the Lithuanian space of knowledge-creating value for the public The vision of the library: to become an integral part of the state's information policy, culture, education, science, and economic progressAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Royal Palace at the foot of the Castle Hill was a residence of the Grand Duke of LithuaniaThe Lower Castle is related with the times of Sigismund the Old and Sigismund August, Qween Nona and Barbora Radvilaitė (16th century)In the 16th century the Royal Palace with its Inner Courtyard was an Italian-style palace with four wings and attics. The building around encircled the Inner Courtyard of 2,500 square metres and were connected to the eastern wall of the Cathedral Basilica by a roofed galleryAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

If you go through the gates of the dungeon you find yourself in a small inner courtyard paved with stones. It is surrounded in a circle by a two-story wooden galleryThe Trakai History Museum was established in the castle in 1962. There are today total of 16 exhibition hallsWhen enemies attacked, the wooden galleries were burned, which made it more difficult to get into the palaceAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Polish King Jan Sobieski, Russian Emperor Alexander I and French Emperor Napoleon I visited the mansion on various occasions. The building was reconstructed in 1839-1841. The present façade is ClassicalA Florentine artist Michelangelo Palloni, was invited from Italy in 1674 to work at Pažaislis monastery and church near Kaunas, and Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas then commissioned him to paint frescoes for of this estate.Unfortunately, none of the original interior, which also included rich stucco work, remainsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2022

This is the first Evangelical Lutheran Church (Kirche) built-in Vilnius in 1555 on the initiative of the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Nicholas Radziwiłł the Black. In front of the church, there is a monument erected to Martin Luther The church was rebuilt in 1662 and substantially reconstructed in 1738-1744. In 1944 it was closed down. In 1993 it was returned to the parishioners and renovatedThe church has a single nave and an original pentagonal shape. Its magnificent high altar was designed by German Protestant architect Jan (Johan) Krzysztof GlaubitzAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The church is endowed by Juliana, the wife of Lithuania's Grand Duke Algirdas (1345-1377) and mother of Lithuania's and Poland's ruler Jogaila. Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila baptized Lithuania in 1387. She was buried in the churchFragments of Gothic masonry have survived in the bottom part and in some segments up to the top. The present façades and the cupola imitate Georgian medieval architectureIn 1415 the church was transformed into a cathedral. In 1511-1522 it was reconstructed by Prince Constantine Ostrogsky. In 1516 Helen (a Russian Orthodox), wife of Alexander Jagiellon (Polish King and Lithuanian Grand Duke) was buried there. In 1609 the cathedral was given to the Uniates (Greek Catholics). In 1865-1868 it rendered its present appearance, and it began to function as a church again All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The historical building in Tyzenhauzų Str. in VilniusTyzenhauzų Str. building in VilniusTyzenhauzų Str. building in VilniusAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

Tour № 1 – Šventaragis ValleyCathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. VladislausCathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. Vladislaus (inside, including the Chapel of St. Casimir, the Chapel of Deportees, the Gasztołd Chapel, the Royal Chapel, St. Wladislaw/Vladislaus/Ladislav Chapel, High alter, Memorial plague to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus, the Sapieha Madona’s picture, etc)Cathedral Basilica Bell TowerRoyal Palace of Lithuania (the Palace of Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania)Upper CastleUpper Castle’s West (Gediminas) TowerOld Arsenal – Museum of Applied ArtNew Arsenal – Lithuanian National MuseumMonument to King Mindaugas (1236-1263: Crowned King on July 6th, 1253)Monument to Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1316-1341: the founder of Gediminian-Jagiellonian ruling dynasty)Tour № 2 – Vilnius University & Monastery QuarterVilnius University – Historical Campus (est. 1579)Vilnius University – the Bronze door of the Central LibraryVilnius University – Historical Campus (inside, including 12 university’s courtyards, Domus Philologiae, Smuglevičius Hall, White (Observatory) ...

At the Church of the Holy Spirit, a Dominican monastery was established on St. Ignatius Street in 1501. In the 19th century, the buildings of the monastery were converted into a prison The entrance from St. Ignatius Street to the former old Jesuit Novitiate: arranged around three courtyards. It is the same age as the nearby Church of St. IgnatiusThe Church of St. Ignatius was erected from 1622 to 1647 being devastated by fires in 1748-1750. It suffered during the war against Russia from 1655 to 1661. The porch was added in the 19th century.All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The family of the noblemen Chodkiewicz bought a house that stood on this site, and transformed it into a Renaissance residenceGrand Hall of the Vilnius Picture Gallery in former Chodkiewicz PalaceThe Classicist interior of the palace is a notable feature of the building of former Chodkiewicz Palace, today the Vilnius Picture GalleryAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020