Bursa (Student Dormitory) Courtyard at Vilnius University’s Old Campus

In Old Town in Vilnius, at the Church of the Holy Spirit, on St. Ignatius St., a Dominican monastery was established in 1501At the time of Napoleonic Wars (in 1812) the Dominican monastery of the Church of the Holy Spirit was used by the French army as a hospitalThe monastery was converted into a prison by the Russian authorities in 1807. Corridors are decorated by frescoes from the 18th centuryAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

The garden reminiscent of a so-called secret garden (giardino segreto) could have been planned in the style of an Italian parkThe Renaissance Garden was located between the Royal Palace and the Upper Castle with the Tower of Gediminas. The stairs and other elements were designed by the Italian architect and sculptor Bernardino Zanobi da Gianottis. An Italian priest, Francesco, took care of the garden plantsEvidence of the history of the garden lies in the relics from various periods that survived in the cultural layers of the Lower Castle with the Renaissance Royal PalaceAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

This short (250 m), narrow and crooked street with Baroque and Classical houses is surrounded by curving, walls, ancient façades and typical 17th and 18th-century courtyardsIn Bernardinų St. in the house No. 11 a famous Polish-Lithuanian poet Adam Mickiewicz lived in April-June 1822. His apartment is located on the left side of the ground floor which is today transformed into the museumBernardinų St. connects the ensemble of the Churches of St. Anne and Bernardines with Pilies St. In 16th century, it was a section of a road connecting the complex of royal castles with the Bernardinų Gate of the cuty defensive wall All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The interior od the church is in the Rococo style with the exception of the Pac Chapel, which is late Baroque in the exterior, and rather Classical in the interior Impressive, gently-curved church pulpit in the Rococo style is created from wood and gold-plated tin in the second half of the 18th centuryThe church's mural painting is the only one of its size remaining in Lithuania. One arch depicts 19 scenes from St. Theresa's lifeAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

A fresco by P. Repšys created in 1976-1985, which depicts scenes from Lithuanian mythologyTo enter the Lithuanian Philology Centre is possible from Mathias Casimirus Sarbievius CourtyardThe fresco composition is painted for the occasion of the 400th years anniversary of Vilnius University establishment (in 1579)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

A former Gothic façade that was uncovered at Karmelitų Str. around Rūdninkų Square in the Old Town of VilniusThe back-side façade from the inner courtyardThe back-side façade from the inner courtyard. The house is located on the territory of WWII Large Jewish GhettoAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Simonas Daukantas was one of the first authors to start forming the concept of an ethnic Lithuanian nation and its cultural history. The first book on the history of Lithuania "The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians" was written by Simonas Daukantas (1793-1864) in 1822 while he was still studying at Vilnius UniversityThe larger part of the premises in this courtyard belongs to the Faculty of Philology. The Institute of Foreign Languages is located here too"Domus Philologiae" with the lobby of Muses on the first floor of the east wing is decorated by a fresco created by Rimtautas Gibavičius in 1969All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Juliusz Słowacki's bust in the courtyard of house No. 20. On the same building, there is a memorial plaque to Ferdynand Ruszczic House No. 22 of the Medical Collegium of Vilnius University. A Gothic building belonging to Duke Constantine Ostrogsky and later to the gear hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Christopher Radziwiłł is mentioned in historical sources in 1508. In 1683 the house was bought by Vilnius University. The backside of St. Johns' Church of Vilnius University is seenVilnius University's first botanical garden was created in the courtyard in 1782 as well as a greenhouse All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The building of Vilnius Gymnasium of Vytautas the Great - the first gymnasium in Lithuanian language est. in Vilnius at the beginning of the 20th centuryThe backside of the Church of Our Lady, Comfort of the Afflicted seen from Augustijonų Street in Vilnius Old Town. In Soviet times the church was used as a warehouse, and in 1967 the interior was divided into several shops by the construction of concrete floors. The building is today in urgent need of restorationThe entrance to the Jesuit Gymnasium in Augustijonų Street in Vilnius Old Town. Behind the gymnasium is St. Casimir ChurchAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Old Campus in the Old town - Rectorate building. On April 1st, 1579 the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephen Bathory issues a royal charter recognizing the Jesuit College into a universityThe Old Campus in the Old town - Rector's Office and former Astronomical Observatory building (right) and the Central Library building (left) with the Central Library Courtyard in front of the buildingsThe History Facutly building (left) and the Central Library building (right) with the arched gates to Mikalojus Dukša Courtyard (left) and Mathias Casimir Sarbievius Courtyard (forward). The Old Campus of the university has 13 courtyardsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The architect whose name is most closely associated with Vilnius University is the Jesuit Tomas Zhebrauskas who founded (together with Elžbieta Oginskaitė-Puzinienė, the daughter of the famous manor owner Mykolas Oginskis) and designed the observatory, in 1753. The White Hall belongs to the observatory The astronomical observatory of Vilnius University is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was famous in Europe for its astronomers and their works until it was closed after the fire of 1876The White Hall today is, in fact, a reading room of the Library of Vilnius UniversityAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2023

S. Skapo Street marks the northern limit (right) of the Vilnius University Old CampusA nice perspective view of de Reuss Palace seen from S. Skapo Street (west side) The Lopaciński or Sulistrowski estate in S. Skapo Street. The building got its Classical style according to Martin Knackfuss project. In 1930, the west wing was refurbished as the bishop's house. From 1940, the building housed a music schoolAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The small garden between the church and the street used to be a cemetery. It is still occupied by a mausoleum built in 1708 for the Suzin's familyThe Suzin's family chapel was functioning as a souvenir shop during the Soviet administration The Suzin's family mausoleum chapel is located on the corner of Trakų St. and Franciscan St. in the Old Town in VilniusAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The main façade of the Presidential Palace (Prezidentura) in Vilnius at Simonas Daukantas SquareThe presidential coat-of-arms is adorning the entrance to the President's Chancellery on University StreetThe Inner Courtyard of the Presidential Palace - the palace of the President of the Republic of Lithuania since 1997All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Universiteto St. 3 - The oldest building of Vilnius University with Gothic elements stands there dating from early 16th centuryThe Brzostowski estate. In 1667-69, a plot of land with buildings was bought by a diplomat, later the Trakai voivode Cyprian Pawel Brzostowski. The exterior and interior of the palace was decorated by architect Martin Knackfuss in 1769Alumni house. It was the Ecclesiastical Seminary founded by Pope Gregory XII in 1582. A three-storey palace with arccades was built in 1622All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The north wing of the Library Courtyard with the building of the Faculty of History of the Vilnius UniversityThe entrance to the Central Library of the Vilnius University is decorated by the memorial door in 2001 for the 450 year anniversary of the first book printed in the Lithuanian language (1547)The main building with the main entrance to the Vilnius University with the Rector Office seen from the Library CourtyardAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Althought it appears quite large from the outside, the thikness of the tower's walls make it a relatively small exibition space. Its floors hold various items of weaponry and engravings, and models which give an idea of how the site looked and was used in earlier timesThere are models of the three castles from the 14th and early 17th century. They provide an interesting comparison, to show how the site developedThe focal attraction of the museum is the view from the roof, and a narrow staircase leads visitors up to a parapet that overlooks the entire center of the city. This is the best place from which to appreciate the variety of colours of the Old TownAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

A monument to dr. Jonas Basanavičius in Vilnius in front of the building of the Lithuanian National PhilharmonicDr. Jonas Basanavičius chaired the session of Lithuanian Council that adopted the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 1918-02-16. He was the first to sign the Act of the Proclamation of the Lithuanian IndependenceBalancing between Lithuanian and Polish interests, he refused to participate in the opening of the Polish Stefan Batory University (today Vilnius University)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

One of the Latin inscriptions: "This house is that of Urania: be gone profane worries! Here the humble Earth is scorned: from here one rises to the stars"Here it was a Jesuit pharmacy. Medical herbs were grown in the courtyardThe buildings of the Observatory Courtyard are the oldest in the university ensembleAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Bronze door of the Central Library of Vilnius University. It portrays the university's history (est. 1579) along with that of Konigsberg's University (est. 1544)The Observatory Tower, on the spire of which the Jesuit university founders placed an IHS monogram of JesusThe building's façade is decorated in Rococo-style window framing with sun and Zodiac signes, with mathematical and astronomical instruments in between the windows All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018