Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Vilnius

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

Christmas Tree decoration at the Cathedral Basilica Square in Vilnius. The belfry is seen in the backgroundChristmas decoration in front of the principal building of the castle complex in Vilnius Old Town - Cathedral BasilicaCathedral Basilica of Vilnius is erected on the place of the pagan altar with a ceasred fire to the pagan god Perkūnas (god of Thunder)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic

Three crosses are believed to have first been erected on this hill above the Old Town of Vilnius in the 17th century to commemorate a group of 14 Franciscan monks from a nearby monastery who were martyred in the 14th century The monument has changed several times. The present one was built in 1989 to replace one that had been removed by the Soviet authorities in the 1950sOne of the best panoramic views of the Old Town of Vilnius is offered from the Hill of Three CrossesAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Mindaugas Bridge is constructed in 2003. It has the name of the only Lithuanian King crowned on July 6th, 1253On the foothill on the left riverside of Neris, there is a Renaissance building of Old Arsenal followed by the buildings of House of the Castle Keeper and New Arsenal On the right riverside of Neris, a new business center of Vilnius is growing during the last two decadesAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Monument to the Gaon of Vilnius Elijah ben Solomon Zalman (1720-1797) called "Jewish Saga". The monument is located on the place where he lived. The house was destroyed during WWII and it was not restored. Nearby the monument there is a memorial plaque in Lithuanian and Hebrew on a building at Žydų (Jewish) Street Antokolski Street in Vilnius Old Town's Jewish Quarter. In this street the famous 19th century sculptor Mark Antokolski lived in 1843-1862. It was here he created his first sculptors depicting the inhabitants of his native quarter, which later gained recognitionMėsinių Street in Vilnius Old Town. That was one of the longest and most important street in the Jewish QuarterAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

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

Choral Synagogue is the place of the only working synagogue and school "Tarahat Hakodesh" in Vilnius This synagogue is built in the Oriental Moorish style and is only survived one out of some 105 before WWII synagogues and other Judaic prayer housesThe exterior contains an inscription in Hebrew "A prayer house is sacred for all nations", and above the pediment the tablets with the Ten Divine Commandments are representedAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

It is one of the most attractive Russian Orthodox churches in Vilnius: the exterior is a profusion of shining onion-shape domes; but the interior is remarkably serene. The interior's simplicity is interupted only by an elaborate iconostasis The internal space is created by two huge pairs of parallel semi-circular arches, intersecting at the top under the central dome which is also the main source of lightA panel on the right of the iconostatis depicts the two saints, both from noble families in the Middle Ages, to whom the church is dedicatedAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislaus in Vilnius. Today the Cathedral Basilica is in the Classicist style as it was redisigned in 1783-1801 by Lithuanian architect Laurynas Gucevičius  Baroque-style Cathedral's St. Casimir's Chapel built in 1610-1632 for holding the remains of St. Casimir (declared in 1604 by Pope Clemens VIII as the saint Cathedral Basilica Bell Tower. It is rebuilt tower that was part of the defensive wall that encircled the Lower CastleSaveAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The interior sculptural décor was created by Pietro Perti (Italian master) in 1700-1705. Twin towers were built on in the 18th century. It was built by the efforts of Casimir Sapieha the Younger (1637-1720) in 1694-1717 On the façade frieze two Christian soldiers taken into captivity by the Muslims are represented. The main goal of the Trinitarian Order was returning such captives to their homelands The church has an impressive cupola (dome), the interior is adorned with stucco relief works and sculptures - a large part of them is survived. The church is a "sister" to the Church of St. Peter and St Paul in Vilnius (Antakalnis)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

One of the meeting rooms in the library for public lectures, book presentations and discussionsOne of the exibition hallsOne of the Reading RoomsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Its foundations are superimposed on the remains of a square tower, one of the oldest brick buildings in Lithuania, whose bricks are bound in the pre-Cothis (Baltic) manner An oval four-story tower with loopholes was built on these remains. Originally, it was a defensive tower of the Lower CastleThe underground square part dates from the 13th century, and the round part - from the late 14th century All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The church and Vilnius Calvary are an expression of gratitude to God for the liberation in 1661 of Lithuania from the Russian EmpireIt is the second oldest and once the most famous Calvary in Lithuania, revered by pilgrims and processions of believersThe late Baroque church was rebuilt in the 18th century. The central nave is decorated with 18th century mural paintings, the sacristy - with 18th century stucco relief worksAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

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

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

A semi-circular corridor of the Bastion of Vilnius, where cannons were lined up at embrasures, was called a casemate. A special platform with a parapet for heavy artillery was built on the terrace of the bastionA 48-m long, 2,8-m wide and 3,5 m high impressive tunnel leads from the tower to the underground casemate. Cannons brought to the tower would be rolled down this tunnelThe main part of the Bastion of Vilnius is the casemate. It is an underground horseshoe-shaped room for cannons. The casemate forms a semicircle around a 3-4 metre-high hill heightened with sand. From the outside the façade is 8 m high, and sloping, and is built from bricksAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The building in Vilnius Street in Vilnius No. 25 in which Jonas Basanavičius died in hospital on February 16th, 1927. The day of his death coincided with the anniversary of the Independence Act in 1918A memorial plaque on the building informs that in this building in 1909 the Editorial Board of the oldest Lithuanian newspaper "Lithuanian News" started to work Another memorial plague on the building as this building housed a music school, where the famous violinist Jascha Heifetz studied in 1905-1909 All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2022

This building in Savičiaus Street in Vilnius Old Town acquired its present appearance in the 18th century with the 19th-century façade. Until the mid-19th century, the building was home to Vilnius governors and burgomasters In 1995, on the artist's 120th anniversary, a memorial culture center and the flat museum was opened in this house. The center and museum, today, hosts lectures on music, art, and philosophy, as well as chamber concertsM. K. Čiurlionis created 350 musical pieces and around 500 artworks. When he lived in this house, he created his most remarkable paintingsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Russian Orthodox Church of St. Parasceve (or Piatnickaya Church) is located in the centre of Vilnius' Old Town where a Russian Orthodox Church stood since the times of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas in the mid-14th centurySt. Parasceve Russian Orthodox Church is the oldest surviving Russian Orthodox Church in Lithuania located in the former Russian quarter of the Old TownThe church was reconstructed in the mid-19th century by the famous Russian architect N. ChaginAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021