Photo Slider Old Town in Vilnius: Vilnius University and Monastery Quarter

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

In 1986 the east winf of the Old Arsenal was restored. It houses the Museum of Applied Art and Design. The Old Arsenal enables the visitors to feel the ambience of the Renaissance Vilnius The building of the Old Arsenal was remodelled by Sigismund Augustus (second half of the 16th century) in the Renaissance style, mainly by adding a third floor (the attic), decorated in double arch niches. In was an enormous building, reputed to be the largest in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth  The Old Arsenal was badly damaged during the war with Russia in 1655-1661, and remained a virtual ruin until the late 18th century when in 1780 was rebuilt and burned down at the end of WWIIAll 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

The Church of the Heart of Jesus is a significant monument of Baroque (finished in 1756). It is the only Roman Catholic church in Lithuania to be built along a Greek Orthodox cross designThe church has a large octagonal cupola (dome) and a very reach the elegant exterior. The interior is no less magnificent, although it was severely damaged during the Soviet timeAfter 1945, a prison was established in the church and convent buildings. The church interior and the plan of the convent buildings were transformed. After 1990, the sacral buildings are returned to their former ownersAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

One of the focal touristic attractions in the Žvėrynas district of Vilnius is the traditional type of the wooden houses coloured in different coloursŽvėrynas means "menagerie" or "beastland". In the 19th century a forest grew in this areaSince 1893, the process of urbanization of the district of Žvėrynas started with the building of wooden and brick villas and summerhouses. Today, this district of Vilnius is a prestigiuos residential part of the capitalAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

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

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

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

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

Earlier in this courtyard was an artillery school. The Rector of the Vilnius University S. Malewski as well as lived in the building of this courtyardA poet Adam Mickiewicz spent much time with his son in their house in 1818-1819. As the first-year student, he lived in one of those buildings. Later, it became a gathering place of the PhilomatsThe courtyard is surrounded by two-storey buildings. A Gothic façade of one of them is facing Pilies StreetAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2023

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

The church is an elegant late Baroque monument built-in 1702-1730. It is made even more attractive by an asymmetrical monastery ensemble in 1713-1730The towers date from the mid-18th century. They end in rococo domes with lanterns Both the church and the monastery belonged to the Jesuit Order. The monastery was intended for the Jesuit monks with 10 years of service experience seeking to become professed Jesiuts, i.e., to make the last ceremonial vowes All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The palace has always been representional: rulers, kings, emperors and kings-to-be like Napoleon, Stanislaus August Poniatowski, Alexander I, Louis XVIII and others used to stay there on their visits to VilniusThe Soviets turned the palace into an officer's club later to be converted into Artist HouseIn 1939, when Vilnius had been part of Lithuania, plans to settle the Presidency in the palace were advanced. However, it was not until 1997 that these plans were carried outAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

A museum operates today in the House of Signatories, along with a memorial hall where the act of Lithuania's independence was signed on February 16th, 1918 when Lithuania was under the German occupation and administration during WWI (1915-1918)The first floor of the house with statues symbolizing agriculture and fishing is very decorative. Niches on the second floor hold two male bustsHaving acquired this house in the late 19th century, Karol Sztral reconstructed it according to architect Aleksei Polozov's project in the style of HistoricismAll 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 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

One of Baroque gates of the Sapieha ParkAmong the surviving details of the palace are Baroque façades with stucco relief works by Pietro Perti and three Baroque gates. The park is the only one in Vilnius Vilnius with features of a regular Baroque park The palace and the gates were decorated with sculptures and frescoes created by masters who had worked in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul and St. Casimir's Chapel of the Cathedral Basilica in VilniusAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

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

Užupio street is the main street in the city's district of Užupis. The district was in the Soviet time one of the most dilapidated districts in Vilnius. Many of the buildings did not have electricity and sanitary facilities, and the streets were unlitThe River Užupis which separates Užupis district from the Old Town. On one side of the river is a unique ensemble of sacred buildings and a park, while on the other side is "Republic of Užupis", where a number of artists live and work"Angel of Užupis" sculpture. An angel is playing a trumpet that provides ideas about Užupis to others and protects the district. The 24th Article of the Constitution of Užupis, for instance, says that "Everyone has the right to understand nothing". The district is separated from the Old Town by the River Vilnia on three sides, and by a high hill on the fourth sideAll photos ...

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