"Republic of Užupis"

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 unlit

The 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 side

All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic

National Martynas Mažvydas Library

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 Bastion of the Vilnius Defensive Wall (I)

The Bastion is comprised of a tower, cannon room and 48 m. the long corridor connecting it with the towerThe walls and moats of the Bastion were excavated in 1965-1970, and the canon room was renovated in 1985-1986 The entire Bastion is converted into a museum, and since 1987 it houses an exhibition of defensive fortifications and weaponryAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Vilnius Old Town Panoramic View

Wonderful panoramic view can be seen from the roof (platform) of Gediminas Tower (Upper Castle Tower)Despite wars and destructions, the architectural ensemble of Vilnius Old Town remains unique. Baroque domes and towers of Vilnius Old Town coexist with an irregular medieval city plan Vilnius Old Town is lacking German or Scandinavian features, rather reminiscent of Prague or Rome, Vilnius differs greatly from the other Baltic capitalsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Jewish Quarter (II)

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

Royal Palace – Inner Courtyard

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

Chodkiewicz Palace – Vilnius Picture Gallery & Lithuanian Art Museum

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

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

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

Monument to Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas

Grand Duke Gediminas is considered as the founder of the city of Vilnius. The monument is located in front of the Royal Palace and Cathedral Basilica in the very downtown of VilniusGediminas was a diplomatic politician, creating ties with the Roman Pope and other European rulers. He created favourable conditions for merchants and guildsmen to come to the city. Gediminas was a Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1316 to 1341During the time of Gediminas, people of different ethnicities and confessions began to live in Vilnius. He is the founder of the Gediminian-Jagelonian ruling dynasty of Lithuania and later of Poland as well (till 1572)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Užupis Art Incubator (2)

The Galera Gallery in the Užupis Art Incubator also operates there, where exhibitions of various kinds of art are organizedGalera of Užupis is an Alternative art gallery. That is a place similar to the former Christiana district in Copenhagen in DenmarkThe Užupis district and its Art Incubator are separated from the Old Town in Vilnius on three sides by the River Vilnia, and by a high hill on the fourth sideAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardine (Interior)

The main altar with Late Baroque forms, made from dark woodInterior of Church of St. Francis and St. BernardineWhile restoring the church, one of the largest mural paintings from the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods was discovered. They depict scenes from the Bible, Franciscan legends and symbolic imagesAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The Hill of Three Crosses

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

Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislaus

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

Užupis Art Incubator (1)

The Užupis Art Incubator is open to all beginning and experienced artistsA view from the Užupis Art Incubator to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Blessed Mother of GodThe River of Vilnia seen from the Užupis Art IncubatorAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Mark Antokolski House in Vilnius

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

The Old Arsenal in Vilnius

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

Sapieha Estate and Park

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

The Ensemble of the Verkiai Estate

In 1780, Vilnius Bishop Ignacy Massalski settled in Verkiai. He commissioned Lithuanian architect Laurynas Gucevičius to reconstruct an earlier palace. The general plan and maintenance buildings were designed by Lithuanian architect Martin KnackfussThe ensemble encompasses the park of 36 ha. Situated on two terraces, the park consisted of two parts - the upper and the great park. A view of Vilnius and the Neris River is exposed from a steep slopeSince 1960 the ensemble belongs to the Lithuanian Academy of Science and is gradually renovatedAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

Vilnius Christmas Tree

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

Church of St. Nicholas

The church was named after St. Nicholas, who was the Bishop of Myra and the patron of travelers and merchants. The character of Santa Claus is thought to be based on this saintThe Church of St. Nicholas in Vilnius is the oldest surviving Late Gothic church in Lithuania. The small church was used by the Franciscan monks, who lived nearbyThe interior of the church is decorated with ornate rib and groin vaults. A 16th-century picture of St. Nicholas with a silver frame is located on the left altarAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

The Church of the Holy Trinity and Trinapolis in Vilnius

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