Vilnius Old Town Hall

Trakų St. finishes where it meets Pylimo St, which runs along the course of the old city wall. There used to be a gate here, which was pulled down together with the wall at the very beginning of the 19th century. In the niche of the Umiastowski estate (Trakų St. 2) there is a Statue of "The City Guard" (1973) In Trakų Street, there is the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption that was founded here by the noble Goštautas family in 1387, the same year as Lithuania became converted to Christianity. However, it is believed that the church with the monastery existed even earlierOne of courtyards of the buildings in Trakų StreetAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

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 silver cofin of St. Casimir is under a plaster canopy accompanied by relics. Under the cofin is a miraculous painting in a silver frame, with a silver statue with the saint's attributes placed on the cofin. The relief features a very rare depiction of a smiling Blessed Virgin Mary with Baby JesusIn the chapel there are eight silver-plated wooden Baroque statues of the Kings and Grand Dukes of Poland and Lithuania from the Gediminid and Jagiellon dynasties from the 17th centuryThree-Handed Image of St. Casimir c. 1520. This painting is considered to be miraculous. In 1743 the painting was put into a silver, gold-plated framing. St. Casimir is holding lilies and a rosary, which are his symbolsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Alumnatas Courtyard was the location for the student dormitory of a pontifical seminary in which seminary students (alumni) and future Greek Catholic (Uniate) priests lived. The courtyard is located in the Monastery Quarter of Vilnius very close to the Old Campus of Vilnius University and Presidential Palace (Prezidentura). Alumnatas (the Greek Catholic/Uniate) Courtyard in probably the most impressive and beautiful courtyards in Old Town of VilniusIn the mid-17th century, the courtyard was remodelledin an Italian Renaissance style , along with a chapelLater the buldings around Alumnatas Courtyard passed to Vilnius UniversityAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

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

The Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund (1432-1440), who ruled briefly after the death of his brother Vytautas the Great (died in 1430), granted equal rights to the Russian Orthodox believers living in the capital-city of Vilnius - before long they came to constitute one half of the members of the city board and guild elders  In the Middle Ages Vilnius (today Old Town) was increasingly multy-national as it was the case with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as well. The city was, in fact, divided into four quarters according to the ethnic and religious belonging of its citizens: the German Quarter, the Russian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Tartar Quarter. Each of these city quarters had the main street named according to the ethnic belonging of their inhabitantsThe Russian Street in Old Town of Vilnius ends with the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Sobor) of the Dormition of the Holy Mother ...

In this street, it was used to be a market place where it meets Pilies street. The first Town Hall is also believed to have stood on this spot Pharmacy house in St. John St. No. 5. Georg Schulz's pharmacy operated in this house since 1639. During the war in 1655, the house was burned down. In 1781, pharmacist Koszyk acquired the ruined building and reconstructed it The Pac estate. Since 1628, the building belonged to the Pac magnate family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1783, the dilapidated building was bought, renovated and decorated by the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Alexander Michael Sapieha. Currently, the building belongs to the Polish Embassy All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Of the two wings, only the east one is open to the public. It is used as a venue for art-exhibitions, usually for work by contemporary artistsThe east wing was given a tower in the mid-19th century. As viewing a show, visitors can admire its lavishly decorated rooms, with their elaborate woodwork and intricately painted walls and ceilingsThe most magnificent building is the eastern maintenance building, in which the interiors of the second half of the 18th century have been restoredAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

Upper Caste's Gediminas Tower (14th century) with the Royal Palace of Lithuania (the Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania, 16th century). Today, it houses a museum and an observation deck from which it can be seen a beautiful panorama of the city from the 75 m. high perchThe museum exposition features plans of castlereconstruction as well as armamentsGediminas Tower with the Lithuanian tricolor flag became a symbol of Lithuania. Gediminas Tower is a Western tower of the Higher Castle of Vilnius with an octagonal plan, stone foundations, and mainly brick walls built in the Gothic mannerAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A small doorway in a plain building at Pilies (Castle) Street leads through a vaulted passage into a large yard. The yard was the original place of the Botanical Garden of the Vilnius University. It was founded by a French botanist, Jean Gilibert, in 1782The Botanical Garden remained in this yard for 10 years when it was transferred to Sereikiškių Park, and as well as provided accommodation for the university professors. Before becoming the Botanic Garden, the buildings around had been a college for noblemen. After the university was closed in the mid-19th century, the buildings were used by the Medical AcademyThe yard is the best and most probably the single place in Vilnius from where to admire the spectacularly decorated top of the apse of the Church of St. John's (the church in the grand courtyard of the University of Vilnius)All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav ...

Vilnius University was the first observatory center in Eastern Europe and the 4th in the worldWhite Hall now houses unique astronomical instruments and a reading roomThe narrow staircase leads to the observatory tower, which reveals a panorama of the Vilnius Old TownAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2023