Private Tour: All-Highlights of the Vilnius Old Town

Completed in 1522, the Gates of Dawn—or Sharp Gate (Ostra Brama) as it’s known to the Poles—is the only remaining gate from the city’s original defensive walls. As was common at the time, an image of the Virgin Mary was placed above all gates to protect the city. The current image, known as The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy, was painted on eight pieces of oak in around 1630 by an unknown artist, was embellished with gold and silver about 40 years later, housed inside a purpose-built chapel above the gate in 1706 and is believed to have magical healing powers. Interestingly, the site is revered by both the Catholic and Orthodox faiths.

Dating from the 13th century, the castle was rebuilt by Grand Duke Vytautas after a major fire in 1419. By the early 1600s it was being used as a prison for disobedient members of the ruling classes, but during the chaotic 17th-century Russian occupation the towers and defensive walls were almost completely destroyed, with partial restoration work only beginning in 1930. Inside the tower are models of the structure as it appeared in the 14th and 18th centuries, plus other bits and pieces on its history.

As the political centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 13th to the end of the 18th century, Vilnius has had a profound influence on the cultural and architectural development of much of eastern Europe. The historic centre includes buildings in the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical styles which have been well preserved over time. It is also home to one of the greatest love stories in Baltic history.

The Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania stands in the centre of Vilnius, in the Cathedral Square. It dates back to the country's most triumphant times. Though it has seen its share of history and hard times, the Palace has been newly revived. There is no greater testament to the resilience of this majestic city.

One of the city’s most famous landmarks, St. Anne’s has a history that starts with the alleged construction in the 14th century of a wooden house of worship on this spot in honour of Ona, the wife of Vytautas the Great. The current Gothic masterpiece is believed to have been built between 1495 and 1500 to a design by the Bohemian architect Benedikt Rejt (1453-1534), most famous for designing parts of Prague Castle. Unlike other historical churches in Vilnius, St. Anne’s has managed to escape the ravages of time almost unscathed and is arguably the least changed of them all.

Built at the same time as Lithuania’s conversion to Christianity in 1387, with numerous alterations throughout the centuries, this fascinating church with a beautiful Baroque façade is dedicated to two Johns, namely the Baptist and the Apostle. Given to the Jesuits in 1571, on the dissolution of the Jesuit Order in 1773 it was handed over to the adjoining university. The building now contains elements of different architectural styles and boasts an extraordinary and predominantly Gothic interior whose crowning glory is its organ, parts of which came from the Belarusian city of Polotsk in 1831. The organ—the largest in the country—was completely overhauled in stages between 1974 and 2000 and is now the focal point of regular classical concerts.

Possibly built on the site of a place of worship to Milda, the pagan goddess of love, this Late Baroque masterpiece was constructed in 1668 by Michael Casimir Pac, the Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian armies, who never lived to see its completion. Containing over 2,000 stucco mouldings representing miscellaneous religious and mythological scenes, of equal magnificence are the 20th-century altar containing a wooden figure of Christ which features real human hair brought from Rome in 1700 and a Latvian chandelier in the form of a boat made of brass and glass beads and dating from 1905.

It is said that the Town Hall of Vilnius stood in its current location already in the second half of the 16th century. The fires in Vilnius destroyed the building of the Town Hall many times, and the tower failed to withstand all challenges of the passing time. Famous Vilnius architect Laurynas Gucevičius tried to save it, although it was leaning, but the tower fell down and the management of the city decided to rebuild the Town Hall according to the cheapest and simplest architect’s design. The hall of the merchants’ society, the treasury, several shops, the guard and even a prison – everything was contained in this building. Concerts began to be organised in the Town Hall in early 19th century. This tradition has remained to date.

The City Hall Square is one of the main squares in Copenhagen. This is where the famous shopping street, Strøget, begins. On City Hall Square people gather for demonstrations, to pay tribute to returning sports heroes, for big concerts, and for out door exhibitions. Also the square an important bus traffic junction.

This shrine is a symbol of Lithuanian baptism. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus is built in the very centre of the city on the site of a former pagan temple and next to Vilnius’ defensive castle. Lithuania’s patron saint St. Casimir rests in the Cathedral Basilica. Jurgis Matulaitis served as the basilica’s bishop from 1918 to 1925. On 4 September 1993, the Holy Father John Paul II began his historic apostolic journey through Lithuania at the Vilnius Cathedral. Vilnius Cathedral was rebuilt several times as a result of frequent fires, wars and unstable soil under its foundation.

Established in 1579 and one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, the ensemble that makes up Vilnius University’s main campus buildings embraces just about every major architectural style of the last 400 years. As well as housing the oldest library in the country, the university is also famed for its courtyards, of which there are either 12 or 13 depending on your definition of one.