Vilnius
Vilnius' flourishing Jewish communities and 100 synagogues gave the city the nickname 'Jerusalem of the north' until WWII. The Choral Synagogue, built in 1903, is now Vilnius' sole surviving Jewish temple. The exterior is an intriguing blend of oriental and modern Romanesque styles; ring the buzzer to enter and view its vaulted interior and ornate Torah ark.
Prayers in the Misnagdim (counter-Hasidic) tradition are heard daily.
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
0.74 MILES
If you only see one museum in Vilnius, make it this one. On a site that has been settled since the 4th century AD stands the latest in a procession of…
0.72 MILES
Stately Vilnius Cathedral, divorced from its freestanding belfry, is a national symbol and the city's most instantly recognisable building. Known in full…
0.55 MILES
Founded in 1579 during the Catholic Counter Reformation, Vilnius University was run by Jesuits for two centuries. During the 19th century it became one of…
0.94 MILES
This former headquarters of the KGB (and before them the Gestapo, Polish occupiers and Tsarist judiciary) houses a museum dedicated to thousands of…
0.69 MILES
Climb the creaky stairs into the free-standing belfry of Vilnius Cathedral, once part of the city's 13th-century defences. Towering 57m high, it's one of…
14.06 MILES
Stepping across the wooden walkway to Trakai's Gothic castle is like tripping into a fairy tale. The castle is estimated to date from around 1400, when…
10.98 MILES
Some 21km north of Vilnius, off the Utena road, is Europos Parkas. Leading contemporary sculptors, including Sol LeWitt and Dennis Oppenheim, show over…
0.67 MILES
Katedros aikštė buzzes with local life. In the 19th century markets and fairs were held here and a moat ran around what is now the square’s perimeter so…
0.11 MILES
A plaque and map at No 18 mark the site of the entrance to the Large Ghetto, in which 29,000 Litvaks (Lithuanian Jews) were imprisoned by the Nazis…
0.16 MILES
One of the main branches of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, the Tolerance Centre is simultaneously a museum of Jewish history and culture, and a…
0.16 MILES
Lithuania’s oldest church, this red-brick Gothic pile was built by German Christians around 1320, when the country was still pagan. From 1901 to 1939 it…
0.18 MILES
This art gallery, a branch of the Jewish State Museum, showcases the bold, vivid, somewhat surrealist paintings of renowned artist Samuel Bak, whose works…
0.22 MILES
With 2400 sq metres of space for photography, video, installations and other exhibits, plus a program of lectures, live music and film screenings, this is…
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church
0.24 MILES
Hidden in a courtyard, this revamped church is home to Vilnius’ tiny Protestant community. The church dates from 1555 but displays a mixture of Gothic,…
8. Church of the Holy Trinity (Uniates) & Basilian Monastery
0.26 MILES
Through the elaborate Basilian Gates lie this 16th-century church and monastery, mixing baroque, Gothic and Russian Byzantine styles. The Uniates are an…