LITHUANIA
Vilnius
Vilnius is the gateway to Lithuania and the Baltic States, being situated in an advantageous geographical location in Europe. The airport is within half an hour of the centre of the city. It has direct links with 18 cities and there is regular bus service to 7 countries.
Vilnius is famous not only for its historical past, monuments, churches and green surroundings. There are also many industrial enterprises with an educated labour force. Highly qualified workers produce goods of high precision and quality that use little labour and raw materials: metal-processing machine-tools, calculation and computing facilities, electro-technical and electronic engineering, diesel engines, fuel pumps and systems, etc. At the present time, the free-market economy has basically changed the requirements and manufactured products have to be competitive on the market and to meet consumer demands. The major part of enterprises have had to change their production demands and technology or reconstruct their management. Many prospective investment projects for renewing and expanding production volume, variety and exports are being implemented. However, it has proved difficult to attract the required enormous amount of investment for renewal and reconstruction of the production process in the plants themselves. Therefore, foreign investments of different types of joint ventures, is especially significant and welcome.
The Old Part of Vilnius is among the most prominent monuments of culture in the world. Epoch-making European styles have left their distinct traces in the city’s architecture: Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and classical. The group of churches of St Ann, St Bernardine and St Michael form an impressive monument to the Gothic and Renaissance styles and are a distinctive feature of the architecture of Old Vilnius. The brick gothic facade of St Ann’s church has no equal in the whole of Eastern Europe. The Church of St Peter and St Paul is an example of late baroque architecture and sculpture. St Casimir’s church is a marvellous monument of baroque architecture which gave rise to the construction of buildings with domes. The museums of the Upper and the Lower Castles, the Cathedral and the Bell Tower commemorate the foundation of the Capital City. The Radvilu Palace, the Chodkeviciu Palace and the M.K. Ciurlionis house-museum introduce famous personalities in Vilnius and cultural riches which were gathered in Vilnius throughout the centuries. By contrast the KGB Museum records the horrors of post-World War II times.
The modern culture of Vilnius fully reflects the diversity of city life. Evenings of classical music and competitions are held at the Philharmonic Society Hall. Operas, ballets and plays are staged at the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Youth Theatre, the Academic Drama Theatre. There are seven art galleries and a modern art centre where it is possible to get to know the works of Lithuanian artists and to purchase the work you like. The Lithuanian capital is famous for its commercial fairs and exhibitions.
Almost all hotels and a dormitory for young people are situated in the central part of the city. There are many restaurants and cafés where you can find a great variety of different foods, from Lithuanian to East European or North American dishes.
There are plenty of shops and department stores selling high-quality goods from all over the world and open twenty-four hours a day. There are several antique shops. Private clinics and beauty salons are rapidly expanding their activities.
Vilnius cathedral
One of the most famous architectorial monuments in Vilnius is Vilnius Cathedral, standing at the foot of Gediminas’ Hill. It was built in 1387, in the place where an old PERKUNAS (Thunder) Temple stood at that time. The first Cathedral church was wooden. After the fire in 1399, only a heap of ashes remained there. After some time with the help and financial support of the Great Duke Vytautas, it was rebuilt. Now it is a unique building of classicism.
Gediminas’ Castle
The western chapel, very often called.the chapel of Gediminas Castle, is octagonal which bricks are laid on a square foundation. Very large bricks and stones from the fields were used for building. The thickness of the walls is 3 metres. In the past the chapel was higher and it had a cone form with a tile roof. The Vilnius ethnography and History Museum is settled in the Western Tower.
The hill of the castle on which the castle stands is situated on the junction of the rivers Vilnelė and Neris. The Upper castle is an example of Lithuanian Gothics. Nowadays’ ruins on the hill of the castle are in reality a partially restored western Chapel and the walls around it. They are dated to the XIV century.
St. Annes Church
Walking in the narrow medieval streets of the Old Town, you can see much of the architecture which gave Vilnius its name as a Baroque city. Many other architectural styles can been seen here, particularly the Gothic and Renaissance buildings that date from the 15th and 16th centuries, a period of prosperity which saw Vilnius grow enormously.
Particularly fascinating are the churches of St Anne, St Michael and the Bernardine Church to be found in Pilies Street, which up to the 19th century was the citys main thoroughfare, lined with the houses of the aristocracy and the centre of its commercial and artisan life.
Vilnius University
Vilnius University was founded in 1579. It is one of the most important educational institutions in our republic and Europe. There are very modern laboratories, the complex of courting technique, very rich about, 3.8 million volume library. It has got a science library with unique fonds too. Students can gain about thirty specialities and more than seventy qualifications. It is especially worth seeing Vilnius University for its spectacular courtyards named after the professors Sarbievijus, Poczobut and Skarga, and for St. John’s Church. Then follow Pilies Street into Didzioji Street, which leads to Town Hall Square, the old centre of the political, economical, social and cultural life of Vilnius.