With its Unesco- recognised Old Town crammed full of churches, its youthful verve and Capital of Culture status, there's plenty to occupy, writes AOIFE O'RIORDAIN
IT IS SAID that you can always see at least four churches wherever you find yourself in the historic Old Town of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Standing on the corner of Mykolo and Bernardinu streets, I put the theory to the test. Straight ahead was the pretty herringbone brick exterior of the Gothic-style St Anne’s Church, tucked behind it the red-brick Church of Bernadine and St Francis, to the right the 17th-century St Michael’s, and another two spires in the distance. Theory proved. But as I later discovered, with 48 spires and onion domes poking through its rooftops, there was a church lurking around almost every corner in the Old Town.
Church-spotting aside, there are plenty of reasons to visit Vilnius over the coming months. On January 1st it officially became one of two European Capitals of Culture (the other is the Austrian city of Linz).
As one of the newest members of the EU to be awarded the honour, Vilnius is clearly taking its responsibilities seriously. There are more than 300 events planned throughout the year, encompassing the entire cultural spectrum, including art exhibitions, street music, a European jazz festival, and the reopening of the city’s newly renovated National Art Gallery.
Far from being a Baltic backwater, this diminutive capital city has a youthful verve and feels a bit like a miniature Prague, but without the tourist hordes. As a weekend destination you can strike an unhurried balance between sightseeing and soaking up the atmosphere in its numerous cafes.
Vilnius’s charm is most instantly apparent in the Old Town, a jumble of over 1,500 Renaissance, Gothic and baroque buildings – one of the largest concentrations of its kind in eastern Europe, earning it inclusion on Unesco’s World Heritage list. With fairy-tale charm, its buildings are painted in a palette of sugar pinks, sky blues, buttermilk yellows and sage greens worthy of a Farrow Ball sample card. One of the frothier examples is the Church of St Casimir on Didzioji Street, the first baroque church to be built in the city and still its finest example, with a flawless pink and white exterior, suggestive of a wedding cake.
If the Old Town is the city’s picturesque centre, then its spiritual heart can be found at Cathedral Square, an airy open space dominated by the large neoclassical-style cathedral, the newest incarnation of the one built on the site of an earlier pagan temple in the 13th century. Behind it stands Castle Hill, where Grand Duke Gediminas, then ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, built the first wooden fortifications in 1323 and founded the capital city, naming it after the Vilnia, the smaller of the two rivers that flow through its centre.
At the height of its power in the 15th century, the Grand Duchy controlled a large swathe of territory, making it the largest state in Europe. But Lithuania’s turbulent time under Soviet rule has left its mark on modern-day Vilnius. This architectural legacy, which you suspect many Lithuanians are keen to forget, can still be seen in landmarks such as the Green Bridge over the river Neris, which is crowned with the four symbols of the Soviet ideology – soldiers scientists, farmers and workers – the brutalist 1970s lines of the Palace for Concerts and Sport and the austere apartment blocks dotted all over the city. There is also the self-styled bohemian breakaway “Republic of Uzupis” on the other side of the Vilnia’s banks.
But it was the sleepy, romantic charm of the Old Town that proved the most irresistible draw. I gravitated back to its quiet cobbled streets time and again, wandering aimlessly down deserted, twisting alleyways, peering into Renaissance courtyards and squinting through railings for glimpses of gardens hidden behind heavy doors. I also strolled down the ghostly quiet Gaono Street and tried to imagine it when it was the heart of the city’s thriving Jewish community, before 90 per cent of the city’s 100,000-strong population perished at the hands of the Nazis during the second World War.
Then, of course, there were more churches. The technicolour interior of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit, with its icons, flickering candles and dusty relics, and the dazzling splendour of The Gates of Dawn. Set above the arch of the last remaining fortifications around the old city, this church is home to Vilnius’s most prized religious treasure. Pass underneath the arch, look back and you can see the silver-encrusted 17th-century painting of the Virgin – believed to possess miraculous powers – glittering by candlelight through the first-floor window. A fitting mental image to take from this city, where churches and culture reign supreme.
** More information about Vilnius: European Capital of Culture 2009 at www.vilnius2009.lt
** Aoife O’Riordain travelled as a guest of Vilnius 2009
Go there
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Vilnius from Dublin
5 places to stay
Shakespeare Boutique Hotel. Bernardinu 8/8, 00-370-5-2665885, www.shakespeare.lt. At this 17th-century palace, in the heart of the Old Town, rooms are named after celebrated figures, from Tolstoy to Joyce. Doubles from €174 BB.
Narutis Hotel. 24 Pilies Street, 00-370-5-2122894, www.narutis.com. The Narutis, in a 16th-century building on the Old Town’s bustling thoroughfare, oozes old-world charm. Doubles from €210 BB.
Hotel Klaipeda.
L Stuokos-Guceviciaus, 00-370-5-2107461, www.klaipedahotel.lt. What this friendly, functional hotel lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in location: across the street from Cathedral Square.
Relais Chateaux Stikliai. Gaono 7, 00-370-5-2649595, www.stikliaihotel.lt. Pretty listed building in a quiet corner in the Old Town’s Jewish ghetto. About as luxurious as Vilnius gets. Doubles from €280 BB.
Grybas House. Ausros Vartu 3a, 00-370-5-2647474, www.grybashouse.com. There’s a relaxed feel at this pretty residence, near the Old Town’s East Gate. Choice of rooms or apartments. Doubles from €107 BB.
5 places to eat
Bistro 18. Stikliu, 00-370-6-7772091, www.bistro18.lt. This contemporary restaurant is run by a Lithuanian-Irish couple. European dishes with some international touches.
Pilies Kepyklele. 19 Pilies Gatve, 00-370-852608992. There’s a pleasant, old-fashioned atmosphere at this cafe and restaurant. Choose from pancakes, soups, salads, delicious freshly made cakes and good coffee. Perfect for a leisurely breakfast.
Poniu Laime. 14 Stikliu Street, 00-370-5-2649581. Visit here for beautifully executed patisserie. The cosy interior is in keeping with the Old Town’s charm.
Sue’s Indian Raja. Odminiu 3, 00-370-5-2661888. As well as having a lovely location, overlooking Cathedral Square, this spot has legions of fans, who come here for authentic Indian cuisine.
Zemaiciai. Vokieciu, 00-370-5-2616573, www.zemaiciai.lt. Visitors keen to sample local specialities make a beeline here for authentic Lithuanian fare in rustic surroundings. Try zeppelins (boiled potato dumplings filled with meat sauce) and wild boar goulash.
5 places to go
KGB Museum. Auku 2a, 00-370-5-2498155, www.genocid.lt/muziejus. Learn of the gruesome fate of those held in the grim cells of this former KGB headquarters turned Soviet-operated prison. It also chronicles those sent to Russian gulags, and Lithuanian’s struggle against Russian and Nazi occupation.
Vilnius Picture Gallery. Didzioji Street 4, 00-370-5-2120841, www.ldm.lt. The 19th-century splendour of the former Chodkeviciai Palace forms the backdrop to a journey through Lithuanian painting from the 16th to 20th centuries.
The Cathedral. Cathedral Square, 00-370-5-2611127. One of the city’s most important monuments. There are 11 side chapels within its lofty confines.
Higher Castle Museum. Castle Hill, Arsenalo 5, 00-370-2-2617452. Take a walk up the cobbled street – or take the funicular – to the summit and the sturdy stone castle for spectacular views.
SS Peter and Paul Church. Antakalnio 1, 00-370-5-2340229. Built in 1668. The baroque interior has over 2,000 stucco figures and a spectacular chandelier in the form of a boat.
Where to shop
Gedimino Avenue, Vilnius’s main retail thoroughfare, is lined with boutiques and small malls. Opportunities to buy locally inspired trinkets – linens and the ubiquitous amber – abound in the Old Town and the open-air market at the top of Pilies Street.
Hot spot
In Vino. Ausros Vartu 7, 00-370-5-2121210, www.invino.lt. Order some wine from the large selection in this candlelit room. Talking cafes are the latest trend in Vilnius. Chatting with strangers is de rigueur, so you can get to know some locals.