Unesco heritage in Vilnius

St. Anne's Church

2009-06-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Karolina and two my friends - Liza and Viktorija are from gymnasium 'Versmė'.

We are going to introduce St. Anne's Church. Vilnius is associated with numerous cathedrals and churches, representing practically all the known architectural styles. No other city in the Eastern Europe can boast of such a number of unique churches, situated on quite a small territory. But St. Anne's Church stands out from the variety of city's sacral building. It is considered to be the masterpiece of late Lithuanian gothic. The small church is situated in front of the Bernardine Church and forms with it a single architectural ensemble. The dominant of the ensemble is the elaborate principal facade of St. Anne's Church that has become a sort of visiting card for Vilnius. St. Anne's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, on the right bank of the Vilnia River. It is a prominent example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles. St. Anne's is among the features of Vilnius Old Town that enabled the district to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The St. Anne's Church is a monument of the Late Gothicism in Lithuania. It was built near the St. Bernardine Monastery in 1495 - 1500. According to arts historian D. Kačmažikas, the church was designed and built by Michael Enkinger. Pope Alexander VI issued an indulgence for the St. Anne's Church in 1501. The church lived through many terrible decades. It was destroyed and renovated, burned down and then rebuilt. Finally, in 1902 - 1909 the church was restored and in 1925 a parish was established. According to the design of an engineer Janina Bartkienė, the crumbling towers were strengthened in 1960 - 1970. The St. Anne's Church has one nave and is of light and graceful forms. The most valuable is the main façade of the church – unique in the Brick Gothicism architecture. Thirty-three types of bricks were used to build the façade. The façade of the church has the structure of a gothic basilica, with harmonious proportions, and plastically accomplished, which is unsurpassable in the Brick Gothicism of the whole Eastern Europe. Erected in the year 1394, the church that was made of wood was replaced with a structure made of bricks by the Franciscans in the year 1500. It was only after nearly eight years that the church seen today acquired its form and style. It is known that bricks of thirty-three different types were used in the construction of St. Anne’s Church Vilnius. Nikolaj Chagin, in the nineteenth century designed a belfry in the Neo-Gothic style and this was a much later addition. The interiors were also spruced up with the addition of a new choir and organ and metal strings were utilized to reinforce the façade. The story about Napoleon Bonaparte and St. Anne’s Church Tt is said Napoleon Bonaparte was enamored by the beauty of St. Anne’s Church Vilnius and wanted to take it to Paris with him in the palm of his own hand if it were ever possible. However, contradictory to this, it was he who used St. Anne’s Church Vilnius for the requirements of the French cavalry. Umpteen phials, metal gates, beautiful spires, innumerable arches, etc adorn the interior and exterior spaces of St. Anne’s Church Vilnius. It is said that the first church that was built of wood was actually constructed for Anna who was the wife of Vytautas the great. A fire in the year 1419 destroyed it and the church underwent the reconstruction and repair mentioned above. In the year 1970, the towers of St. Anne’s Church Vilnius were restored and the whole structure retained its red color due to the bricks that were used to build it.

Gediminas' Castle

2009-06-13T07:55:00.001-07:00

I'm Bernardas and there is some information about Gediminas' Castle.

The history of the castle is closely connected with the formation of the city. According to the legend found in the Chronicle of Lithuania, the castle on the Castle Hill was founded by Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, who once had a prophetical dream. In his dream he saw an iron wolf standing on this place and howling like a hundred wolves. The pagan priest Lizdeika interpreted this dream as gods' will. Gediminas should build a castle and a city that would soon become famous and prosperous, and would be unassailable for enemies. According to other historical facts, in the 5-6th centuries there had already been large settlements on the banks of the Vilnia River and Gediminas chose this place for the construction of the new town because of its favorable geographical position. About 1230 the castle was built and soon the capital was moved from Trakai to the new town named after the Vilnia River. In the historical documents three Vilnius castles are mentioned: the Upper Castle (a fortress) and the Lower Castle (a residence of Grand Duke) were situated on the Gediminas Hill, the Crooked Castle was located on the present Hill of Three Crosses. The oldest of them is the Upper Castle, now called Gediminas Castle. The first wooden castle on this place was built in the early 13th century. After Grand Duke Gediminas proclaimed Vilnius the capital of Lithuania, the wooden castle was reinforced with brick walls. The current stone building was erected according to the order of Grand Duke Vytautas. The majestic stone castle, surrounded with ten feet thick defense wall with three towers and entrance gates, dominated the medieval town. The castle was severely damaged by Russian troops in the 17th century. By the beginning of the 20th century the castle had been practically ruined. But due to the restoration work started in 1930 one of the main city's landmarks has been preserved and now you can visit the Western (Gediminas) castle tower, ruins of defense wall, surrounding the palace and the castle. The construction of the Lower castle was started at the beginning of the 14th century. Since the middle of the 14th century it served as a residence of Grand Duke and his family. The castle was defended by a brick defensive wall with towers, one of which, rebuilt into a belfry, survived up to nowadays. Now the castle houses the museum of the history of Lithuania. It was founded in 1960 and is located in the best-preserved western tower of the Upper Castle. One of the exhibitions is dedicated to the history of the castle and displays archeological finds, models of Vilnius at various stages of its development and historical documents. From the top of the tower you can enjoy the marvelous panorama of Vilnius.

Schools From Lithuania

2009-04-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Two schools from Lithuania - Elektrenai Versmes gymnasium and Vilnius Gabijos gymnasium are welcoming all the project participants. We have started collecting information on one of 4 Unesco World heritage sites in Lithuania. We have chosen Vilnius Old town as it has got so many amazing cultural historical sites.In this project we are going to depict 8 of them.

In 1994 Vilnius (the capital city of Lithuania) Old Town was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List, because it corresponded to the following UNESCO World Heritage criteria:

1) from XIII c. till the end of XVIII c. Vilnius had a large influence to the urban, architectural and cultural development of the region (Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland) ;

2) Vilnius was the Central European City farthest to the East, where strong interaction between Eastern and Western cultures took place. Vilnius Old Town is characteristic example of the network of medieval streets and also has a big number of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism monuments. In 1995 - 1996 at the request of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania and Vilnius City Mayor, Vilnius Old Town Revitalisation Strategy was developed by an international group of Danish, Scottish and Lithuanian experts, with the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Bank, Norwegian and Danish governments. It was suggested to establish a new management instrument - Old Town Renewal Agency which is a non-profit organization. This agency set up the Information Centre. The Information Centre develops and implements heritage management training programmes designed for citizens, youth, investors and other public stakeholders, encouraging their awareness and interest in Vilnius Old Town values, ways for their preservation, thus seeking to attain the balance between development and heritage conservation. In addition, the Information Centre arranges exhibitions and participates in international conferences, thus promoting the Old Town in foreign countries.

Daina_Valanciene

Vilnius Town Hall

2009-04-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name's Karina and I'm from Lithuania, Vilnius. I'm studying at Vilnius Gabijos gymnasium. I would like to share my collected information about Vilnius Town Hall.

Vilnius Town Hall is a historical town hall in the square of the same name in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania. The town hall in Vilnius was mentioned for the first time in 1432. Initially it was a Gothic style building, and has since been reconstructed many times. The current Vilnius Town Hall was rebuilt in neoclassical style according to the design by Laurynas Gucevicius in 1799. It has remained unchanged since then. Nowadays it is used for representational purposes as well as during the visits of foreign state officials and rulers, including George Walker Bush and Queen Elizabeth II. The Town Hall Square is located at the end of the Pilies Street. The Town Hall Square was the place where various celebrations were announced such as meetings with important guests and foreign rulers and family festivals of local noblemen. Nowadays it’s a traditional centre of trade and events in Vilnius.

Vilnius University

2009-04-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,my name is Agne,I'm from Lithuania,Vilnius.I'm studying at Vilnius Gabijos gymnasium and I want to present Vilnius University.

Vilnius University is situated to the West of Daukanto aikšte and takes up a whole block in the Old Town between Šv. Jono, Skapo and Universiteto streets. The buildings are a collection of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical styles. The campus is arranged around twelve closed courtyards. The most prominent features of the Great Courtyard are the tallest Church of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist (the 14th – 18th centuries) and the tallest bell tower. Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. The University started from a Collegium, which was established by the Order of the Jesuits who came to Lithuania to fight against the spreading Reformation. In 1579, Stephen Bathory, the elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, conferred on it the status of university. The Library of the University, established in 1570, stores especially rich collections of old and rare publications, the first printed books and maps. Nowadays in Vilnius University are 12 faculties and 9 institutes. University was awarded the European gold medal for the preservation of old buildings. This was the second such medal awarded to a European university. Vilnius University is one of the few universities in Europe which has preserved the original purpose of its buildings since its establishment. The ensemble of Vilnius University will represent Lithuania in the Brussels park “Mini Europe” which displays the most famous buildings and other structures of cultural or historical value of the European Union member states.

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Hi, I would like to represent Vilnius University.

As I see, Saulius has already represented Vilnius University so I will try to say something new. Vilnius University – the oldest and largest Lithuanian higher education institution. Vilnius University offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies in humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, biomedicine and technologies. The undergraduate studies usually last four years and graduates are awarded a bachelor’s degree and, in certain areas, also a Professional qualification. The graduate studies – Masterdegree studies or professional studies – last from one and a half to two years. Graduates of Master studies are awarded a Master degree. Special professional studies are aimed at granting the students a high-level professional qualification. Studies in the fields of law, medicine and odontology embrace both undergraduate and graduate studies. The residence – postgraduate - studies enable the medicine and odontology graduates to acquire a higher qualification of a specialized medical doctor. The doctoral studies prepare researchers in various fields. These postgraduate studies last four years and end with the defence of a doctoral thesis. Vilnius University has the oldest library in the Baltic States, which was set up in 1570. It was given a start by the collections of books donated by Vilnius bishop Valerianus Protasevičius and the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismundus Augustus. Currently, the library stores 5.3 million printed works. The division of rare publications boasts over 178,000 titles of big scientific, cultural and historical value, which were published before 1800, and the largest collection of old Lithuanian books in the world. A valuable cartography fund, which includes maps drawn by the most prominent cartographers of the 16th-18th centuries, is also stored here. If you want to see some pictures of University, visit Vilnius University website http://www.vu.lt/en/welcome/maps_pictures/ Posts: 1 -->

Giedre_Dabuleviciute

Gate of Dawn in Vilnius

2009-04-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Rugile,I'm from Gabijos gymnasium,Vilnius.I want to present Gate of Dawn in Vilnius

Gate of Dawn (Lithuanian: Aušros Vartai) was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications for the city of Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The name-sake for the gate was the borough of Ostry Koniec ("sharp end") to which the gate initially led. It has also been known as the Medininkai Gate as it lead to the village Medininkai south of Vilnius. The Gate of Dawn is the only remaining out of nine city gates, while the others were destroyed by the order of the government at the end of the 18th century. My information is quite short,but I expect you enjoy it! And also I will attach some photos

Linthuanian signatories house

2009-04-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Auguste, I'm from Gabijos gymnasium, Vilnius, Lithuania. I want to give some information about Linthuanian signatories houses.

Lithuanian signatories houses is a place where 1918 was signed Lithuanian Independece act. These days there is a musuem. In office, where Lithuanian independence act was signed, tried to reach that time atmosphere. In the office you can see Lithuanian concil photos and in "Lietuvos Aidas" newspaper printed Lithuanian independence act. Sigantories houses exposition presents visitors with history of XX century national regenerative and Lithuanian state regenerative in 1918. This building is gothic style and built in XVI century, but in 1748 this biuldin burnt. Later building was reconstructed and for these days signatories houses is very beautiful building. Lithuanian signatories houses is in Pilies street 26,Vilnius. I hope you will come and visit heritage sites in Vilnius.

Medininkai

2009-04-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hi I’m Auste and I would like to tell you a little bit about a famous Lithuanian restaurant – Medininkai.
The restaurant Medininkai is one of the best restaurants in Vilnius old town recognized for its gourmet food, some of whose recipes have gained awards in international competitions, its service quality and its elegant scenery. The restaurant was established in the XVI century in the cellars of old town and is still thriving today. As you walk in through the door you feel as though you are in a castle. The restaurant has a medieval touch to its décor which makes it all the more amazing. Medininkai has three dinning halls which are all different in their own way. The first - the white hall is a bright hall with wide arks and arched windows which keep up with the restaurants medieval theme. The second known as the dinning hall is very elegant, decorated with antique works of bronze and crystal. The third is the whine cellar which is one of the oldest cellars in Vilnius; it has a small hall especially for private meetings. The restaurant is not overpriced and is an excellent treat at the end of the day after walking in old town and seeing the nearby Lithuanian landmarks. Right by the restaurant are the Gates of dawn, Vilnius University and town hall. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to visit all of these places

Royal Palace of Lithuania

2009-04-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hello ! My name is Beatrice , I'm from Gabija's gymnasium, Lithuania. I'm writing to tell you about Royal Palace of Lithuania.
The Royal Palace of Lithuania is a palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, built in the 15th century for the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For four centuries the Palace was the political, administrative and cultural center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was demolished in 1801 and is currently being rebuilt. The end of construction is scheduled for 2009, with a grand opening on July 6. The Royal Palace was built in Gothic style. The Keep of the Upper Castle, as well as the Royal Palace, were meant to host the coronation of Vytautas the Great.The Gothic palace had three wings; research suggests that it was a two-story building with a basement. Historians, who are against reconstruction, provide many arguments why reconstruction of Royal Palace is unnecessary. It is argued that the newly built Palace will destroy the urban landscape formed over the last 300 years. Vilnius Cathedral will be overshadowed by the Royal Palace, and Gediminas Castle will not be visible from the side of the cathedral. Beatrice

Pilies Street

2009-04-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Justina, I'm from Lithuania, Vilnius. I'm studying at Gabijos gymnasium.I want to present Pilies Street

Pilies Street (Lithuanian: Pilies gatvė) is one of the main streets in the Old Town of Vilnius. It is rather a short street, running from Cathedral Square to the Town Hall Square. Pilies Street is very popular in Vilnius. Many people visit the street to buy gifts at Christmas or before going abroad to visit friends. The street is also popular among sellers of paintings, souvenirs, handicrafts. The street is also known for the Kaziukas Fair, when folk artists from all four corners of Lithuania gather here to display and sell their latest merchandise. In this street are many beautiful buildings, shops, cafes, restaurants.. I hope you will visit this street

Justina_Leonaviciute

Uzupis.

2009-04-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hello! I would like to tell You little more about one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Vilnius - Uzupis.
In 1997 the bohemian Uzupis neighborhood declared itself a republic and is now “governed” by artists and romantics. The republic has not only road signs, but it has a president, ministers, a constitution and its own holidays. In the first square in Uzupis everyone is greeted by the sculpture of an angel (sculptor R. Vilciauskas), symbolizing the rebirth of this part of town. People are fond of comparing Uzupis with Montmart, but it’s obvious that there is less and less of the bohemian spirit. In the republic of artists the old residents are disappearing and new ones are appearing, creating galleries, cafes and stores. Until the XX century this was a suburb of the poor, adhering it to the main city by the flowing Vilnia, joined by three bridges. Uzupis is reminiscent of a village, and not a neighborhood of the capital. It’s already mentioned in acts of the XVI century. On Malunu Street, near the Vilnia stands a long house. In it lived the nuns of the first women’s monastery in Lithuania. Uzupis Bernardine Monastery was established in 1496. Earlier the neighborhood didn’t have a single house with an entrance to the street.
Here are some photos of Uzupis, just click on this link: http://www.mypicx.com/03192009/uzupis/

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Uzupis is a district of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, partially located in the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its name means "on the other side of a river"; that river is the Vilnia River which gave Vilnius its name. The region has been popular with artists for some time, and is often compared with Montmartre in Paris. The district houses art galleries, artists' workshops, and popular cafés. The district declared itself an independent republic in 1997. Užupis is quite small and isolated, being only about 148 acres (0.60 km2) in size. On one side it is separated from the Old Town by the Vilnia River, on the other there are steep hills, and on the third there is an industrial area built under the Soviet rule. The first bridges across the river were built in the 16th century, at which time the district's inhabitants were mostly Jewish. On April 4th 2001, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square. It is intended to symbolize the revival and artistic freedom of the district.

Aleksandra Balinskaja

Choral synagogue Taharat Hakodesh

2009-04-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hi. I‘m Donata from Lithuania. I want to tell you a little bit about one of Unesco heritage sites in Vilnius: Choral synagogue Taharat Hakodesh.

In 1847 Jews got the permission from the government to build a synagogue in Lithuania, because previously they had used different places for gatherings and meetings. But it was not until 1899 that Jews‘ leadership bought a plot of land from some merchants in Pylimo street, Vilnius. In 1902, the architect David Rosenhaus submitted a project and the first synagogue in Lithuania was opened in September 1903, during Rosh-Hashana. Synagogue members in the 19th century included such well-known writers as Abraham Dov Lebensohn, Aisik Meyer Dik, Kalman Shul-man, and rabbi Zelig Minor, who bequeathed his valuable library to the synagogue.

Before the Second World war there were up to 600 synagogues in Lithuania but now there are about 80 buildings left and some of those serve another purpose now and therefore and not similar to what they were before. Now just 3 synagogues in Lithuania are in operation and Choral synagogue Taharat Hakodesh is one of them.

Unesco heritage in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania

2009-04-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

In 1994 Vilnius (the capital city of Lithuania) Old Town was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List, because it corresponded to the following UNESCO World Heritage criteria:

1) from XIII c. till the end of XVIII c. Vilnius had a large influence to the urban, architectural and cultural development of the region (Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland) ;

2) Vilnius was the Central European City farthest to the East, where strong interaction between Eastern and Western cultures took place.

Vilnius Old Town is characteristic example of the network of medieval streets and also has a big number of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism monuments. In 1995 - 1996 at the request of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania and Vilnius City Mayor, Vilnius Old Town Revitalisation Strategy was developed by an international group of Danish, Scottish and Lithuanian experts, with the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Bank, Norwegian and Danish governments. It was suggested to establish a new management instrument - Old Town Renewal Agency which is a non-profit organization. This agency set up the Information Centre. The Information Centre develops and implements heritage management training programmes designed for citizens, youth, investors and other public stakeholders, encouraging their awareness and interest in Vilnius Old Town values, ways for their preservation, thus seeking to attain the balance between development and heritage conservation. In addition, the Information Centre arranges exhibitions and participates in international conferences, thus promoting the Old Town in foreign countries.