Empire Against Lithuania. A Walk That Will Change How You See Your City

Think you know Vilnius? You've lived here for years – or do you just walk past the same buildings without ever looking up? This tour is for those who finally want to see the city, not just walk through it. We start in Žvėrynas – the historic lands of the Radziwiłł family. Looking at a map of Žvėrynas, you should see something unexpected – something you don't notice while walking these streets every day. We'll leave that for you to discover on site. In Žvėrynas we'll uncover another secret too. There are two completely different buildings here – a Karaite kenesa and an Orthodox church. Two different communities, two different faiths, two different styles. And one person behind both. Who he was – and why the tsarist authorities entrusted him with building what was meant to serve as a counterweight to the Cathedral – you'll only find out by joining us. Then we'll stop where Gediminas Avenue opens up a view we walk past every day without noticing. At one end – the Cathedral, one of the symbols of Lithuanian statehood and faith. At the other – an Orthodox church, deliberately oriented toward the avenue. Not by accident. As the authorities, so their religious priorities. The Žvėrynas Bridge – the oldest in the city, built in 1902 using metal structures manufactured in Warsaw. When it was closed for reconstruction in the 1980s and the new Liubartas Bridge appeared, no one imagined that a few years later concrete slabs and anti-tank hedgehogs would appear on the old bridge. And in January 1991 it would be rediscovered. The people who brought them here still live among us today. But a little further on, a new bridge appears. Do you know about it? What story it will be marked by, and whose name it will be given, depends solely on us. Gediminas Avenue is not just a place for fairs and festivals. There's a monument here that had to be built in secret from the tsarist authorities. There are buildings whose façades hide more than they show. And here – the palace where Independence was reborn in March 1990. We finish at Lukiškės Square – a place that over a hundred years has been a marketplace, a starting point for deportations, and an arena for freedom rallies. The heart of the capital, still waiting to be understood. Duration: approx. 2 hours · Pace: relaxed, with stops · Language: Lithuanian Ticket price: 15 EUR. Event starting point: Tbilisi Square (Kęstučio g. 11, Vilnius) Contacts: Email: dioniziusx@gmail.com Mobile: +37062566344

Adresas: Žvėrynas