Lithuania has an incredible history. The most populous of the Baltic states, its history began way before it re-gained its independence from the Soviet Union on the 11th of March 1990. I made the trip to Lithuania for no other reason than I was in a neighbouring country, and had a few days to spare while in Europe. Little did I know the incredible things this country had to offer.
I landed in Lithuania on a cold winters evening. The Vilnius International Airport doesn’t quite feel like an airport, and it certainly doesn’t look like one. It was constructed in 1954 while Lithuania was under Soviet occupation. Hence, the building is designed in a classic Soviet style, and it shows. Its far different from the modern airport terminals around the world these days, but functions well, and looks beautiful. The building is even listed on Lithuania’s Cultural Heritage Register, and is nearing 70 years old.
Given that it was the evening, and that it was bitterly cold, I went straight to my hotel. I stayed at the Comfort Hotel LT – Rock ‘n’ Roll Vilnius, a 3-star hotel that punches very much above its weight. The staff were friendly, the hotel was very clean, there was a nice gym, and a free breakfast with a generous range of options did not disappoint. The hotel has a rock music theme. Not my cup of tea, but I’m sure it would appeal to many. The hotel is directly opposite an Iki Supermarket which came in very handy.
In the morning, I went for a walk to visit Vilnius old town. I’m always astounded at the age and beauty of the Baltic old towns. As an Australian citizen, we truly have nothing back home that compares to these old towns. Vilnius old town in particular has a wide range of stunning buildings that are a must see. One of which is St. Anne’s Church.
The building as we see it today was finished in 1500, remaining unchanged for over 500 years. Before that, the church was made of wood, built by the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vytautas the Great. It was built for his first wife, Anna, Grand Duchess of Lithuania. The present brick church was only built in its place after the original was destroyed by fire in 1419. The church that stands here today was constructed under the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander I Jagiellon, however it still retained its original name. As with any building this old, there have been repairs and renovations (most notable being 1582, 1747 and several times in the 1900’s) but the exterior of the building has remained largely unchanged since 1500.
An unmissable landmark in Vilnius Old Town is Gediminas’ Tower. An early wooden castle was built at this site in the 13th century, and the first brick castle was erected in 1409 again by Vytautas the Great. It went through a large restoration process in 1933. It is quite a climb to get to the top on an uneven cobblestone path, but well worth it. At the top, you will have an unhindered view of Vilnius old town, and modern-day Vilnius.
From the top of Gediminas, you will see another hill with three crosses on the top. This is the three crosses monument. If you’re keen to walk up hundreds of stairs, visiting this monument may be something you want to add to your itinerary. I went up in the icy cold making it a slippery climb, but it was a great view once at the top.
The hill on which the crosses are erected is said to be the location in which seven Franciscan friars were beheaded, martyred for their faith. While the legend is hard to corroborate, similar events did take place in the mid 1300’s. Crosses made of wood stood at the site since the early 17th century, and after they were damaged due to rot, a concrete monument was erected in 1916. This was later torn down in 1950 while Lithuania was illegally occupied by the Soviets. The monument as we see it today was erected in 1989, built by Lithuanian sculptor Stanislovas Kuzma.
A half hour drive west of Vilnius takes you to a town called Trakai, an absolute must-see when in Lithuania. I cannot emphasise how much I mean that. In the 15th Century, Trakai was the Capital of Lithuania before Vilnius. Trakai is home to one of the most beautiful and underrated castles in the world, Trakai Island Castle. It looks like something out of a Disney movie. As the name implies, the castle is built on a small island. Construction started in the 14th century and was completed in 1409 by Vytautas the Great who’s father Kęstutis begun the work in the previous century. It served as the home to Lithuanias grand dukes, and although the castle survived many attacks throughout the centuries, most notably the during the wars with Muscovy in the 17th century in which the castle saw some significant damage, Trakai Island Castle gradually fell into further disrepair as its materials were used by locals who salvaged what they could from the castle to build their own homes.
Reconstruction work on the castle finally began in the 19th century, and after a significant amount of time work was completed in 1961. The castle is now a major tourist attraction and serves as a museum. For 10 Euros you can enter the castle and spend hours looking at all the rooms (of which there are many) and seeing all the exhibits. Inside the castle, you will find a room that goes into great detail about how the castle was reconstructed, and how original building materials were replicated to ensure that the reconstructed castle closely resembled how it would have looked originally. Below are some photos from my trip to the Trakai Island Castle.
Now no trip to Lithuania is complete without trying a Šakotis, a traditional Lithuania spit-cake made from butter, egg, flour, sugar, and cream, cooked on a rotating spit in an oven or over an open fire in which the Šakotis gets its iconic Christmas Tree look. I found a small one at the Iki opposite my hotel room and I was very excited to try it.
For a country that has only recently regained its rightful independence, Lithuania really punches above its weight even recently being listed in the top 20 happiest countries in the world. If there was one thing I didn’t get time to see that I would have liked to see, it would be the hill of crosses although I must say seeing the Vilnius TV Tower lit up at night would be good to experience, but perhaps not in the middle of winter when I was there.
The three things I recommend you must go see in Lithuania are:
Trakai Island Castle
Gediminas’ Tower
Three Crosses Monument
Do yourself a favour and add Lithuania to your itinerary.
I heard about Lithuania when they hosted the 2023 NATO summit. What a place.