VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

56 what to see
Museums & Galleries
Applied Arts Museum (Taikomosios Dailės Muziejus)
D-1, Arsenalo 3a, tel. (+370) 5 262 80 80, www.
ldm.lt. Housed inside what was the far northeast corner of
the city’s original defensive walls, of which some including an
original gate can still be seen inside, this worthy inclusion into
the city’s national treasures is stuffed full of good things to
see, among them little models of how the city once looked,
furniture, paintings and much more besides. Among the permanent
exhibits find three unmissable collections of sacred
Lithuanian art including examples from both the Catholic and
Orthodox Churches dating back as far as the 15th century.
Temporary exhibitions also take place throughout the year.
QOpen 11:00 - 18:00, Sun 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon.
Admission 6/3Lt. J
Archaeology Museum (Archeologijos Muziejus)
C-1, Arsenalo 1, tel. (+370) 5 212 24 52. Rather awkward
to find hidden away inside a courtyard opposite the
funicular station, this often overlooked collection of clothing,
documents and other articles tracing the history and culture
of Lithuania from the 13th century to the present is equally
interesting for being housed inside a splendid historical building
that once made up part of the city’s defensive wall. Blind
you with its ingenuity it won’t, but for a pleasant 30 minutes
that takes in one or two especially lovely exhibits, locating
the hole in the wall to find the entrance is definitely worth the
bother. Q Open 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue (until April
30). Open 10:00 - 17:00, Sun 10:00 - 15:00. Closed Mon
(from May 1). Admission 5/2Lt. J
Church Heritage Museum (Bažnytinio Paveldo
Muziejus) D-3, Šv. Mykolo 9, tel. (+370) 5 269 78
03, www.bpmuziejus.lt. Founded in October 2005 by the
Archbishop of Vilnius, Audrys Juozas Bačkis, and moved
to the splendour of the former 17th-century St. Michael’s
Church in 2009, this recommended museum, which in reality
celebrates just the Lithuanian Catholic Church, features two
floors of paintings, liturgical articles, literature and some fine
wooden carvings from the collections of some of the finest
churches in the country. In English, and with an optional audio
guide, there’s no thread to the things on display, although
almost with exception each piece is fascinating in its own
way. QOpen 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon, Sun. Admission
10/5Lt. J
Genocide Victims’ Museum
Essential Vilnius
If you haven’t got a lot of time in Vilnius, the Cathedral-
Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. Ladislaus (p.59),
Dawn Gate (p.61), Gediminas Castle & Museum (see
below), Genocide Victims’ Museum (see below), and
St. Anne’s Church (p.60) are generally considered to
be the major sights. This list is of course highly subjective,
and in no way reflects the expectations of every
single visitor to the city. Vilnius In Your Pocket strives
to bring you the widest range of historical and cultural
sights and sensations, and is adding to the list all the
time. If you think there’s something missing, write to us
and let us know.
Diamond Museum (Deimantų Muziejus) B-4,
Vokiečių 11, tel. (+370) 5 260 06 44, www.dsm.lt. A
multimedia journey explaining the history and the processing
of diamonds with the help of a disembodied voice emanating
from a number of expensive televisions. Founded by Israeli
businessman Eli Katz, who also owns the aforementioned
voice, after taking the tour the final room sees a hologram
of Mr. Katz in a room full of treasures and a computer game
for children. An interesting museum indeed, but be warned,
you can’t just walk around willy nilly, so be prepared to give
up at least 30 minutes of your time to visit the place. QOpen
10:00 - 19:00. Admission 15/10Lt. J
Gediminas Castle & Museum (Gedimino Pilis ir
Muziejus) C-1, Castle Hill, tel. (+370) 5 261 74 53.
Dating from the 13th century the castle was rebuilt in 1419
by Grand Duke Vytautas following the great fire of Vilnius. In
1610 it was used as a prison for the ruling classes, and during
the 1655-1661 Russian occupation the towers and defensive
walls were almost completely destroyed, with serious albeit
only partial restoration work beginning (presumably by the
Poles) as late as 1930. Inside the tower itself find models of
the castle as it was in the 14th and 18th centuries plus other
miscellaneous bits and pieces concerned with the building’s
history and knights in dented armour. The view on a good day
is recommended. The walk to the top is a bit of a struggle for
many, although there are benches thoughtfully provided along
the way. Alternatively, use the funicular-type train (tickets
3/2Lt) which runs up and down the hill’s northern slope. Find
it hidden in a courtyard immediately west of the Applied Art
Museum on Arsenalo. Q Open 10:00 - 17:00 (until April 30).
Open 10:00 - 19:00 (from May 1). Admission 5/2Lt. J
Genocide Victims’ Museum (Genocido Aukų Muziejus)
G-4, Aukų 2a, tel. (+370) 5 249 62 64, www.genocid.
lt/muziejus. The sign outside reads that between 1940 and
1991 this building housed the representative institutions of
the NKVD and KGB, and, accordingly, the exhibits inside relate
almost exclusively to the period of oppression and the so-called
genocide of the Lithuanian people by the Communist regime.
Understandably a must-see part of any trip to Vilnius for people
wishing to understand this often bleak and violent period in the
country’s history, what the sign fails to point out is that between
1941 and 1944 the building was controlled by the Gestapo,
whose role in the systematic murder of the vast majority of the
city’s Jewish population with the willing participation of many
ethnic Lithuanians is, somewhat bizarrely, almost completely
overlooked, although the recent addition of a room dedicated
to just this issue is a welcome addition. Controversy aside, as
a testament to the suffering endured by the ethnic Lithuanians,
especially under the lunacy of Stalin, the place is a must-see for
any visitor to Vilnius. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00, Sun 10:00 - 17:00.
Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 6/3Lt.
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