VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

Presidential Palace (Prezidentūra) C-2, S. Daukanto
Aikštė 3/8, www.president.lt. The official residence
of the President of Lithuania, the Presidential Palace started
life in the 14th century as a much smaller structure built
at the behest of the city’s first Bishop, Andrzej Jastrzębiec
(?-1398). Gaining its late Classical appearance much later,
the building remained the home of the cream of the city’s
Catholic clergy until the 1795 Partition when it became
the residential address of Vilnius’ tsarist governors. Many
illustrious figures have spent a night in the building over the
centuries, among them Tsar Alexander I, Napoleon Bonaparte
and local boy, some-time dictator, military giant and
Polish national hero Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935) to name
but a few. After independence in 1990 the building served
several purposes until assuming its current role in 1997.
The presidential flag can be seen flying over the building
when the President is in residence or in the city. Changing
of the Guard takes place on Sundays at 12:00. Q Free
tours of the Presidential Palace take place on Fridays and
Saturdays. Tours are limited to 25 people and are currently
in Lithuanian only. For more information, see www.president.
lt or call tel. (+370) 5 266 40 73. J
Stebuklas C-2, Arkikatedros Square. About halfway
between the Cathedral and the bell tower is the stebuklas,
or miracle. Essentially a piece of stone believed to perform
wonders and with the word stebuklas written on it, the site
marks the spot where one end of the human chain of some
two million protesting Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians
stretching the 650km or so to Tallinn was formed on August
23, 1989. A symbol of freedom and hope, stand on the miracle,
turn a complete clockwise circle and make a wish. J
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what to see
Television Tower (Televizijos Bokštas) Sausio 13osios
10, tel. (+370) 5 252 53 33, www.lrtc.net. The
tallest building in Lithuania, the 326m Television Tower was
built from reinforced concrete and steel between 1974 and
1980 to a design by V. Obydovas and K. Balėnas. On January
13, 1991 as the disintegration of the USSR reached a frenzied
pace and Moscow attempted to retake control of the Lithuanian
media, Soviet tanks surrounded it in an assault that
killed 13 unarmed civilians. The tower has since become a
potent Lithuanian symbol. Around it are a few monuments and
photographs of those who lost their lives and whose names
the nearby streets are now called in honour of. Inside at
ground level is the small Sausio 13-osios Ekspozicija (January
13th Exhibition) commemorating the brutal events including
a copy of the original Soviet military attack plan, weapons
used to beat protesters and some disturbing photographs.
The exhibition is free, although the 40-second ride in the lift
to visit the combined 270m restaurant and viewing station
isn’t. The ticket office also sells several Television Tower
souvenirs. A taxi from Old Town costs somewhere in the
region of 20Lt. Alternatively, take trolleybus Nº1, 3, 7 or 16
to the Televizijos Bokštas stop. Q Open 10:00 - 22:00. Last
entrance 21:00. Admission 21Lt.
Town Hall (Rotušė) C-4, Didžioji 31, tel. (+370) 5 261
80 07, www.vilniausrotuse.lt. First mentioned in 1503,
the Town Hall most likely dates from the 15th century, while
the present Classical structure was built at the end of the
18th century. In 1810 the governor general ordered that the
Town Hall housed a theatre, which gave performances on and
off until 1924. Since then its interior has been a museum.
Until the reestablishment of independence it served as the
Lithuanian Art Museum. Today it’s the Artists’ Palace where
you can see gallery art. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat,
Sun. J
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