Wrapped in silence

Often, a country's largest city is bustling, perhaps even chaotic, but certainly with a rather fast pace. In Lithuania, however, things are different. Vilnius is a rather quiet city. But that doesn't make it any less interesting as a travel destination.

Sunday morning in Vilnius' old town. The July sun creates a mild climate and the colorful houses of the historic city center are bathed in summer light. What is striking about this picture is that there are almost no people to be seen. The streets are quiet.

Shhhhh... The old town is still asleep.

It is therefore interesting to see how the architecture in the old town is composed. It is not without reason that the Lithuanian capital is also known as the “Jerusalem of the North” or the “Rome of the East”: the number of churches is striking, even if some of these sacred buildings now house a crêperie or a café rather than the body of Christ.

On closer inspection, the conformist, perhaps somewhat conservative and church-influenced Vilnius certainly reveals some spectacular gaps. Two examples show that the Lithuanian capital is probably much more lively and experimental than the lifeless Sunday morning atmosphere would suggest.

The heart of the Republic of... Užupis.

 

Example 1: the Republic of Užupis. What lies behind this name is a district beyond the Vilnia River, on the edge of the old town. A long-neglected neighborhood has been transformed into an artists' colony, which more or less symbolically declared itself an independent republic. What followed was gentrification, as has happened in many other cities. If you visit Užupis today, you will find well-kept streets, art installations, and friendly people in the cafés and bars. In short, Vilnius is much livelier here than in the old town. Whether the founding of a “republic” has accidentally become a marketing strategy for a district remains to be seen. One thing is certain: it is well worth a visit.

Example 2: the prison. Lukiškės Prison on the edge of the city center was in operation from 1904 to 2019. Today, the building complex is a cultural testing ground. Artists and companies from the creative industry have settled in the area, which has not yet been renovated. In addition, a location for raves seems to have emerged, so that some of the cells, corridors, and even chapels have now become the scene of extensive parties. Those interested in the history of the building can take a guided tour, which is definitely unusual and extremely interesting..

How a former prison became a rave location.

 

It's worth taking a closer look at Vilnius – the quiet nature of the city does not mean that the Lithuanian capital is a boring place. Apart from its openness towards change, Vilnius is also a foodie destination – more on this under “Good to know.”

By the way, there are also places outside the capital that are worth visiting for a variety of reasons – we will soon be dedicating a separate blog post to these excursions. After all, the largest of the Baltic countries has many surprises in store.

 

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Good to know

 

Vilnius is well connected to the European flight network. There are also direct flights from Zurich, but the latest ones are at times that are not exactly conducive to sleeping in. If you have plenty of time, you can also travel by train through Germany and Poland, which takes around 24 hours. The journey time by car is around 18-19 hours for approximately 1,900 km.

Accommodation prices are generally reasonable, even at the Grand Hotel where we stayed. This hotel is very centrally located, spotlessly clean, and pleasantly quiet despite its location in the heart of the city.

During our stay, we discovered some interesting places to eat and drink coffee:

• Etno Dvaras: high-quality Lithuanian specialities – for example, the potato dumpling-like Cepelinų (zeppelins);

  
  

• Momo Grill: every kind of grilled specialty cooked to perfection;

  
  

• If you have an urgent craving for pizza, you can head to Flying Tomato with confidence;

  
  

• Coffee1: extremely friendly coffee shop in Užupis;

  
  

• Caffeine LT: apart from the coffee, this chain is worth a visit for its cinnamon rolls.

And yet something is happening: evening atmosphere in downtown Vilnius.