Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and one of the country's oldest cities. It stretches along both banks of the fast flowing Neris River, and is set among hills pine forests. Vilnius is very old city indeed. The honor for founding Vilnius is justly given to Gediminas (a Lithuanian Duke) in the year 1323. Having declared Vilnius his "royal town", Gediminas created the conditions for its subsequent growth as the political, economical and cultural center of Lithuania. The fortress on Castle Hill was used for defense purposes and was called the Upper Castle.
Following the craftsmen in other European towns at the end of the 15th century, Vilnius craftsmen began to join together by professions into guilds. Many Catholic churches and monasteries appeared in the town. Stone buildings sprang up inside the Lower Castle. The new Cathedral was among them. Crafts and trade continued to develop in the 16th century. Many beautiful new buildings in the late Gothic and Renaissance style appeared in the town. The most significant event in the cultural life of 16th century Lithuania was the founding of the Vilnius Academy in 1579, which was endowed with the rights and privileges of a university. In 1795 Vilnius became the center of a new gubernia consisting of the lands annexed to the Russian Empire. A number of new Classical style buildings were built, including the Cathedral, which had been reconstructed at the end of the 18th century, a new town hall, and the Governor-Generals' Palace. In 1860, a railway, the first in Lithuania, crossed Vilnius and connected with St. Petersburg and Warsaw.
During World War I Vilnius was occupied by the Kaiser's troops for three and a half years. On 16 February, 1918, Lithuanian Council in Vilnius proclaimed an independent Lithuanian Republic. In the autumn of 1920, Vilnius and the region to which it belonged were occupied by Poland. On October 10th, 1939, Lithuania and the Soviet Union signed a treaty on mutual aid, in accordance with which Vilnius and the Vilnius Region were returned to Lithuania. In 1940, Vilnius became the capital of Soviet Lithuania, which meant it was an administrative center of occupied Lithuania.
On March 11th, 1990, the Supreme Council restored Lithuania's independence.
Liepaja
Liepaja, Latvia's third-largest city and a longtime home of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, located 120 mi/195 km southwest of Riga, boasts an ice-free harbor. There are also many lakes and a nice, long seabeach with fine sand. Czar Peter the Great (called Peter the First in Latvia) lived there, and his house is worth a visit.
Liepaja still looks somewhat scruffy, but the old town (Vecliepaja) is gradually being restored. The main thoroughfare, Liela iela, is bustling with cafes and shops behind renovated neoclassical and art-nouveau facades.
Riga
Now reasserting its proud Baltic heritage after the return of Latvia's independence, this ancient Hanseatic river-port is the largest city of the Baltic States and a showcase for the restored Old Riga with its cobbled pedestrian streets, towers and spires of medieval churches and venerable facades of gabled 17th century German merchants' homes. It is surrounded by a moat and contains several medieval buildings, including a 13th-century cathedral and guild halls from the 14th century. Riga is still historically and architecturally fascinating.
Tartu
The university city of Tartu is considered the birthplace of Estonian literary tradition. It was founded in 1030 on the banks of the Emajogi River, 115 mi/186 km southeast of Tallinn.
Unfortunately, successive waves of invaders inflicted damage on Tartu, leaving an Old Town that is much younger than Tallinn's: It is neoclassical rather than medieval in design, though you can glimpse its past grandeur when you tour the 13th-century Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The church sits atop Cathedral Hill, in the center of a park that also contains a local history museum, an ancient pagan sacrificial altar, an old astronomical observatory, and the opposing Inglisild (Angel's Bridge) and Kurasild (Devil's Bridge). Inglisild leads to the Town Hall Square and Raekoda, or Town Hall. At the base of the park is St. John's Church, begun in the 14th century and finished in the classical and baroque styles. (Notice the terra-cotta sculptures in niches around the front door.)
The town's two universities—Tartu University (founded in 1632, it can be distinguished by its classical columns) and the Estonian University of Life Sciences—merit visits.
Tartu deserves a full day's visit. http://www.tartu.ee.
Tallinn
Tallinn's many occupations over the centuries have resulted in a cultural mix and unique ambiance of this maritime city. Old Town's cobbled streets and 13th-14th century buildings attract thousands of visitors annually who admire the city’s heritage of medieval buildings, the imposing City Hall, the Orthodox Cathedral, Toompea Castle and Oleviste Church. See former guild houses, including the Great Guildhall of the medieval Hanseatic League. Other attractions include impressive Town Hall Square with 15th century Gothic Town Hall, and numerous Gothic churches including Toomekirik. Toompea Castle has fine views over Tallinn. In Hirve Park, Estonians have rallied recently in protest of foreign occupation. "Tall Herman" and "Fat Margaret" are two towers among the remnants of the original defense walls. The "Fat Margaret" tower now houses a Maritime Museum on Tallinn’s history as a busy port. Other museums include: The House of Knights on Toompea Hill which displays Estonian art from the 19th and 20th centuries; the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art.
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and one of the country's oldest cities. It stretches along both banks of the fast flowing Neris River, and is set among hills pine forests. Vilnius is very old city indeed. The honor for founding Vilnius is justly given to Gediminas (a Lithuanian Duke) in the year 1323. Having declared Vilnius his "royal town", Gediminas created the conditions for its subsequent growth as the political, economical and cultural center of Lithuania. The fortress on Castle Hill was used for defense purposes and was called the Upper Castle.
Following the craftsmen in other European towns at the end of the 15th century, Vilnius craftsmen began to join together by professions into guilds. Many Catholic churches and monasteries appeared in the town. Stone buildings sprang up inside the Lower Castle. The new Cathedral was among them. Crafts and trade continued to develop in the 16th century. Many beautiful new buildings in the late Gothic and Renaissance style appeared in the town. The most significant event in the cultural life of 16th century Lithuania was the founding of the Vilnius Academy in 1579, which was endowed with the rights and privileges of a university. In 1795 Vilnius became the center of a new gubernia consisting of the lands annexed to the Russian Empire. A number of new Classical style buildings were built, including the Cathedral, which had been reconstructed at the end of the 18th century, a new town hall, and the Governor-Generals' Palace. In 1860, a railway, the first in Lithuania, crossed Vilnius and connected with St. Petersburg and Warsaw.
During World War I Vilnius was occupied by the Kaiser's troops for three and a half years. On 16 February, 1918, Lithuanian Council in Vilnius proclaimed an independent Lithuanian Republic. In the autumn of 1920, Vilnius and the region to which it belonged were occupied by Poland. On October 10th, 1939, Lithuania and the Soviet Union signed a treaty on mutual aid, in accordance with which Vilnius and the Vilnius Region were returned to Lithuania. In 1940, Vilnius became the capital of Soviet Lithuania, which meant it was an administrative center of occupied Lithuania.
On March 11th, 1990, the Supreme Council restored Lithuania's independence.
Liepaja, Latvia's third-largest city and a longtime home of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, located 120 mi/195 km southwest of Riga, boasts an ice-free harbor. There are also many lakes and a nice, long seabeach with fine sand. Czar Peter the Great (called Peter the First in Latvia) lived there, and his house is worth a visit.
Liepaja still looks somewhat scruffy, but the old town (Vecliepaja) is gradually being restored. The main thoroughfare, Liela iela, is bustling with cafes and shops behind renovated neoclassical and art-nouveau facades.
Now reasserting its proud Baltic heritage after the return of Latvia's independence, this ancient Hanseatic river-port is the largest city of the Baltic States and a showcase for the restored Old Riga with its cobbled pedestrian streets, towers and spires of medieval churches and venerable facades of gabled 17th century German merchants' homes. It is surrounded by a moat and contains several medieval buildings, including a 13th-century cathedral and guild halls from the 14th century. Riga is still historically and architecturally fascinating.
The university city of Tartu is considered the birthplace of Estonian literary tradition. It was founded in 1030 on the banks of the Emajogi River, 115 mi/186 km southeast of Tallinn.
Unfortunately, successive waves of invaders inflicted damage on Tartu, leaving an Old Town that is much younger than Tallinn's: It is neoclassical rather than medieval in design, though you can glimpse its past grandeur when you tour the 13th-century Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The church sits atop Cathedral Hill, in the center of a park that also contains a local history museum, an ancient pagan sacrificial altar, an old astronomical observatory, and the opposing Inglisild (Angel's Bridge) and Kurasild (Devil's Bridge). Inglisild leads to the Town Hall Square and Raekoda, or Town Hall. At the base of the park is St. John's Church, begun in the 14th century and finished in the classical and baroque styles. (Notice the terra-cotta sculptures in niches around the front door.)
The town's two universities—Tartu University (founded in 1632, it can be distinguished by its classical columns) and the Estonian University of Life Sciences—merit visits.
Tartu deserves a full day's visit. http://www.tartu.ee.
Tallinn's many occupations over the centuries have resulted in a cultural mix and unique ambiance of this maritime city. Old Town's cobbled streets and 13th-14th century buildings attract thousands of visitors annually who admire the city’s heritage of medieval buildings, the imposing City Hall, the Orthodox Cathedral, Toompea Castle and Oleviste Church. See former guild houses, including the Great Guildhall of the medieval Hanseatic League. Other attractions include impressive Town Hall Square with 15th century Gothic Town Hall, and numerous Gothic churches including Toomekirik. Toompea Castle has fine views over Tallinn. In Hirve Park, Estonians have rallied recently in protest of foreign occupation. "Tall Herman" and "Fat Margaret" are two towers among the remnants of the original defense walls. The "Fat Margaret" tower now houses a Maritime Museum on Tallinn’s history as a busy port. Other museums include: The House of Knights on Toompea Hill which displays Estonian art from the 19th and 20th centuries; the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art.
