Vilnius

Lithuania

PERSONAGES WHAT TO EAT MUST-SEE PICTURES

PERSONAGES

Bona Sforza

At a time when Europeans actively mined precious metals of the New World, a princess was born in Milan, who is destined to change a lot in the lives of people living far beyond sunny Italy. The heiress of the influential family of Sforza, Bona becomes the wife of Sigismund the First and receives the titles of Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. Along with this, Bona Sforza brings the Renaissance to the north. Its influence can be traced in the culture of food, wine, as well as in architecture. An example is the palace of the princes of Lithuania, which she reconstructed.

Francysk Skaryna

One of the greatest figures of culture, science and art, who had a wide influence on the activity of book printing both in Renaissance Europe in general and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in particular. Today we can say with confidence that he was a Belarusian-Lithuanian first printer, a European humanist philosopher, a doctor, a court gardener, and even an entrepreneur and manager by the standards of his time. In the context of Vilnius, we touch on this personality mainly in the field of book printing. On the one hand, Francis influenced the technology and tradition of printing in Lithuania, setting its main direction, and on the other hand, he was born in one of the most significant cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (namely, Polotsk) and subsequently had his own printing workshop in Vilnius, which at that time was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Bala nematė

Imagine a situation where you find yourself in a big dilemma. That is, you need to make a difficult choice for which you were not ready. If Lithuanians decide to just make this choice, no matter what and without looking back, they may say “Bala nematė” that translates into English as “the swamp didn’t see”.

WHAT TO EAT

Šaltibarščiai

One of the most iconic Lithuanian dishes is cold beetroot soup, also known to locals as Šaltibarščiai. This soup owes its origin to its ukranian analogue - the borscht. However, several features make it unlike a Ukrainian dish. For example, the fact that kefir is used as the basis of Lithuanian soup and it’s served cold. Moreover, the preparation of cold beetroot soup is much faster than borscht. The main ingredients (boiled beets, eggs, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and onions) are mixed in a container and poured with kefir. It is served with fried or baked potatoes. Ideal for spring or summer.

Cepelinai

When it comes to Lithuanian cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is Cepelinai. Coming from Germany after the First World War, the Cepelinai have taken root in Lithuanian gastronomy and still occupy a leading position. Shaped like an aircraft, made of potatoes, Cepelinai are usually stuffed with meat, in particular pork, there are also variations with mushrooms. To give the necessary shape, potatoes of a certain variety are boiled for a long time. Most often, Cepelinai are served with sour cream and pork rinds.

Šakotis

One of the most famous Lithuanian desserts is the traditional 'spit cake' – šakotis. This cake has been known since the time of the Commonwealth, its origins can be found not only in the Lithuanian culture, but also in the Polish and Belarusian cultures. Shakotis is prepared on an open fire by pouring dough on a skewer, which makes the cake "branchy”. To prepare the dough, a large amount of eggs and flour are used. Most often, šakotis is prepared for folk holidays, for example at Saint Casimir's fair.

MUST-SEE

Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

One of the most significant and symbolic places of modern Lithuania is located in the city center, on the Cathedral Square. This is the palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Built from scratch, the Lower Palace was preceded by a building designed and reconstructed at the behest of Bona Sforza in the 20s of the 16th century. In fact, what we can see today is almost an exact copy of the palace from the time of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Little Travel Book

"Little Travel Book" is a collection of church books specially created for travelers by Francis Skaryna, where 18 books are collected under one cover, including "Psalter", "Chasoslovets", "Shestidnevka", akathist hymns and canons. This object is unique because it is decorated with engravings, headpieces and initials, nine of which have an afterword by Francysk Skaryna himself. Now the book is stored in the library of Vilnius University, which can be accessed free of charge in honor of the 500th anniversary of the tradition of Vilnius book printing. However, soon it will be returned to the Palace of the Dukes of Lithuania, where you can, among other things, freely get in, but get in touch with a much more multifaceted view of the history of Vilnius.

Chronicler

The sculpture “Chronicler” was created by Vaclovas Krutinis on the site of the first presumed book-printing workshop in Vilnius. This place is especially important for the history of Lithuania, since it is believed that the first book in Church Slavonic was printed in Vilnius by Francis Skaryna. Since the printing press was an extremely expensive tool in the 15th-16th centuries, the significance of Skaryna and this place on the historical map of Vilnius increases many times over. Born in Polotsk, Francis managed to complete his doctorate in Padua, open his own expensive business in Vilnius and Prague, and then become a court gardener. Each of the activities was prestigious 500 years ago, which is why this founder of printing in Lithuania is more and more appreciated over time.