Tips 1 - 10 of 128 Vilnius Things to Do
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Well, in real it's a tomb of his mother. Half of heart of Marshal Pilsudski was added to her tomb after Pilsudski's death in 1935.
The inscription in Polish put on his grave says:Whoever had the choice, would choose an eagle's nest on the cliffs in place of a home. May he know how to sleep, though his eyes be red from the thunder, and listen to the cries of the wild spirits in the murmur of the pines. That is how I lived.Quotation of Polish poet Slowacki. WHO IS PILSUDSKI NOWOne of a few real and officially forbidden in communist Poland, hero. Well, some Poles in Poland built small chapels or rather commemorative places with his picture and Polish flag at their houses which was a sign of silent resistance against communist authorities. I remember from my family home 12 old books written by Pilsudski and published before WWII. I remember that they were stored and treated like holy relics by my father. Keep in mind that such books were surely forbidden by communist authorities. I read them all twice as a teen. And later on when I crossed the Soviet Union (western Ukraine) for the first time (in 70') I saw with my kiddy eyes the world and the system similar to Pilsudki's writings from half a century before. Unbelievable! He remains a symbol of unity of Slavic nations. The idea of his whole life was to establish federation of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Ukraine with one strong army in order to defend the nations of Central Europe from German Fascism and Russian Communism. Very wise idea at this time. Well, the history proved that he was right. Poland as the only of the above countries wasn't incorporated into Soviet Empire althogh it was controlled by Soviets till 1989. After that date a lot of streets in Poland could be and were renamed back after Pilsudski.
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Address: Rasu gatve, Vilnius
Directions: Approx. 25 min. walk from the Gates of Dawn (southern side): walk eastwards M. Daviksos gatve, turn right to Rasu gatve, the cemetery on the left.
Website: http://www.iyp.org/pilsudski/pilsudski-english.html
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I was really touched when I saw the tomb of Marshal Pilsudski, real hero for every Pole, a man who changed history of Poland, Lithuania and even Europe when he stopped bolsheviks who planned to stop bolshevik revolution (for a while, I am sure) in Paris in 1920. There were many flowers and wreaths of white and red roses (Polish national colours) put there.
As Pilsudski, who loved Vilnius, ordered before his death the tomb contains half of his heart. The second half and his body is burried at Wawel's Cathedral in Krakow, Poland among Polish and Lithuanian Kings. WHO WAS PILSUDSKI ?He was born in Polish-Lithuanian family, at Zulow, Lithuania in 1867. He was leader of Poland and commander of the Polish military in the years immediately after the World War I when Poland regained independance.
Pilsudski was the general who defeated the Russian Red Army in the battle of Warsaw in 1920. The battle is known as "The Miracle of the Wisla". On the 12 August newspapers all over Europe declared the capitulation of Warsaw and Poland. The Reds in Berlin were preparing themselves for the revolution, when "Pilsudski launched a daring flank attack" and on 15th August the Red Army in Poland was destroyed. Over 100,000 Russian soldiers were captured. The rest of the Red Army fled to Prussia and through Lithuania to Russia. It ended Lenin's plan to incorporate Poland into the Communist Soviet Union. Europe was saved, at least till 1939.
More: here, please.
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Address: Rasu gatve, Vilnius
Directions: Approx. 25 min. walk from the Gates of Dawn (southern side): walk eastwards M. Daviksos gatve, turn right to Rasu gatve, the cemetery on the left.
Website: http://www.iyp.org/pilsudski/pilsudski-english.html
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I visited famous Rasu Cemetery (Rasu kapines), founded in 1801. There were many famous Poles, Lithuanians and Belarusians burried there which proves multicultural past of Vilnius. The most special for me was surely the tomb with a half of the heart of Polish hero, Marshall Pilsudski. I drove to the cemetery by my car. There was small (free and unguarded) parking lot close to the entrance where a few buses from Poland were parked. There were 3 tables with umbrellas where locals sold some souvenirs, info leaflets and postcards. I bought a guide to Rasu Cemetery (Cmentarz na Rosie) in Polish with a map of graves and short info on each of noble people burried there.
At first I visited seperated area (on my picture) located outside the cemetary fence, left of the entrance gate. There were graves of Polish soldiers who died in 1919-1920 and in 1944 from hands of bolsheviks.
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Address: Rasu gatve, Vilnius
Directions: Approx. 25 min. walk from the Gates of Dawn (southern side): walk eastwards M. Daviksos gatve, turn right to Rasu gatve, the cemetery on the left.
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My strong recomendation is to see these barricades made of cement slabs and put up by parliament defenders in winter 1990/91. Inside the parliament building the downfall of Soviet Empire started when the following act was proclaimed on 11th March, 1990: SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA ACT
On the Re-establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania, expressing the will of the nation, decrees and solemnly proclaims that the execution of the sovereign powers of the State of Lithuania, abolished by foreign forces in 1940, is re-established, and henceforth Lithuania again is an independent state.
The Act of Independence of 16 February 1918 of the Council of Lithuania and the Constituent Assembly (Seimas) decree of 15 May 1920 on the re-established democratic State of Lithuania never lost their legal effect and comprise the constitutional foundation of the State of Lithuania.
The territory of Lithuania is whole and indivisible, and the constitution of no other state is valid on it.
The State of Lithuania stresses its adherence to universally recognised principles of international law, recognises the principle of inviolability of borders as formulated in the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in Helsinki in 1975, and guarantees human, civil and ethnic minorities rights.
The Supreme Council of the Republic Lithuania, expressing its sovereign power, by this Act begins to realise the complete sovereignty of the State.Source: Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (not copyrighted).
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Address: Gedimino prospektas 53, Vilnius
Directions: By western wing of the Lithuanian parliament building. North of Gedimino prospektas at its eastern end, by Neris River, approx. 25 min. walk from the Cathedral Square.
Website: http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/www_viewer.ViewTheme?p_int_tv_id=281&p_kalb_id=2
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The Soviet Union opposed strongly against independence of Lithuania (and later on of Latvia and Estonia) in 1990. Keep in mind that all state institutions (but not "rebel" parliament and free human minds) were fully controlled by Soviet authorities. KGB headquarters and officers had to be very active that time. Well, they had a lot of work with cutting, burning and transferring to the East tons of files - evidences of their crimes.
Soviet troops surronded, attacked and captured Vilnius TV tower on January 13 1991 to "re-establish order". Thirteen innocent and armless defenders of the TV tower were killed. Keep in mind that full control of mass media was key feauture of the Soviet system. I hope that Vilnians could watch Polish TV that time. Btw did Soviets like 13th? The marshall law against the Solidarity Trade Union in Poland started on 13th December, 1981 - sad date never to forget for me. On 13th January 1991 the Soviet troops were preparing to attack the parliament building as well. But thanks to determination of both crowds of Vilnians surrounding the building which put up these barricades on my picture and members of parliament inside (ready to defend it) they finally gave up. Read the very interesting interview with Vytautas Landsbergis - the central player in the drama: here I could see a few crosses, some inscriptions and moving pictures of victims of the drama of 1991put by the barricade. There were 23 passport photos of mostly very young guys killed in Vilnius and in Medininkai (what happened there?).
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Address: Gedimino prospektas 53, Vilnius
Directions: By western wing of the Lithuanian parliament building. North of Gedimino prospektas at its eastern end, by Neris River, approx. 25 min. walk from the Cathedral Square.
Website: http://www.balticsworldwide.com/news/features/crackdown.htm
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I walked around a barricade put up by defenders of Lithuanian parliament in 1991. And I found many original paintings put there by the parliament's defenders. They reminded me those put on Berlin wall when it was torning down, but the events around the Lithuanian parliament surrounded by ready to attack Soviet troops were much more dramatic. So do the paintings and inscriptions: this one on my picture cried in Russian: Do not shoot, soldiers!There were coils of barded wire put around there as well.
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Address: Gedimino prospektas 53, Vilnius
Directions: By western wing of the Lithuanian parliament building. North of Gedimino prospektas at its eastern end, by Neris River, approx. 25 min. walk from the Cathedral Square.
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I was a little bit surprised to see the wooden board decorated with flowers and the inscription "Cecenija" (Chechnya) put on the board fixed to a barricade of parliament defenders in Vilnius. Well, I don't want to get into any political discussion. No doubts, there are still many areas not so far from Lithuania and in Europe (!) where people still suffer lack of freedom, even wars and... need a lot of support both from foreign governments/institututions and from individuals. People of states incorporated by force (and tragic agreement of Stalin, Roosvelt and Churchill) to the Soviet Union (like Lithuanian) or controlled by Soviets (like Poland) needed a lot of support from more lucky part of the world in not so old past. And that huge help really worked and helped, at least in my country, Poland. Isn't time to support stronger others in need now?
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Address: Gedimino prospektas 53, Vilnius
Directions: By western wing of the Lithuanian parliament building. North of Gedimino prospektas at its eastern end, by Neris River, approx. 25 min. walk from the Cathedral Square.
Website: http://hrw.org/campaigns/russia/chechnya/
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I thought that this neo-classical in style (not my favourite) and huge building on my picture was built somewhen in say 19th century. But it was built in... 1963. Soviets liked such monumental architecture a lot. Why? To prove their citizens how powerful the Soviet Union was, just in case anyone was so brave to question it looking at poverty around, right?
The building houses Martynas Mazvydas National Library of Lithuania (NLL - founded in 1919). It was the main research (and parliamentary) library of Lithuania. SOVIETS BURNED BOOKSI found interesting the fact that after WWII many publications (even old and rare ones) esp. printed between two wars were damaged by orders of Soviet authorities in the campaign of "clearing the libraries of ideologically harmful publications". They were used in paper factories for recycling and just burned in heating-furnaces at the Library itself.IN POLAND IN 70' AND 80'I am enough old to remember total Soviet-style cenzorship in my country, Poland. I remember well what my father was talking (hmm... better not to quote him here) about availability to some historical publications at Jagiellonian Library in Krakow, Poland in 70'. Never ending applications, letters (why? for what?) to library authorities were necessary to get the permission to read (on place!) some books although they were not "ideologically harmful publications" in real.
Well, at least I could use library of US Consulate in Krakow in late 80' - no problems (well, I had to wait till I was 18yo), although I got to know later that UB (Polish KGB) photographed every person entering the consulate and... I didn't get a passport to travel abroad once that time (reasons unknown till now). Passports (necessary to travel outside the Soviet bloc) were stored by police and given to the people before every trip abroad (loong queques each time) that time.
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Phone: +370 (5) 2497023
Address: Gedimino Ave. 51, LT-2600, Vilnius
Directions: From the Cathedral Square go eastwards Gedimino prospektas (approx. 29 min.), the building on the right.
Website: http://www.lnb.lt
Other Contact: Fax : +370 (5) 2496129
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 Comments for matcrazy1 about Vilnius | | | | |
awmbakx Sun Oct 25, 2009 16:46 UTC
I very much agree with you. There should at least be one left to show how these museums of Atheism were like.. | Sandra06 Mon Sep 7, 2009 12:19 UTC
Thank you for sharing photo. We have just returned from a holiday in Poland, and have learnt my husband's Grandparents lived in this SAME house. We had a great time learning all about his father's history - the information could make a good film. | Mikebb Mon Oct 27, 2008 22:57 UTC
Hi Mat, Detailed page, will have to return, researching 23 day tour Moscow to Prague, 2 nights Vilnuis, 2 nighrs warsaw, 2 nights Krakow. I guess it gives a taste. | sihi Thu Aug 16, 2007 16:06 UTC
Amazing huge page! Very interesting:) I have some friends in Lithuania and in Vilnius --> Polacy:) Pozdrowionka:) |
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on Jul 7, 2004
