This squat, unlovely Soviet-built 'palace', home to the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament), was the scene of a historic standoff. On 13 January 1991 barricades were thrown up to deter Soviet troops acting to crush the movement that had passed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania the previous year. Fourteen people were killed in the disturbances, but the troops ultimately bowed to popular will and quit Vilnius the following December.
Parliament House
Vilnius
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
1.15 MILES
If you only see one museum in Vilnius, make it this one. On a site that has been settled since the 4th century AD stands the latest in a procession of…
1.09 MILES
Stately Vilnius Cathedral, divorced from its freestanding belfry, is a national symbol and the city's most instantly recognisable building. Known in full…
1.15 MILES
Founded in 1579 during the Catholic Counter Reformation, Vilnius University was run by Jesuits for two centuries. During the 19th century it became one of…
0.4 MILES
This former headquarters of the KGB (and before them the Gestapo, Polish occupiers and Tsarist judiciary) houses a museum dedicated to thousands of…
1.07 MILES
Climb the creaky stairs into the free-standing belfry of Vilnius Cathedral, once part of the city's 13th-century defences. Towering 57m high, it's one of…
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13.42 MILES
Stepping across the wooden walkway to Trakai's Gothic castle is like tripping into a fairy tale. The castle is estimated to date from around 1400, when…
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10.26 MILES
Some 21km north of Vilnius, off the Utena road, is Europos Parkas. Leading contemporary sculptors, including Sol LeWitt and Dennis Oppenheim, show over…
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1.08 MILES
Katedros aikštė buzzes with local life. In the 19th century markets and fairs were held here and a moat ran around what is now the square’s perimeter so…
Nearby Vilnius attractions
1. Church of the Saint Virgin's Apparition
0.16 MILES
The silver domes of this Orthodox Church mark one side of Gedimino prospektas.
0.27 MILES
West of Jasinskio gatvė across the Neris River is this kenessa, a traditional Karaite (sect of Turkic Jews) prayer house, built in 1911. It's one of three…
0.4 MILES
This former headquarters of the KGB (and before them the Gestapo, Polish occupiers and Tsarist judiciary) houses a museum dedicated to thousands of…
0.65 MILES
Formally known as the Orthodox Church of St Michael and St Constantine, this church, with its swelling onion domes and ornate interior, was built to mark…
0.7 MILES
The 'Green House' exhibits the unvarnished truth behind the destruction of Lithuania's once-vibrant Jewish community, the Litvaks. The displays – mostly…
0.7 MILES
A handsome late-Baroque church, and adjoining monastery, built by the Jesuits.
0.73 MILES
There's an observation deck at 114m; at 129m, this is the highest skyscraper in the Baltics.
0.74 MILES
If you're ever invited to a Lithuanian home, this always-open Vilnius institution can supply the perfect token of thanks. Haggling expected.