Vilnius University Architectural Ensemble

The Vilnius University Architectural Ensemble occupies a block of the Old Town around Universiteto Street in Vilnius, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1579 when King Stephen Báthory granted a charter to the Jesuit college established in 1570, and over the next centuries the institution grew into a major centre of learning in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The ensemble developed from the 16th to the 18th centuries and now includes around a dozen courtyards, linked by galleries and arcades. Its buildings combine Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist elements, with the Baroque church of St. Johns, with its tall bell tower rising above the complex, as the visual focus. The Grand Courtyard, surrounded by arcaded galleries, is the best-known space, while the Observatory Courtyard holds the astronomical observatory established in the 18th century, one of the oldest in this part of Europe, with decorative zodiac reliefs on its walls. Other highlights include the Sarbiewski Courtyard, the Library Courtyard and the Great Hall, which is richly decorated. The Vilnius University Library, founded in 1570, houses a large collection of manuscripts and early printed books, and its Red Room and the Main Library Hall can be seen on visits. The Czech gallery and the walls of the Smuglevičius Hall display frescoes and painted decoration. Over centuries the university was closed by the Russian Empire in 1832 after an uprising, and it reopened only after the First World War. It continued during the 20th century through the Polish, Soviet and independent periods, and today it remains a working university. Visitors can walk through the courtyards and visit museum halls and the tower on the grounds. Restoration work has been continuing for many years, and guided tours explain the layers of architecture. A visit typically takes one to two hours.