Shalom Vilnius
Duration: 3 hours
Litvaks, nostalgic to discover the source of their culture flow to Vilnius from all over the world. For a long time Vilnius was a great centre of Jewish spiritual and cultural life. Traces of this once great culture can still be seen in the streets of old town in Vilnius. For example, there is a monument to the great Vilna Gaon Elijahn ben Shlomo Zalman, one of the best-known interpreters of the Talmud, who lived from 1720 to 1797. Today his mausoleum can be found on a new Jewish cemetery. There is a monument to doctor Zemakh Shabad, who was a children's doctor and was awarded the title of the honoured citizen of Vilnius. His personality became the prototype for famous Russian story for children "Doctor Aybolit".
Nearly all Jews, who lived in Vilnius, when Ghetto was formed in it, were exterminated, however their culture or it least fragments thereof are still alive. Vilnius was never the most Jewish populated city in Eastern Europe, but it was especially rich in Jewish spirit. Jews used to go to Odessa and to Lodz for making money and to Vilnius for absorbing spiritual values.
Tour includes:
A visit to big Jewish quarter and small Jewish Ghetto territory near the Town Hall. In one of the small courtyards there is a memorial plate to Mordekhai Antokolski. He lived in Vilnius, studied in St. Petersburg Academy and was recognized as one of the most prominent sculptors in the Russian Empire at the turn of the 20th century. There is a house with memorial plate, to remind the visit of Theodor Herzl to Vilnius. It is located in a nice quarter of old Vilnius not far from Vilnius University ensemble. From the 16th century the university was an important intellectual centre not only for Lithuanians. In 1940 a department of Yiddish language and literature was established here.
Near the University there is the President's Palace and Gediminas Square. It takes only 10 minutes to pass Gediminas Square to the direction of River Neris. Across the bridge there are more traces of the Jewish history in Vilnius. The buildings near the river were built in 1950, a big sports complex was erected here. Old 15th century Jewish cemetery was destroyed. Today only one stone reminds that. It is worth making a short stop near a business centre on the same river side. There is a monument to Chiune Sugihara. More information about this person can be received in the museum of Chiune Sugihara in Kaunas.
Before going to the Jewish Museum at the end of the tour, it is worth seeing Vilnius Synagogue, the only one surviving the Second World War. Then a place is visited, from which a nice panoramic view of old Vilnius can be seen. Near that place there are few houses built by baron Hirsch for poor Jewish people after the great flood.
Jewish as well as other minorities (Russian, Polish) living together in Vilnius for centuries made their contributions. Since these different cultures were preserved in Vilnius, today Lithuanian capital became very attractive for people from different countries.
