Bus: 10, 11, 33
Cathedral Square was formed when medieval castle of Vilnius was demolished. Vilnius Cathedral Belfry that stands next to the Cathedral is part of the original military fortifications that was left standing. Another notable feature of the square is the statue of Grand Duke Gediminas that was constructed in 1996. He became famous as fairly diplomatic man who preferred peaceful means of conquering new lands and cities rather than spill blood. Although his pacifistic means didn't always pay up and he was forced to fight battles, he nevertheless was an exceptional leader. He managed to increase his empire with minimal blood shed. The center of the Cathedral Square is taken by a tile that marked stebuklas (miracle). It was the starting point of the Baltic Way, which was a human chain that connected Vilnius (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia) and Tallinn (Estonia) in 1989. Local legend claims that if you stand on the tile and turn three times around all your wishes will come true.
The area was formed during the 19th century. Previously, part of it
was built up with residential buildings, part was occupied by the Lower
Castle. Some of its remnants were included in the fortress after
reconstruction (1831-1878), some of the buildings were demolished to
free up space in front of the fortress (esplanade). It hosted parades of
Russian troops and the annual Kazyuk fairs on March 4th.
The area
was mainly formed after the demolition in 1884 of the last remnants of
the fortress, liquidated in 1878, and the erection of massive buildings
around the open space in the city center: in the western part,
Tyszkiewicz erected a three-story palace (later adapted to the needs of
the district court, and in the 19th century - the Central Telegraph) .
On the site of the residence of the bishop, buildings of state
institutions were built and rebuilt. Since 1884, squares have been
arranged in the eastern and northern parts of the territory of the
former Lower Castle. Since 1885, agricultural exhibitions have been held
on the square every two years. Since 1892, Lukishskaya Square has been
the venue for Kazyuk's fairs.
The square on the right side of the
square, unofficially called the Telyatnik, was additionally landscaped
and named Pushkinsky for the 100th anniversary of the birth of A.S.
Pushkin. In 1900, a monument to Pushkin was unveiled here, designed by
the Vilna artist Vasily Gryaznov. During the First World War, with the
approach of the Germans to the city in 1915, the bronze bust of the poet
was evacuated deep into Russia. The remaining pedestal was used later,
in 1922, for the monument to Stanislav Moniuszka in the park on Vilenska
Street (now Vilniaus) near the Church of St. Catherine. In 1955, a
monument to Pushkin was again installed near the then Gediminas Square
(sculptor Bronius Vishnyauskas, architect Vytautas Nasvytis), in 1992 it
was transferred to Markučiai Park, the former estate of Grigory Pushkin
Markoutje, and installed next to the Literary Museum of A. S. Pushkin.
In 1902-1903, an oval-shaped square was arranged on part of the
Cathedral Square, and the square was lined with trees. In the eastern
part of the square in September 1903 (according to other sources in
September 1904) a monument to Catherine the Great (sculptor Mark
Antokolsky) of impressive size was opened: a bronze figure of the
Empress 2.5 m high, a pedestal of red granite 4.3 m high. was evacuated
during the First World War in 1915 deep into Russia.
In 1938, the
square was restored and the adjacent territories were equipped. To
effectively highlight the majestic architecture of the cathedral, trees
were cut down, a layer of earth 3 m deep was removed from the surface of
the square, while control archaeological research was carried out. By
1940, the square took on the form that persisted until the end of the
20th century - paved with concrete slabs, lying about a meter below the
level of the cathedral, surrounded by elevations of three to five steps
on three sides.
The western side of the square is closed by Šventaragyo street,
behind which lies Odminu square, and Vrublevsko street; from here begins
Gediminas Avenue in a western direction.
Along the southern side
of the square lies a short Šventaragio street (Šventaragio g., before
the war ulica Marji Magdaleny, in Soviet times J. Janonio, J. Janonio
g.) with the buildings of the Catholic Curia of the Vilnius Archdiocese
and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania. Its continuation is
Barboros Radvilaites Street, opposite which lies a square. From the
intersection of Šventaragö and Barboros Radvilaites streets, at the
southeast corner of the square, Pilies street begins. In 2006,
archaeological excavations were carried out on the site where the Castle
Gates were located. The remains of the Lower Castle and residential
buildings discovered are supposed to be conserved and left available for
viewing. The corner of the park closes the right eastern side of the
square to this place.
In the north-eastern corner of the square,
since 2002, the restoration of the Palace of the Rulers has been
underway (in fact, the construction of a new complex of buildings that
reproduces those completely destroyed by 1801). On July 6, 2009, with
the participation of the leaders of 15 states, a symbolic opening of the
restored, but not yet fully equipped Palace of the Grand Dukes of
Lithuania took place. On July 6, 2013, two of the four buildings of the
National Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania were
opened for visitors.
A few meters from the Cathedral rises the
tower of the bell tower, 57 meters high. At its base is a round corner
tower of the ancient fortress complex of the Lower Castle. The opinion
was also expressed that the base of the bell tower in ancient times was
a pagan sanctuary or part of it, and from the platform on its top the
priests proclaimed the will of the gods. The lower part of the bell
tower dates back to the 13th century. The upper tiers were built on in
the 18th century, and the classicist completion of the bell tower was
completed during the reconstruction of the cathedral in the 19th
century.
Not far from the bell tower, a slab with a circular
inscription stebuklas (in Lithuanian “miracle”) is immured into the
surface of the square. There is an opinion that it marks the place where
in 1989 the living chain of the “Baltic Way” began, stretching for 650
km from Vilnius to Tallinn. It is believed that for the fulfillment of
desires, you need to turn around three times while standing on the
stove. The slab was laid in 1999 (the author of the idea was Gitenis
Umbrasas; reconstructed in June 2003).
Another notable building
on the square is the monument to the founder of Vilnius, the Grand Duke
of Lithuania Gediminas (sculptor Vytautas Kashuba), opened in 1996. The
bronze used for the monument was confiscated by customs officers at the
border and handed over to the city. The marble pedestal is a gift from
the government of Ukraine.
Fairs, various festivities and
official ceremonies are held on the square. A Christmas tree is set up
here and mass festivities are held at the New Year's Eve.