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St Nicholas Church
Lithuania’s oldest church, this red-brick Gothic pile was built by German Christians around 1320, when the country was still pagan. From 1901 to 1939 it was the only church in Vilnius where Mass was held in Lithuanian. Its remarkably well preserved (bar the addition of baroque feat
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Kaunas Town Hall
Having been co-opted as a theatre, a magazine, a prison and a palace over the years, Kaunas 17th-century Town Hall is now mainly used for official events. The first two floors also serve as a wedding hall (Saturdays usually see a procession of brides and grooms in their finery) and
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Choral Synagogue
Inside this functioning synagogue, one of the few remnants of Kaunas once-strong Jewish community, is a remarkable dark-wood and gold bimah; outside theres a memorial to 1600 children killed at the Ninth Fort. The WWII Jewish ghetto was on the western bank of the Neris, in the area
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Vytautas the Great War Museum
Maintained by the Lithuanian Army, this museum keeps exhibitions on the history of weapons, Lithuanian military history, the period of the Grand Duchy and more. Of particular interest is the wreckage of the Lituanica , in which Steponas Darius and Stanislovas Girėnas died while att
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Communications Development Museum
Those with a love of old telephones and big, old analogue technology should take the time to peek inside this museum, housed in the former post office. Outside theres a monument to pioneering cinematographer-puppeteer Vladislovas Starevičius: appropriately, its two giant insects (a
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Frank Zappa Memorial
West of Vilniaus gatvė, rock ‘n’ roll legend Frank Zappa is immortalised in a bronze bust atop a 4.2m-high stainless-steel pole. It was the world’s first memorial to the offbeat American who died in 1993. Look carefully for it in the parking lot, as it doesn’t jump out at you. Also
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Klaipėda Castle Museum
This small museum is based inside the remains of Klaipėdas old moat-protected castle, which dates back to the 13th century. It tells the castle’s story through the ages until the 19th century, when most of the structure was pulled down. Youll find fascinating photos from WWII and t
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St Annes Church
This gorgeous, late-15th-century Gothic church is a tiny confection of red brick, glass and arches, dwarfed by the Bernadine Church outside which it stands. Marrying 33 different kinds of brick into a whole that many regard as the most beautiful in Vilnius, its reputed that Napoleo
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Narrow
Housed in Anykščiai’s old station, this museum gives visitors the chance to ride on manual rail cars and, on weekends from May to October, take a trip along the line to either Troškūnai or Rubikiai. Trains leave at 11am and return around 3pm; tickets cost €5.80. More information ca
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Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
This pink-domed, 17th-century structure is Lithuania’s chief Russian Orthodox church. In a chamber at the foot of a flight of steps in front of the altar (their feet even peep out) lie the preserved bodies of three 14th-century martyrs – Sts Anthony, Ivan and Eustachius. Adjoining
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Čepkeliai Strict Nature Reserve
The 112 sq km Čepkeliai reserve, the largest area of untouched nature in Lithuania, is a glorious wet wilderness of bogs, black alder swamps, Cladinoso-callunosa forest and lakes, home to more than 4000 species of animals and plants (including lynx and wolves). Visits are limited:
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Presidential Palace of Lithuania
This handsome 19th-century building was the seat of government for the Republic of Lithuania between the wars. Restored to its original grandeur, it now houses an exhibition on independent Lithuania including historic photos, gifts given to past presidents, collections of family si
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Cathedral of the Theotokos
An Orthodox church has stood here since Lithuanias late pagan days of the 14th century. Over the years it was burned, abandoned, rebuilt, transferred to Catholocisim and even used by Vilnius University as a lecture theatre. Reverting to the Orthodox Church during the Russification
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Puntukas Stone
A pine forest 10km south of Anykščiai contains the Puntakas Stone (Puntuko akmuo) a boulder 5.7m tall, 6.7m wide and 6.9m long, which legend says was put there by the devil. While he was trying to destroy Anykščiai’s twin-steeple church, St Mathew’s (1899–1909), a rooster crowed an
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Ethnographic Sea Fishermen’s Farmstead
This farmstead, with its collection of traditional 19th-century buildings (granary, dwelling house, cellar, cattle shed and so on), offers a glimpse of traditional Curonian fishing life. Outside are old fishing vessels to explore, including three Baltic Sea fishing trawlers built i
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Museum of Devils
Diabolical is the best word to describe the collection of 3000-odd devil statuettes in this museum, collected over the years by landscape artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (1876–1966). While the commentary aims for a pseudo-intellectual veneer, linking the devils to Lithuanian folklor
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Gates of Dawn
The southern border of Old Town is marked by the last-standing of five portals that were once built into the city walls. A suitably grand way to enter one of the best-preserved sections of the Old Town, its also the site of the Gate of Dawn Chapel of Mary the Mother of Mercy and th
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Užupis Republic Constitution
The Republic of Užupiss 41-point Constitution is engraved in English, French, Lithuanian and several other languages on plaques running along Paupio gatvė. It guarantees its citizens, among other things, the right to hot water, to be unique, to love, to be free, to be happy (or unh
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SS Peter & Paul Cathedral
Towering over Priskėlimo aikštė is the 75m spire of the Peter & Paul Cathedral, Lithuania’s second highest. It was constructed between 1595 and 1625 from the proceeds of the sale of four-year-old bulls donated by local farmers. Legend says that the hillock it stands on was crea
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Witches Hill
Carved by local artists and growing in number since 1979, the Witches Hill is a collection of devils, witches and other fantastical and grotesque wooden carvings from Lithuanian folklore that skulk along a wooded sculpture trail ranging from fairy tale to playful (slide down a gian
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