We start our Vilnius tour from Cathedral square where one can observe the beautiful Neo-Classical Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus. Then we whisk out through the narrow streets to observe the Presidential Palace and the Old Vilnius University, founded in 1579. We’ll stroll along the streets of the medieval Jewish Quarter of Vilnius, called by many Lithuanian Jerusalem. Will speak about a Yiddish theatre, rabbinical council and the place where Theodor Herzl stayed during his visit to Vilnius.
We’ll learn of the Benedictine convent and the story of saving 12 Jewish souls by Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations. In Vilnius Ghetto streets, we’ll see Vilna Gaon‘s house and the spot where the Great Synagogue once stood.
The Large Ghetto and the sad story of suffering, resistance, and struggle. The Judenrat office and the drama of “choiceless choices”. Former Ghetto theatre – the center of the spiritual resistance. Our Vilnius Tour continues with a visit to Vilnius Synagogue, built in 1903 in the Moorish Romanesque style.
Visit the Jewish State Museum, a.k.a. the Tolerance Centre, to learn the history of Lithuanian Jewry. We will also visit an art gallery of the Jewish American artist Samuel Bak. We will reach the southern border of our once-walled city, and admire the Russian monastery of Holy Spirit, the Greek Catholic church of Holy Trinity and the Zenith of Christian Vilnius – the “Gate of Dawn”. The Chapel over the gate guards a famous icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, believed to have miraculous powers