Observatory Courtyard
A curved front and a softly coloured tower.
Jerzy Strzelecki — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jodkovska — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jodkovska — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jodkovska — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Vilnius University Old Campus is a group of buildings and courtyards in the heart of the old town, belonging to one of the oldest universities in Central and Eastern Europe. It is the first and largest university in Lithuania, and students still cross these courtyards daily between lectures. It was founded in 1579 as the Jesuit Academy by Stephen Báthory, the sole university in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the third oldest in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It closed after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830-1831 and stayed shut until 1919, then resumed work. Today it is the country's leading research institution and has been in the Coimbra Group since 2016. The ensemble has 13 courtyards linked by arches and passages, the best known being the Observatory Courtyard with its curved front and tower in soft colours, along with the Sarbievius Courtyard. The tower of St John's Church rises over the scene, and from the lanes of Universiteto Street you can see the nearby Presidential Palace. Walls carry plaques honouring the university's great names. The campus sits in central Vilnius, about 1.7 km from the Church of St Peter and St Paul in a straight line. This is a working university, so keep your voice down near lecture rooms and stay out of classrooms. Some courtyards may require a small ticket, so check at the entrance, and check the hours for climbing the church tower.
A curved front and a softly coloured tower.
A tower rising over all the courtyards.
An old lane by the Presidential Palace.
Universiteto g. 3, Old Town, Vilnius, Lithuania
Presidential Palace, VilniusThe official residence of the president of Lithuania, in a neoclassical palace o2 minutes walk4.7
Lithuanian National Museum of ArtA network of museums rather than one building: the Lithuanian National Museum of3 minutes walk4.6
Church Heritage MuseumA museum in a former seventeenth-century church and convent, showing the treasur4 minutes walk4.6
Vilna Gaon MonumentA monument to Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon, among the most4 minutes walk4.4
Vilnius CathedralA white Greek temple in the heart of the Baltic: Vilnius Cathedral, with its Neo5 minutes walk4.7Generally yes, and some may need a small fee. It is a working university, so respect the quiet.
It was founded in 1579, among the oldest in Central and Eastern Europe.