Lithuania: Shhh, It's a Secret

Well, we are off again on our one month adventure and this time our trip is starting in Lithuania, specifically the city of Vilnius. Most people would ask why Vilnius, but the truth is it is a very charming European city that has not yet been overrun by tourists and has a lot of interesting history.

In front of Vilnius City Hall

Our first task when we arrive in a new city is usually to take a free walking tour to learn more about the city and potentially any other tours that are more specific to the history. In Vilnius both the Jewish history and the communist KGB history are of particular interest and so we focused our tours on these two aspects.

We visited the synagogue in Vilnius; the only one left standing after World War II and the only synagogue currently operating in the city. Vilnius is now home to only 1000 Jews, compared to tens of thousands before World War II. This synagogue was one of the few in Eastern Europe that survived the war.

One thing that never came up in the tour books we read was how many churches were in Vilnius, especially given its small population compared to other European capitals.

In front of one of the MANY churches

The wounds of the communist occupation of Lithuania are particularly fresh with the country only receiving independence in 1990. 

Near Independence Hall

The current Ukraine-Russia war seems to feel like an open wound for Lithuanians and in Vilnius alone we saw more Ukrainian flags than Lithuanian flags themselves. We visited the building which housed the former KGB prison, which was previously used as a Nazi prison. This building was in use until 1991 and has pretty much been left untouched since then, and converted into a museum for tourists and Lithuanians to visit/learn about this tough part of history. Within the museum there are still bags of shredded documents in the cells as well as, fingernail scratches in the wall dating back to World War II.

Inside the KGB Museum

Memorial to Lithuanian victims of the KGB

But of course you didn’t come here to only hear a history lesson because really the most important part is learning about the food we ate and salivating over the pictures.

Street Fair in Vilnius - Gediminas Ave.