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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Gate of Dawn

The Gate of Dawn
Ausra (Medininkai) Gate (16th c.) is one of nine gates in the defence wall of Vilnius. Through this gate merchants, artists, students and noblemen used to come to Renaissance Vilnius from Lyda, Grodno, Navahrudak, Cracow.

It was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications for the city of Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It has also been known as the Medininkai Gate, as it led to the village Medininkai south of Vilnius as well as Aštra broma, which derivative for the Lithuanian language word aštra meaning sharp. Of the nine city gates, only the Gate of Dawn remains, while the others were destroyed by the order of the government at the end of the 18th century.

Verkiai Palace

Verkiai Palace
Verkiai Palace is located in Verkiai regional park on the bank of river Neris. It is one of the most valuable Classical ensembles in Lithuania. Here you can find 15 buildings and a beautiful park. Also on the east side of Verkiai palace park you can admire a spectacular view from the top of the hill. It is a great place to run from the city and find the spirit of historical estates and their culture.

The Palace of Verkiai has been built in the 17th century. Nowadays the Palace of Verkiai is one of the most magnificent shapes created by architects. It is a gorgeous building that can boast of extremely luxurious decorations inside. The Palace has three floors and a cellar. Entering the building, visitors will be met by a spacious hall with the principal staircase. Guests will also be impressed by the grand Knights' (White) Hall, the Empire Hall, the Classicism (Red) Hall and the Baroque (Blue) Hall. At the same time, Verkiai extremely attracts people thanks to its striking nature combined of three blocks. The central block represents the Classicism Style.