GEDIMINAS TOWER AND MOUNT GEDIMINAS

Behind the Cathedral Square (just past the statue of Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1316), a paved path climbs through the park to Mount Gediminas(kalnas), the original base of Vilnius. Good to know: Mount Gediminas can also be reached by a funicular from the inner courtyard of the Museum of Ethnography and History, open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, from April to October daily from 10 am to 7 pm. On this hill, Gediminas built the upper castle, first mentioned in the chronicles in 1323. Today, part of the castle has been restored and the western tower, called Gediminas Tower (Gedimino pilies bokštas) - the symbol of Vilnius - is the best preserved. From the top of the tower, where the Lithuanian flag flies, there is a magnificent panorama of the city: to the far east stands the Three Crosses Hill (Trys kryžių kalnas), to the south stretches the Old Town, and to the west, the Gediminas shopping avenue runs into the new town districts behind the banks of the Neris River, while in the distance the new districts dating from the Soviet period loom. Just to enjoy this view of the city, you won't regret having come this far! Inside the Gediminas Tower, a remnant of the Vilnius High Castle, there is a small museum displaying armour from the 16th to the 18th century and models illustrating the castle at different times.