The brainchild of a pair of local philanthropists who’d dreamed of sharing their private collection of Lithuanian art with the public for over a decade before finally realizing their vision in 2008.
Inside, find more than 4,500 works dating from the 1960s onward and a constantly changing series of temporary exhibitions.
The large white building that houses them is designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Daniel Libeskind.
| Address | Pylimo Street 17, Vilnius |
This four-story building belonged to the bookseller Kazimierz Rutski. Its ground floor had large display windows, shops occupied this floor, while the others contained five-room apartments. As is commonly found in buildings like this, it has two staircases, and zones separate the premises.
The exterior has small details typical of northern Art Nouveau which makes it more appealing. Wrought iron balcony railings, a frieze of blue glazed tiles, and windows with chamfered corners.
| Address | Pylimo gatve 5, Vilnius |
The Vilnius, or Taharot Hakodesh, Synagogue is the only surviving functioning synagogue out over 100 that were once active in Vilnius. The first design was by the architect Aleksei Polozov, and the facade featured a range of floral motifs.
In 1902, the construction of a smaller building began, according to plans drawn up by the technician Daniel Rozenhaus. The basic cube shape, covered by a large dome, has 2 floors, The first for men, and the second for women and the choir.
It was inspired by synagogues built in Germany in the Byzantine Revival (or Moorish) style. The Oriental and Romanesque forms are fairly modernized. The beginning of the century tended towards generalization and decoration of historical motifs. The synagogue survived the Second World War because Nazi soldiers set up a pharmacy in it.
| Address | Pylimo Street 39, Vilnius |
To prepare his design for an indoor market in the former Corn Market, the chief municipal architect Waclaw Michniewicz traveled to Warsaw to study the architecture and arrangement of commercial buildings.
A similar covered market appeared in Zelazna Brama Square in Warsaw in 1901. Michniewicz’s building is large (71.5 meters long and 32 meters wide), and riveted metal trusses support the roof.
This was a new type of construction, and not yet common in Lithuania. Until then, metal trusses had only been used for the machine room of the Central Power Station, which was half the size.
Engineer Petras Vileisis’ company Vilija manufactured the trusses locally in Vilnius. Construction of the market cost the city 111,300 roubles. The facade stands out with its large windows and its metal frame divided into small segments.
The continues open space inside is lit by skylights and uninterrupted side windows. One of the main goals of early 20th-century architecture was originality, but buildings that served a practical purpose were still decorated.
Michniewicz, who built many Gothic Revival and Baroque Revival churches, sprinkled the simple exterior of the market with historic features. The facade featured the Vilnius coat of arms, depicting Vytis, and a clock.
| Address | Pylimo Street 58, Vilnius |