Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania

The Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania has followed a long road. When Vilnius became one of the most important political centres in Europe, in the thirteenth century, a powerful stone castle was built. In the fifteenth century, it began its conversion to a Late Gothic style. By the sixteenth century, the Royal Palace became a luxurious Renaissance residence, which later acquired the features of the early Baroque era.

The 16th and the 17th centuries were the Palace's golden era. It boasted one of the richest libraries in Europe, an extraordinary collections of weapons, armour, and hunting trophies. It housed tapestries, paintings, and jewels, and had a vibrant social life. The flourishing times ended in the middle of the seventeenth century, when the Palace was destroyed by an occupation army from Moscow. By the beginning of the 19th century, it was completely destroyed.

The idea to restore the Palace of Rulers was born along with the movement of Lithuanian liberation at the end of the twentieth century. In 2002, the restoration of the destroyed structure began.

On July 6, 2009, the commemoration of 1,000 years of Lithuania, a symbolic opening of the restored Palace of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes took place. Today, the Gothic, Renaissance, and early Baroque halls of this multifunctional museum hosts public events, official visits, conferences, meetings, seminars, concerts, performances, and receptions.