Exhibition “The Dawn of Gediminas’ City. The Oldest Preserved Wooden Building in Vilnius and its Most Unique Artefacts”

The Vilnius Castle Hill, along with the Lower Castle with the rulers’ residence at its foot at the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers, is one of the most valuable historic and archaeological complexes in Lithuania. The special geological constitution of this location and the high groundwater level have meant that particularly rare, organic artefacts, otherwise sensitive to the passage of time, have been preserved quite well, making this territory a true treasure trove of artefacts made from organic materials. Vilnius traces its origins to this very place, in the Vilnius Castles territory, its history as the centre of the Lithuanian state, its eternal capital, whose beginnings are evidenced by unique archaeological artefacts that have survived into our days.

To mark the 700th anniversary of the city of Vilnius, it was decided that these finds should be conserved, restored and presented to the public, symbolically unifying the history of the oldest surviving wooden building with 700 years since the first mention of Vilnius in the letters of Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas. The material cultural heritage displayed at the exhibition opens our eyes to a little-known period of history about “Vilnius before it was Vilnius” and the context of the city’s origins, familiarising the public with the most unique material relics and the accompanying comprehensive scientific research.