Guided tour and unique document exhibition

On 19 September, Vilnius University Library invites participants of the Alumni Festival to join guided tours of the library, located in the University’s historic Central Campus. The library continues to operate in authentic spaces dating back to the 16th–18th centuries. Together with the University’s buildings and courtyards, it forms an integral part of the architectural ensemble of Vilnius Old Town, visited daily not only by members of the University community but also by tourists from all over the world. Visitors are invariably captivated by the interiors and paintings of the historic halls, as well as by the fascinating stories about the lives of the Jesuits who once inhabited these spaces. 

The tour guides will invite visitors to explore the halls of Joachim Lelewel and Franciszek Smuglewicz, as well as the White Hall. Participants will be treated to a special surprise: they will have the opportunity to see some of the documentary treasures preserved in the library. 

Visitors of all ages will be fascinated to see Nicolaus Copernicus’s 1543 book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which challenged the foundations of the worldview of its time, including an inscription by Lithuanian President Antanas Smetona on the book’s title page. They will also have the opportunity to browse through a facsimile of The Catechism by Mikalojus Daukša – an exact reproduction of the original. 

Other remarkable items include impressive court books of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, hand-drawn maps by the renowned historian Joachim Lelewel, the diary of Vilnius Jesuit College, the University’s oldest diploma, and many other historical documents. 

Duration: approximately 1 hour. 

The meeting place is the Central entrance of Vilnius University, Universiteto g. 3. 

Registration opens soon.