Guest Program
26th - 29th of August
26th:
Icebreaker evening & dinner.
27th:
Breakfast at a hotel.
Guided Vilnius city tour.
Today, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is one
of the most frequently visited cities of Eastern
Europe. It draws attention, not only because
of its unique architectural character, but also
by its cultural events and attractions.
During the first ten years of independence the
city has become a tourist attraction centre.
It is, therefore, not surprising that during
these ten years the number of tourists has
consistently increased and at the same time
tourist infrastructure and services have been
developed.
Christian, folk and national festivities.
Vilnius University is one of the oldest
universities in Eastern Europe. It was founded
when the reformation movement was active
in Lithuania and Jesuit monks were invited
to help fight the mood of reformation. Jesuit
monks were quick to take over education. In
1569, they formed a college and in 1579 the
University of Vilnius was established.
Lunch at the restaurant.
Afternoon: guided tour at open-air museum
Europos Parkas.
Lunch at the restaurant.
Going back to Vilnius. Rest and free time.
Places to be visited:
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
- the reconstructed Palace of the Grand
Dukes of Lithuania, the former political,
diplomatic, cultural center of the country,
was one of the most famous in Europe in the
15th-17th centuries and demolished in the
beginning of the 19th century.
Gediminas Tower of the upper castle - The
Vilnius Castle Museum was opened in 1960,
and it became a subdivision of the Lithuanian
National Museum in 1968. The exposition
of the Vilnius Castle Museum displays
reconstruction models of Vilnius castles of the
second part of the 14th and the beginning of
the 17th centuries, armament, iconographic
material of old Vilnius. An observation deck
on the top of the tower is the best place to
enjoy a magnificent panorama of Vilnius.
Cathedral Basilica - The Cathedral of
St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav is the most
important place of worship for the country‘s
Catholics and the venue for the main
Kernave is an area of unique archaeological
and historical value. It is the Lithuanian Troy.
In 2004 Kernave was declared as UNESCO
World Heritage Site. The archaeological site
of Kernave presents an exceptional testimony
to the evolution of human settlements in the
Baltic region in Europe over the period of
some 10 millennia. The site has exceptional
evidence of the contact of Pagan and
Christian funeral traditions. The settlement
patterns and the impressive hill-forts represent
outstanding examples of the development of
such types of structures and the history of
their use in the pre-Christian era. Over an
area of 194 hectares the surviving cultural
properties, numerous archaeological finds and
the landscape formed in the course of history
testify to the cultures, which have existed
in the area for 11,000 years, since the Late
Palaeolithic period (9th millennium BC) to
this day.
Europos Parkas was founded in 1991 by
Lithuanian sculptor, idea initiator Gintaras
Karosas. The exhibition spans an area of 55
hectares and is visited by over 60,000 people
annually. The goal of the museum is to give
an artistic significance to the geographic
centre (as determined by the French National
Geographic Institute in 1989) of the
European continent and to present the best
of Lithuanian and international modern art
achievements. While enjoying the treasured
landscape of the park, you will discover the
admirable world of art at the same time. The
open-air museum exhibits over 100 works
created by artists from many countries.
28th:
Breakfast at a hotel.
A bus trip to the first Lithuanian capital
Kernave (about 40 km).
Evening program: conference
participants and guests going to Trakai
town by bus (about 27 km). Tour around
and Gala Dinner at Trakai Castle.
Trakai, medieval historical town, is cradle
of the Lithuanian statehood, an important
military and political centre, headquarters
of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes. It can be
proclaimed being one of the most visited
spots on the cultural tourism map. The
former capital of Lithuania with all the
ancient castles lies between the hills, forests
and lakes, beside the current Vilnius
metropolis and now is the attribute of
Lithuanian tourism. The pride of Lithuania,
Trakai is the only in all Eastern Europe,
situated in the island. At the end of the 14th15th century Trakai castle was a summer
residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
Today, Trakai attracts visitors to a wonderful
place offering refuge from a hectic city life,
with walks around the beautiful area or yacht
trips on one of the numerous lakes.
29th:
Vilnius - Druskininkai
Leaving to Druskininkai by bus (about
128 km) after breakfast.
Visiting Druskininkai resort and Grutas
Park.
Druskininkai is a SPA and resort town near
the Nemunas river, built around springs with
allegedly healing powers. The resort has
long been famous for its mineral waters and
curative mud, which currently are combined
with modern technologies and have a great
value for health services. Druskininkai is
the international resort for active recreation
and treatment, which is aimed at the
wide spectrum entertainment industry
with its highly developed modern service
infrastructure.
Grutas park: from 1989-91, during the
restoration of Lithuanian independence,
many ideological monuments from the
Soviet times were dismantled and, with the
absence of any storage procedure, piled in
storehouses and backyards, most frequently
on the premises of utility companies. Thanks
to such “preservation”, many monuments
were damaged, and eventually could have
been totally destroyed, as happened in the
neighbouring countries. The Grutas Park
exposition with Soviet past discloses the
content of the Soviet ideology and its impact
on the value system. The aim of it is to
provide an opportunity for visitors coming
to our country, as well as future generations
to see the naked Soviet ideology, which
suppressed and hurt the spirit of our nation
for many decades.
Lunch at the restaurant in Druskininkai.
Relaxing time in Druskininkai resort.
Going back to Vilnius.