Vilna (also know as Vilnius) is a city that has been described as a place of “unforgettable harmony and charm.” It is the capital of Lithuania and also the largest city, with a population of about 556,000 people.

In Vilna today there is a stunningly wide array of things to do and see. A grand selection of centuries-old cathedrals, churches and castles still stand in commemoration of the city’s broad history.  Contrasting sharply is its modern edge as Vilna is home to a thriving night life with dance clubs and an underground music scene.

The Genocide Victims Museum presents a startlingly sober representation of the ugly side of the Soviet Union and Stalin’s regime.

Other museums include a Railway Museum, a Radio and Television Museum, a Wax Figures Museum, and a National Art Gallery. The city is indeed quite diverse, offering a little something for everyone.

On the map of the city’s many attractions and sights are many Jewish memorials. Because of Vilna’s distinct Jewish history it is an excellent place to visit a number of significant Jewish sites. The city itself was once known as “The Jerusalem of Lithuania.”

The first on my list of important Jewish sites and memorials is the Vilnius Yiddish Institute. The Vilnius Yiddish Institute was the first Yiddish center of higher learning to be established in Eastern Europe following the Holocaust. It is part of Vilnius University, which was founded in the 1500s and is the oldest university in the country.

The Yiddish Institute is dedicated to preserving the centuries-old heritage of the Yiddish language and culture through scholarly research and instruction. It is proud to be the home of an outstanding international faculty and aims to foster genuine literacy in Yiddish among new generations of students from Europe, the Americas, and beyond.

To access both classic and contemporary Yiddish texts you can visit the university’s website here: http://www.judaicvilnius.com/en/main/yiddishonline/aboutyiddishonline

While traveling through Vilna, you’ll see many other reminders of its Jewish history. Before WWII Vilna was more than 40% Jewish and had a community of 80,000 Jews. Now you’ll still see streets with names like Zydu and Gaono that remain as reminders of this period.

Today you can visit the Vilnius Synagogue Square (Vilna Shul-hoyf), which once was the home to 11 different synagogues all on one street! At the time there were restrictions that any synagogue built was not allowed to stand taller than the churches of the city. Therefore, the Great Synagogue was built several stories underground. The structure is actually five stories high, but you must go down a flight of stairs to reach it.

If you’re interested in meeting some of the Jewish locals, you’ll want to include the Jewish Cemetery (Žydų Kapinės) on your list of sites to visit.

By Soviet order, both of the old Jewish cemeteries that were located in Vilna were destroyed after the war. With the help of foreign diplomacy, a few graves of famous people such as the Gaon of Vilna, one of the world’s most influential Rabbinic authorities, were moved to the current Jewish Cemetery.

This new Jewish Cemetery was actually opened just before the war and nowadays, especially on Sundays, is a place where Jewish people visit the graves of their loved ones. The gravestones are covered in the writing in many languages including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and English.

There are many more significant places to visit on your tour of Jewish memorials in Vilna. The city will offer you a glimpse into Jewish culture that is unlike any other place in the world.

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