The first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania (c. 1275–1341). The first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas. The three-floor tower was rebuilt in 1933 by Polish architect Jan Borowski. Some remnants of the old castle have been restored, guided by archaeological research.
The hilltop can be reached on foot or by lift. The tower houses a museum exhibiting archaeological findings from the hill and the surrounding areas. This building is three stories tall and is made of decades-old bricks. The museum has models of Vilnius castles from the 14th to the 17th centuries, armament, and iconographic material of the Old Vilnius.
Gediminas' Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself. It was depicted on the former national currency, the litas, and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs. The flag of Lithuania was re-hoisted atop the tower on 7 October 1988, during the independence restoration movement.[1]
A reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Lithuania was completed in 2009, and is located near the base of the hill upon which the tower stands.
Legendedit
Gediminas' TowerGediminas' Tower before it was rebuilt in the 1930s
Long ago, the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas was hunting in the woods of Šventaragis Valley. The hunt was successful, and Duke Gediminas brought down a wild bull on a hilltop; but he grew weary in his limbs, and so the duke retired and spent the night there. Now Gediminas had a dream that, up on top of the same hill where he had been hunting that day, stood a great wolf made of iron, and it was howling as loudly as if it were a hundred wolves.
The Duke asked the court magician Lizdeika to explain his dream to him. He interpreted it thus: this was an omen indicating that he should build a city in this place, which would later become known around the world and would become the magnificent capital city of Lithuania.
Gediminas, obeying the will of the gods, began to build the future capital city, and a castle in the centre of it. The city was named Vilnius after the nearby river Vilnia. Gediminas' Tower is the only surviving part of that castle built by Gediminas.[2]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gediminas Tower.
^"History of the Lithuanian Flag". Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
^. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
External linksedit
Visit the exposition of Gediminas tower
May 02, 2024
gediminas, tower, lithuanian, gedimino, pilies, bokštas, remaining, part, upper, castle, gediminas, hill, vilnius, lithuania, viewing, platform, that, offers, scenic, views, vilnius, town, vilnius, central, business, district, gediminas, castle, towertower, 20. Gediminas Tower Lithuanian Gedimino pilies bokstas is the remaining part of the Upper Castle on top of the Gediminas Hill in Vilnius Lithuania It has a viewing platform that offers scenic views of Vilnius Old Town and Vilnius Central Business District Gediminas Castle TowerTower in 2021LocationVilnius LithuaniaCoordinates54 41 12 N 25 17 27 E 54 6867 N 25 2907 E 54 6867 25 2907BuiltWooden castle c 13th centuryBrick castle 1409Restored 1933Architectural style s Brick gothic Contents 1 History 2 Legend 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editThe first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas Grand Duke of Lithuania c 1275 1341 The first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas The three floor tower was rebuilt in 1933 by Polish architect Jan Borowski Some remnants of the old castle have been restored guided by archaeological research The hilltop can be reached on foot or by lift The tower houses a museum exhibiting archaeological findings from the hill and the surrounding areas This building is three stories tall and is made of decades old bricks The museum has models of Vilnius castles from the 14th to the 17th centuries armament and iconographic material of the Old Vilnius Gediminas Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself It was depicted on the former national currency the litas and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs The flag of Lithuania was re hoisted atop the tower on 7 October 1988 during the independence restoration movement 1 A reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Lithuania was completed in 2009 and is located near the base of the hill upon which the tower stands Legend edit nbsp Gediminas Tower nbsp Gediminas Tower before it was rebuilt in the 1930s Long ago the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas was hunting in the woods of Sventaragis Valley The hunt was successful and Duke Gediminas brought down a wild bull on a hilltop but he grew weary in his limbs and so the duke retired and spent the night there Now Gediminas had a dream that up on top of the same hill where he had been hunting that day stood a great wolf made of iron and it was howling as loudly as if it were a hundred wolves The Duke asked the court magician Lizdeika to explain his dream to him He interpreted it thus this was an omen indicating that he should build a city in this place which would later become known around the world and would become the magnificent capital city of Lithuania Gediminas obeying the will of the gods began to build the future capital city and a castle in the centre of it The city was named Vilnius after the nearby river Vilnia Gediminas Tower is the only surviving part of that castle built by Gediminas 2 See also editThree Crosses Pilies Street Cathedral Square Vilnius Gothic architecture in Lithuania Gediminas Cap nbsp Lithuania portalReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gediminas Tower History of the Lithuanian Flag Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Retrieved 5 December 2008 Gediminas Castle Built by the Duke of Lithuania Gediminas Archived from the original on 15 January 2015 Retrieved 15 January 2015 External links editVisit the exposition of Gediminas tower Photo history of the tower Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gediminas 27 Tower amp oldid 1215150129, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
