From 26 January. 3D virtual recreation of the Tower of Gediminas at the Palace of the Grand Dukes

The 3D virtual reconstruction of the real tower of Grand Duke Gediminas presents the unique early 14th-15 century historical heritage safeguarded at the Palace of the Grand Dukes and reveals the history of the castle and palace of the grand dukes of Lithuania as well as the everyday life of the rulers and other residents of the court from the times of Gediminas to the times of Sigismund II Augustus.

The viewer is transported in virtual reality to Vilnius in the late 13th century, when the House of Gediminid came into power and, thanks to the innovativeness of the rulers, the Round Tower of the only early brickwork castle in Lithuania at the time sprouted up on the territory of the future Lower Castle. The viewer experiences how, as Vilnius became the capital of Lithuania, the Round Tower was rebuilt into the “pre-Gothic” residential/representative Octagonal Tower.

This may have been where Gediminas dictated his famous letters, and later Vytautas and Casimir IV Jagiellon were to reside here. In the mid-16th century, as Sigismund II Augustus continued the development of the residence of the grand dukes of Lithuania that was started by his parents, a Renaissance palace kitchen was installed in place of the old tower. Climbing up through the four floors of the tower, the functions of the rooms and signs of the stylistic eras change before the viewer’s eyes.

The viewer observes the introduction of engineering and interior innovations – the hypocaust heating system (floor I of the tower), the keep guardhouse (floor II of the tower), and the ruler’s representative (floor III of the tower) and private (floor IV of the tower) suites. On all of the floors, the viewer can recognise artefacts integrated into the interiors that have survived to this day and are exhibited in the Palace of the Grand Dukes museum (architectural details, weapons, dishes, furniture, old fabrics, heraldic signs, etc.).

Experiencing an innovative journey through time from early masonry and Gothic right up to the Renaissance and early Baroque, the viewer has the opportunity to see how the site of the former tower was transformed into a palace kitchen in the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, with its characteristic equipment, environment and utensils. At the end of the virtual tour, the viewer finds out what fate awaited the former Renaissance palace kitchen on the site of the real tower of Gediminas in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Date: From 26 January 2023.

Address: Palace of the Grand Dukes (Katedros a. 4).

Entry: Tickets required. More information about tickets can be found here.

Organiser: Palace of the Grand Dukes.

More information