Viktorija Sweets Factory

Would you like to try the most delicious chocolate in the city? Go to a the sweets factory Viktorija inside the building at Gedimino pr. 2 near the cathedral. The funny little bears depicted crunching on chocolate bars on the building’s façade serve as a reminder of those times and the family business empire of the Bunimovičiai that once thrived.

Chocolate and sweets were made by around 500 factory workers and offered in four shops set up in Vilnius, and also shipped to residents of the entire Russian Empire and other foreign countries. In 1900, at an international exhibition in Paris, the chocolate made by Viktorija earned a gold medal. By the way, Izraelis Bunimovičius, who built the successful business empire, came from a very poor family – he was a water carrier’s son. Thus, when his business succeeded, he devoted a lot of time and donated money to charities and hospitals.

Although Viktorija’s factory was destroyed by a fire, the knowledge accumulated there has been preserved – the founder of the famous Lithuanian sweets factory Rūta, Antanas Gricevičius, learned the secrets of confectionery at the Viktorija factory. Hence, chocolate from the old factory made life sweeter, even long after it was gone.