City of Germans
Can you imagine that while strolling down the promenade on Vokiečių Street, you are actually walking where houses once stood? It is one of the oldest streets in Vilnius, on which German-speaking merchants and craftsmen lived.
The street is adjacent to the Town Hall, which was the heart of the area and a popular trading and cultural space of the city. Catholic Germans also built masonry gothic style churches, the oldest of which is St. Nicolas’ Church, which stands to this day. In fact, you could also find heaven and hell on Vokiečių Street near the Town Hall. Heaven was called a house in which peaceful, kind and highly religious people lived. Hell was the house known for rakes and ruffians.
Following WWII, the entire eastern side of the street was demolished; however, some architectural structures were preserved – you can see the Vilnius Evangelical Lutheran Church, which dates to the 16th century, through one of the street’s gateways. And in the house of Mueller, which has survived to date and is found on Vokiečių Street 26, city residents had the opportunity to learn about photography and see a daguerreotype brought to Vilnius from Paris.