Published: 20260127
The Samogitian Art Museum invited Plungė residents to an exhibition entitled "Historical Iconography of Vilnius Castles." Prepared in collaboration with the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the exhibition tells the story of the heart of our country – the castles of Vilnius and their images from the oldest pictures found in archives around the world to the works of 20th-century artists, who attempted to recreate the destroyed Palace of the Grand Dukes in their drawings.
On the opening night of the exhibition, Dr. Vydas Dolinskas, General Director of Palace of the Grand Dukes, invited visitors to take a stroll through the history of Vilnius. According to V. Dolinskas, "it is symbolic that an exhibition depicting the palaces and castles of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania has come to Plungė, to the palace of another dynasty of dukes, the Oginskis." Agreeing with Dolinskas, Audrius Klišonis, mayor of Plungė District Municipality, stated that "the Oginskis' palace is the best place for the exhibition" and thanked the directors of the Samogitian Art Museum for the variety of events taking place in Plungė and the strengthening cooperation with national institutions. "The dissemination of Lithuania's historical heritage in Plungė is particularly relevant this winter: the weather presents new challenges every day, and the people of Samogitia, without leaving their homes, will be able to visit the Oginskis Palace and enjoy the historical sights of Vilnius," said the mayor of Plungė District.
According to historians, the oldest depiction of Vilnius Castle is not accurate and only vaguely resembles the brick castle where Grand Duke Gediminas (1316–1341) lived and sent letters to the world. The image was painted at the end of the 14th century. Later works are more accurate, and the last artists to depict the Palace of the Grand Dukes did so with precision.
The high-resolution facsimile works selected for the exhibition in Plungė also feature Vilnius Cathedral with St. Casimir's Chapel, the Old Bishop's Palace, Arsenal buildings, the defensive wall of the Lower Castle of Vilnius with its towers, the Castle Gate, the Upper Castle with its Gothic residential palace, and other important buildings in Vilnius. One can only imagine what life was like in Vilnius and what important events in the history of the state took place in the buildings depicted. Incidentally, Lithuanian and foreign scholars have been searching for images of Vilnius castles for several decades. Today, they have all been collected in a single publication “Between presence and memory. Historic images of the Vilnius castles”. It is based on an exhibition of the same name that was displayed at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in 2024.
According to Dr. V. Dolinskas, director of Palace of the Grand Dukes, "usually, any value is only properly appreciated when it is lost. Since the 19th century, when Tsarist Russia wiped the remains of the palace from the face of the earth, history lovers, writers, and romantic artists associated with Lithuania and Vilnius have engaged in a kind of resistance, producing a flood of images of the destroyed Palace of the Grand Dukes."
Efforts were made to preserve buildings that bore witness to national traditions in historical memory, and architectural visions were created in the 20th century. It was only at the end of the 20th century, when archaeological excavations began in the castle grounds, that projects to restore the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania were born. Today, it would probably be difficult to imagine Vilnius without the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania museum.
The exhibition in Plungė, at the Samogitian Art Museum, will run for a whole year, until January 15, 2027.
The photos show the evening of the exhibition at the Samogitian Art Museum.
The photos are the property of the Samogitian Art Museum and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
