Imagine Vilnius several hundred years ago or even further back in the mists of time: as evening falls over the cobbled streets, the faint flow of a lamplighter’s flame flickers in the dusk. A carriage hurtles by, rattling as the driver urges the horses on, while a raft glides silently down the Neris River, accompanied by a seasoned raftsman. Order in the city is maintained by the executioner – a grim figure whose work is deemed necessary, even though no one would dare to come face-to-face with him. Every profession had its place in the life of the city, and their traces – now faded into memory – still linger in the place names, old photographs, and stories still whispered from those times.
Some professions have vanished entirely, their duties rendered obsolete or replaced by new technologies. However, some have been reborn in a new form: cart drivers have been replaced by ride-share or taxi drivers, postmen by couriers, and lamplighters by automatic light sensors. Each of these old professions tells its own story of the city, of a time when Vilnius was different, but just as lively and vibrant as it is today.
