Frame by frame

In the film ‘Gražuolė’ (‘The Beautiful Girl’) (1969), we see episodes when the main character Inga (played by Inga Mickytė) follows the boy who insulted her (played by Tauras Ragalevičius), who is walking his sick friend’s little dog. The shots were filmed in front of the then-built (1967) Soviet Modernist-style Art Exhibition Hall, whose architect Vytautas Edmundas Čekanauskas and constructors received an award for their work.

In the shots of the film “Seklio Kalio nuotykiai’ (‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’) (1976), we see the moment when the gangsters – the ‘Paleface’ one and the ‘Disgusting’ one – climb out of the window and steal a car. Interestingly, ‘Paleface’ was played by Jonas Aleksa, the Chief Conductor of the Lithuanian State Opera and Ballet Theatre, and ‘Disgusting’ was played by Donatas Katkus, a renowned violist and founder of the Vilnius Quartet and the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra. Another interesting fact is that the film’s cameraman Jonas Gricius played a cameo role – he played the man from whom the gangsters stole the car.

The gangsters climb out of the window of a medieval Gothic-style merchant’s house. The building, which was restored at the time, was recently (1972) the site of the ‘Lokys’ Restaurant, now considered the oldest restaurant in the Old Town. The Gothic-style cellars date back as far as the 15th century.

In the feature film ‘Naktibalda’ (‘The Night Hawk’), we see the main character Domas (Darius Bratkauskas) walking from his friend Zita’s (Daiva Daujotytė) grandmother’s house, where the grandmother had interpreted Domas’ dream; his girlfriend, who is standing on the balcony, escorts him. The doorway on the courtyard side has been reconstructed – we no longer see the balcony.

In the feature film ‘Seklio Kalio nuotykiai’ (‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’) (1976), we see the former accomplice of the gangsters (Paleface and Disgusting), who is the uncle of the heroine Ieva-Lota, Einaras (actor Gediminas Girdvainis) using an umbrella to shield himself from the water spray coming from the hand pump.

The history of the Stiklių Street quarter dates back to the 16th century when glassmakers and goldsmiths settled here. Today, it is still full of jewellery workshops, galleries, and shops. In the 19th century, markets, restaurants, and beer houses were located in the Quarter. People sold goods not only in the streets but also through windows and in courtyards.

In one frame of the feature film ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’ Part 1 (1976), we see the characters Ieva-Lota (played by Monika Žebriūnaitė), Kalis (Tadas Dilys) and Andersas (Arūnas Bukelis) escorting Einaras (Gediminas Girdvainis) to the house of Ieva-Lota’s mother.

Antokolskis Street was part of the Jewish Quarter and was named after the world-renowned Litvak sculptor Mark Antokolsky (1840-1902), who was born and lived in Vilnius.

In another still of Part 2 of the feature film ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’, we see the police commissioner (Povilas Gaidys) and the policemen (Edgaras Savickis and Ramutis Rimeikis) travelling to the house of the protagonist, Kalis, in order to find out about the gangster’s fingerprints.

Žydų Street was also part of the Jewish Quarter. The site where the trees can be seen in the film was where the famous brick Great Synagogue of Vilnius, which surpassed all the synagogues of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in size and splendour, stood on the site from the 17th century. It was heavily damaged during World War II and replaced by a kindergarten-crèche during the Soviet era.

Between the house on the right of the frame and the tree-covered area, there is a monument to the famous 18th-century sage, the Vilna Gaon, whose name made Vilnius famous throughout the world as the Jerusalem of Lithuania. At one time, his family lived on Žydų Street, which means Jewish Street.

In one frame of the feature film ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’ Part 1 (1976), we see the leader of the ‘Order of the Red Rose’, Sikstenas (played by Audrius Valevičius), treating the members of the ‘Order of the White Rose’, Ieva-Lota (Monika Žebriūnaitė) and Kalis (actor Tadas Dilys), to some fruit juice in his courtyard. In another shot from Part 2, we see Sikstenas’ dad (Rimgaudas Karvelis) searching for hidden treasure.

This is one of the courtyards you can still visit and see how it has changed since the film was made. The street is named after the aforementioned Jewish sage Gaon and was also part of the Jewish Quarter.

In the feature film ‘Aš esu’ (‘I am’), we see a foggy Švarco Street where the main character, Jonukas’ teacher (Povilas Budrys), and a photographer (Vladas Bagdonas) meet.

The building is now the French Embassy. The street is named after the legendary mason Schwartz (Švarcas), who was the first craftsman in Vilnius to use bricks.

In a scene from the feature film ‘Aš esu ‘(‘I am’) (1990), we see the main character, Jonukas (Giedrius Čaikauskas), trying to catch up with his mother, who is driving a car.

The shot shows a gate with three memorial plaques with inscriptions in Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian, indicating that the famous Lithuanian and Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) lived here in 1823. He stayed with a friend at Literatų g. 5, where he is believed to have written the poems ‘Grażyna’ and ‘Dziady’ (Forefathers’ Eve’). Members of a secret anti-Tsarist group of students from Vilnius University called The Philomath Society used to gather in this very building. Mickiewicz was arrested here for his activities in this society.

In ‘Aš esu ‘(‘I am’) (1990), there’s a scene where we see a boy on a bicycle taking the main character, Jonukas (Giedrius Čaikauskas), to school. He stops because a black cat has run across the road…

On the same wall that we see in the shot, there are now plaques created by various artists that are connected to and represent different writers. The street is thought to have received its name in the 19th century as a tribute to Adam Mickiewicz.

On the left-hand side of a shot in the feature film ‘Aš esu ‘(‘I am’) (1990), we can see members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness walking down Castle Street. The protagonist, Jonukas, joins the procession of this religious community.

Pilies Street is the oldest street in Vilnius Old Town, so named because it led to the castle. Sources say that wooden houses stood there as early as the 13th century. Many of the buildings belonged to the Church and Vilnius University, as well as to craftsmen and members of the nobility.

On the right side of the film frame, where the woman is standing, there is now a house – number 26 is the home of the House of Signatories, where the Lithuanian Independence Act was signed on 16 February 1918.

In shot of the feature film ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’ Part 1 (1976), we see Kalis (Tadas Dilys) following Ieva-Lota’s uncle Einaras (Gediminas Girdvainis).

The sculpture on the right has now been replaced by ‘The Lantern Bearer’, created in 1986 by the sculptor Vytautas Nalivaika.

In a scene from ‘Andrius’ (1980), the eponymous character (Edvinas Menčikovas) is running to the house of his former geography teacher Rauplėnas in the courtyard of the old town. The courtyard is now closed and inaccessible to passers-by.

In the 17th century, the Jesuits donated the house to Jerzy Ertli, a craftsman who worked with brick; after the war with Russia, he rebuilt St. Johns’ Church.

In a shot from Part 1 of ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’, Andersas (Arūnas Bukelis), Ieva-Lota (Monika Žebriūnaitė) and Kalis (Tadas Dilys) are seen carrying the kidnapped ‘Big Mumrikas’. They run up to the policeman Bjorkas (Edgaras Savickis), and ask him to let them hide in the police station from the children of the ‘Order of the Red Rose’.

In the 17th century, the house was bought by Jerzy Ertli, a mason. Later, it was owned by various owners. Nowadays, this building is where the restaurant ‘Ertlio Namas’ is located.

In ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’ Part (1976), we see the gangsters ‘Paleface’ (played by Jonas Aleksa) and ‘Disgusting’ (played by Donatas Katkus) arriving at a hotel to find out from Haris the porter the whereabouts of their former accomplice, Einaras, who is hiding the stolen treasure from them.

This building was once the printing house of the Vilnius Academy from 1575 to 1805. It was here that, in 1595, the first surviving Lithuanian Catholic book was printed in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Catechism of the Spaniard J. Ledesma, translated from Polish by Mikalojus Daukša (‘The Catechism, or Science, obligatory for every Christian’). Later, the printing house was owned by the printer Józef Zawadzki. This is commemorated by a memorial plaque on the right side of the door.

In one scene from ‘Andrius’, we can see the main character (Edvinas Menčikovas) running along the street.

In the distance, we can see Dominkonų Street and, on the left, the Palace at Šv. Jono Street, which belonged to the noblemen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Pac family from the 17th century onwards, and the Sapieha family from the late 18th century onwards. After the uprising of 1831, the palace was confiscated from them, and various institutions operated there. The building now belongs to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.

In another scene from ‘Andrius’, Rauplėnas (Donatas Banionis) is giving a flower to Jana (Inga Brunzaitė). She is Andrius’s guest from the Czech Republic who sang at the choir concert. Andrius (Edvinas Menčikovas) is standing nearby.

Vilnius University was founded by the Jesuits in 1579. The yard of M. K. Sarbievijus was originally called the family yard because it had outbuildings, stables, and a brewery. Later, it was named after Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, a famous European poet, student, and professor of Vilnius University at the beginning of the 17th century, and a plaque was unveiled in the courtyard above the archway on the west side. In the 19th century, the buildings in the northern part of the courtyard were rebuilt, and apartments were created for professors. It now houses the Faculty of Philology. The eastern wing houses the Centre for Lithuanian Studies and used to be the ‘Littera’ bookshop. On the southern side, above the passage to the Great Courtyard, there is a bell commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Vincas Kudirka, who was a writer. As well as penning the lyrics of the Lithuanian national anthem, he was the editor of the newspaper ‘Varpas’ (‘The Bell’). The bell also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the newspaper ‘Varpas’ and the founding year of the Reform Movement of Lithuania (Sąjūdis).

In the feature film ‘Andrius’, we can spot a fragment of the Bell Tower and views of the interior of St Johns’ Church.

The Bell Tower is the tallest building (68 m) in Vilnius Old Town and was built in the 17th century. You can go up in a lift or on authentic wooden steps to see the city panorama. The Bell Tower is home to the only Foucault Pendulum in the Baltic States; the invention proves that the Earth rotates.

The feature film ‘Andrius’ shows a presentation by a children’s choir from the Czech Republic at the Church of the Holy Cross in Vilnius. In the front row, on the right side, is Andrius’ guest Jana. At the time of the film, the church was known as the ‘Little Baroque Hall’; concerts used to take place there.

In the first half of the 17th century, the monastery of the Brotherhood of St. John of God (the Bonifraters or ‘hospitallers’) was founded on this site. It housed a hospital and a shelter for the poor. The convent is now home to the Sisters of the Poor, whose congregation was founded in 1918 by the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis. The Church of the Holy Cross was famous for its well of miraculous healing water in the basement and painting of the Virgin Mary of the Snows (Our Lady of Bonifrati) at the high altar.

In the feature film ‘Andrius’, we see Andrius (Edvinas Menčikovas) waiting for his guest – Jana.

S. Skapo Street is officially considered the narrowest street in Vilnius. It is named after the royal secretary Stanisław Skap, who acquired land and built a manor in this area.

In the feature film ‘Gražuolė’, we see children sitting in a circle in an empty pond while the heroine Inga (act. Inga Mickytė) dances.

The Bernardine Gardens were founded in the 15th century by Bernardine monks who planted vegetable plots and created gardens with ponds and canals. After the 1863 uprising, the Tsarist authorities closed the Bernardine monastery and the garden was abandoned. At the end of the 19th century, the Public City Park was opened on the site of Sereikiškių Park and the Bernardine Garden. During the Soviet years, it was called the ‘Youth Garden’, and, as you can see from the photo, there was no water in the pond… In 2013, the garden was restored according to 19th-century traditions and regained its old name.

In Part 1 of ‘The Adventures of Kalis the Sleuth’, we see Einaras and the children of the ‘Order of the White Rose’ arriving at the Bastion tower in an old car.

The shot includes a glimpse of the Bastion tower of the Vilnius defensive wall from the side of Subačiaus Street. Unfortunately, you can no longer get that close to the tower from that side, as the place is fenced off, and the gate is closed.

The Bastion was built around the beginning of the 17th century. It is an integral part of the Vilnius defensive wall. It was the strongest part of Vilnius’ defences and was defended by cannons; the cellars were used to store gunpowder. In the middle of the 18th century, it lost its importance and was gradually filled in over time. During the First and Second World Wars, the Germans built a shelter and a weapons depot there. During the Soviet era, it was also used as a warehouse, and archaeological research and restoration work began. It is now a branch of the National Museum. The Bastion is also linked to the Vilnius legend of the Basilisk (a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king that causes death to those who look into its eyes).

In the feature film ‘Aš esu ‘(‘I am’), we see Jonukas (Giedrius Čaikauskas) returning from school through Aušros Vartai.

The scene features the Gates of Dawn from the side of Aušros Vartų Street. This is the only gate in the Vilnius defensive wall that has survived to this day. It was built in the first half of the 16th century. Above it, the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy is located, renowned for its miraculous image of Mary.