Literatų Street
Literatų Street features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Vilnius. Give it roughly ~20 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Vilnius Vilnius guide
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About Literatų Street
A short Old Town lane whose wall is covered with around two hundred handmade plaques honouring writers tied to Vilnius, in Lithuanian, Polish, Yiddish, Russian and other languages.
Literatų gatvė, or Writers' Street, is a short, narrow lane of about 140 metres in the Old Town of Vilnius, a UNESCO World Heritage area near Pilies Street. Its name is usually linked to the poet Adam Mickiewicz, who briefly lived on the street around 1823, though an alternative explanation traces it to the printing houses and bookshops that once stood there. Earlier historical names of the street include St. Michael and Pokrov.
The street is best known for a wall of decorative plaques dedicated to writers connected with Vilnius and Lithuania. Artists conceived the idea around the time the city prepared to be European Capital of Culture in 2009, and the dedicated wall was inaugurated on 28 May 2011. Contributors work as volunteers in metal, wood, glass and ceramic, so pieces by established names sit beside those of emerging artists. The wall has grown to roughly two hundred individual works of varied shapes, sizes and materials.
Did you know? The wall was inaugurated on the twenty-eighth of May 2011, though artists had begun the project a few years earlier; sources place its first works in 2008 or 2009, near the Capital of Culture year.
How long is a visit to Literatų Street?
Set aside roughly ~20 min for Literatų Street. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Literatų Street worth your time?
Literatų Street is among the 21 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Vilnius, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Vilnius
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Literatų Street and read more:
Day 2 of the Vilnius in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Literatų Street
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