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Virtual Tour

The territory of the present Presidential Palace was donated to the Vilnius Diocese in the 14th century. In the same century, the first Bishop of Vilnius, Andrius Vasila, built a palace there, which was later decorated, rebuilt and expanded by its successive owners. In the 18th century, some reconstruction works of the Palace ensemble were carried out by Lithuanian architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Palace was devastated by fires, wars and disturbances. After Lithuania was made part of the Russian empire, the Bishops' Palace became a temporary residence of the Russian Emperor, dukes and other noblemen. The Palace, the most magnificent and respectable palace at that time, was also used for residence by Tsar Pavel I, the would-be King of France Louis XVIII, and French Emperor Napoleon. In the 19th century, the Palace became the official residence of the Russian Governor General. Governor-General Muravyov and twice Governor-General of Lithuania Mikhail Kutuzov lived there. In 1824-1834, the Palace was reconstructed to the design of Vasily Stasov, a renowned architect of the Tsar Court in St. Petersburg, acquiring its present-day shape. In 1920, before the loss of the Vilnius region to Poland, the Palace housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. Later, between the two World Wars, it again became a venue for official ceremonies. Marshal Józef Piłsudski of Poland also stayed at the Palace. After of the Second World War, the Palace was converted into the Soviet Military Officers' Centre. In the 60s, it received new hosts, becoming the Artists' Palace. After the restoration of Lithuania's independence, part of the building housed the Embassy of France. At the end of 1995, renovation of the Palace began. In 1997, it became the seat of the President of the Republic.

Main facade of the Palace and the Courtyard

Visitors on guided tours enter the Palace through the entrance on the left risalita ledge. Built in the 19th century in the style of Neoclassicism, this two-storied Palace, together with the administrative building on Universiteto Street, the Courtyard, the Park and the Column Hall (formerly - the Guardhouse), forms a uniform enclosed architectural ensemble in the Old Town of Vilnius. The Courtyard is used as a venue for various public events open for all local people and visitors.

Flag and Coat of Arms

The flag and the coat of arms of the President of the Republic of Lithuania on the attic of the central risalite ledge of the Palace. The flag is flown at full mast when the President is in the Palace and in Vilnius.

Palace Park

The Presidential Palace Park is one of the oldest parks in Vilnius. It is significant for the whole history of architecture and green plantation of Lithuania. In the past, the Park belonged to the Vilnius Diocese for several centuries and was known as the Bishops' Garden back then. It was first mentioned in written sources in 1387, in a writ of Grand Duke Jogaila, which also mentioned a garden of the Goštautas family, which did not survive. It is believed that it is where the present Presidential Palace stands now. The Bishops' Garden was again mentioned in 1543, in a writ of Bishop Povilas Alšėniškis of Vilnius, in which the Bishop announced the construction of a chapel in a garden next to the Bishops' Palace. Supposedly, both the ensemble proper and its borders had been changed numerous times, with the most drastic transformation carried out in the first half of the 19th century, when Lithuania was made part of the Russian Empire. The Palace was decorated in the luxurious Empire style. The reconstruction of the Park was co-led by architect Joseph Poussier. He was the author of the design, to which the Park was later rebuilt. Thus, the whole ensemble has to this day retained the original style from the 19th century. Important natural-historic heritage was preserved in the Park and in the courtyards of the ensemble: many maples, lindens and centuries-old oaks have survived. The Park also takes pride in its decorative shrubbery, plants and lawns. A surviving fragment of the Vilnius defence wall has been uncovered at the back part of the wall fencing in the park. (Based on the article by K. Labanauskas on the Presidential Palace Park in Vilnius, "Historic Parks and Gardens in Lithuania", 1999).

Ceremonial Staircase

The red-carpeted staircase decorated with gilt handrails and window railings leads from the courtyard to the main halls, laid out in enfilade on the second floor of the Palace.

The Hall of Maps

This room features a neoclassical furniture set (early 20th c., mahogany veneer), with facsimiles of the maps of the Lithuanian state from the cartography collection of the Science Library of Vilnius University and the Allegoric Composition (oil on canvas) by Frans van Mieris the Younger (1689-1763) on the walls.

The Hall of Delegations

The room is used as a lounge by official delegations. It features lithographs from The Vilnius Album compiled by Jonas Kazimieras Vilčinskis between 1848 and 1850: Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University. Vilnius. Suburb of Šnipiškės; Dining Hall in Verkiai Palace; Tombstone of Sigismund I and Sigismund Augustus in Cracow Cathedral.

The White Hall

The main hall of the Palace, used for the presentation of letters of credence and awards and meetings of the public with the President. White furniture with gilt ornaments is a replica of original furniture. The Liberty Statue in the central niche is a gypsum model of the original sculpture by sculptor Juozas Zikaras (1881-1944) displayed at the War Museum of Vytautas the Great in Kaunas.

The Negotiations Hall

The Negotiations Hall is used for meetings and negotiations of official delegations. The authentic caisson ceiling from the Bishops' Palace period is one of the most beautiful and ornate fragments of the present Palace architecture. The walls are decorated with maps of the Old Vilnius and drawings of architectural monuments and their reconstructed versions, mirrored in the views opening up out of the windows of the hall: Map of the City of Vilnius, Tower of the Gediminas Castle, Subačius City Gates and Town Hall, Reconstruction of the Lower Castle (1894-1923, paper, ink, watercolour).

The Blue Hall

Named after the colour of its walls, this room is used for tête-á-tête meetings of the President. Its has two surviving authentic Swedish-style fireplaces from the early 19th century and features a copy of the furniture set which belonged to Jurgis Baltrušaitis, a Lithuanian poet and diplomat that used to decorate the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow in the inter-war period.

The Green Hall

In this room, the President holds daily meetings with senior advisers. The room features antique mirrors (Empire style, early 19th c.); a glass vase made by the Imperial Glass Factory (2nd half of the 19th c., Russia); a clock featuring Apollo (gilt bronze, 1st half of the 19th c.); a pair of candelabra featuring figures of goddesses (guilt bronze, 1st half of the 19th c.)

The Waiting Room

The room features a furniture set (Russian Empire style, late 19th c., school of Saint Petersburg), a copy of the 19th century Palace furniture made on the basis of photographic material. The room is decorated with The Seascape (oil on canvas, late 19th c. - early 20th c.) and facsimiles of lithographs from The Vilnius Album by Jonas Kazimieras Vilčinskis.

Office of the President's Secretaries

A fragment of the ornamental painted frieze of the Bishops' Palace was uncovered at the height of two metres on one of the walls in this room and after restoration is now displayed framed by a moulding.

The Meeting Hall

In this room, the President holds meetings with members of the Seimas and the Government, and representatives of public institutions and non-governmental organisations. The room is decorated with portraits of the Lithuanian presidents: Antanas Smetona, 1919-1920, 1926-1940 (painted by Jonas Janulis, 1926), Kazys Grinius, 1926 (painted by K. Buivydas), Aleksandras Stulginskis, 1920-1926 (painted by Petras Kalpokas, 1925), Algirdas Brazauskas, 1993-1998 (painted by Saulius Čižikas, 1998), and Valdas Adamkus (painted by Saulius Čižikas, 2004).

The Executive Office of the President

This is the office of the President where she works and receives small delegations. It is also used for TV broadcasts of the President's addresses and holiday greetings to the nation. Behind the desk of the President are the national flag, the flag of the President and the coat of arms of Lithuania. The desk faces the fireplace installed in the opposite wall. The painting of Vytautas the Great (copy, oil on canvas, unknown artist of the 17th century) is displayed above the fireplace, with antiquities featured on its mantelpiece: a clock (guilt bronze, marble, the 2nd half of the 19th c.) and a pair of ancient Greek crater-shaped vases (guilt bronze, 1st quarter of the 19th c.)