HEROES semi-annual meeting
19-20 May 2026
MUST VISIT EVENTS AND PLACES IN VILNIUS
MUSEUMS
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus
This shrine is a symbol of Lithuanian baptism. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus is built in the very centre of the city on the site of a former pagan temple and next to Vilnius’ defensive castle.
Lithuania’s patron saint St. Casimir rests in the Cathedral Basilica. Jurgis Matulaitis served as the basilica’s bishop from 1918 to 1925. On 4 September 1993, the Holy Father John Paul II began his historic apostolic journey through Lithuania at the Vilnius Cathedral.
OPEN HOURS: 7 am–6 pm
WHERE : Katedros a. 2, Vilnius 01143
WEBSITE : https://www.katedra.lt/
The Gediminas’ Tower
Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia and Vilnius has the Church of St. Anne. The church has remained almost unchanged over the last five centuries and is one of the most beautiful and probably the most famous buildings in Vilnius. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture and is surrounded by many legends. The most famous of them recounts how Napoleon wanted to take the church back with him to Paris in his palm.
Next to the church stands a bell tower built in the 19th century, imitating the Gothic style.
And the church is already an inseparable symbol of Vilnius.
OPEN HOURS: 10 am–8 pm
WHERE : Arsenalo g. 5, Vilnius 01143
WEBSITE: www.lnm.lt
Church of St. Anne and Bernardine Complex
Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia and Vilnius has the Church of St. Anne. The church has remained almost unchanged over the last five centuries and is one of the most beautiful and probably the most famous buildings in Vilnius. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture and is surrounded by many legends. The most famous of them recounts how Napoleon wanted to take the church back with him to Paris in his palm.
Next to the church stands a bell tower built in the 19th century, imitating the Gothic style.
And the church is already an inseparable symbol of Vilnius.
OPEN HOURS: 4:45–7 pm
WHERE : Maironio g. 8, Vilnius 01124
House of Histories
Opened in 2021, The House of Histories is a space which invites visitors to experience history not as something fixed in the past but as integral to the reality we are creating today. The history of this building goes back to the second half of the 18th century. Today The House of Histories is the newest and most modern branch of the National Museum of Lithuania. The first and second floors of the building house exhibition spaces, while the basement serves as a storage.
OPEN HOURS: 10 am–6 pm
WHERE : T.Kosciuškos g. 3
WEBSITE : www.lnm.lt
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB)
The KGB Museum in Vilnius, officially called the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, is located in the former Soviet KGB headquarters and prison near Lukiškės Square. It focuses on the Soviet occupation of Lithuania from 1940–1991, showing how the regime persecuted, imprisoned, deported, and executed Lithuanians. Exhibitions include former prison cells, interrogation rooms, and an execution chamber, as well as displays on deportations to gulags, underground resistance, and the broader fight for Lithuanian independence.
OPEN HOURS: 10 am–6 pm
WHERE : Aukų g. 2A, Vilnius, 01400 Vilniaus m. sav.
EBSITE : https://olkm.lt/
LUKIŠKĖS PRISON
Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius is one of Lithuania’s oldest and most notorious prisons, built in the early 1900s as a Tsarist-era detention and punishment facility. Over the 20th century it was used by different regimes, including imperial Russian, Nazi, Soviet, and later independent Lithuanian authorities, holding both common criminals and many political prisoners. The complex was designed for several hundred inmates but became heavily overcrowded, and for decades conditions were harsh, with many prisoners awaiting trial or transfer as well as some serving life sentences. The prison was finally closed as a detention facility in the 2010s, and in recent years it has been transformed into “Lukiškės Prison 2.0,” a cultural and creative space used for tours, concerts, art projects, and events while still preserving its historical atmosphere.
OPEN HOURS: 12 pm–12 am
WHERE : Lukiškių skg. 6, Vilnius, 01108 Vilniaus m. sav.
************
EVENTS
You can find information about events in Vilnius at this link: https://www.vilnius-events.lt/