Christmas with “Neakivaizdinis Vilnius” (Discover Vilnius): “Fairy tale of Vilnius city, full of magic and so pretty…”

“Neakivaizdinis Vilnius” has prepared four gifts for the upcoming holidays and invites to open up to legendary experiences, wandering around the city and playing an orienteering game, trying a new thematic route along the path of legends, admiring Christmas trees in different neighbourhoods following the Christmas Tree Map, opening up a page of a new legend of the capital city on social networks every day and winning special prizes. All these experiences fall under the theme of fairy tales and myths “Fairy tale of Vilnius city, full of magic and so pretty…”.

“This year’s holidays can be called legendary. After all, we will be celebrating the 700^th anniversary of Vilnius right after them! Moreover, last year, UNESCO declared Vilnius a City of Literature. Therefore, we have decided to tell about the capital from a different perspective than it is presented in history books and open the gates of magic to a city filled with Christmas spirit”, – Sonata Griškienė, the initiator and the coordinator of the project, the Senior Adviser of the Foreign Relations and Tourism Office of the Vilnius City Administration, wished us all to delve into a special festive mood.

Orienteering game for families. Vilnius is one way in reality and another – in legends and fairy tales. Discovering and experiencing the mythical city is the main challenge of the Christmas orienteering game “Legends and Mysteries of Vilnius”, which starts today. All those who visit the places marked on the Christmas map of Vilnius and write their answers to the questions in the crossword puzzle are invited to pick up their festive gifts at the Vilnius Tourism Information Centre (Pilies g. 2). The game will run until 6 January.

The map with tasks is available at the Tourism Information Centre or can be printed HERE. 

Thematic route “Around Vilnius on the path of legends”. Legends, miracles, stories and tales accompany not only the main holidays of the year, but also Vilnius itself. The city is full of magical places, mystical stories and tales of forgotten historical personalities or events that are reborn every time. For example, do you know which request of the king was fulfilled by the wizard Jan Tvardovsky and what happened to his magic book? What is special about the painting of St. Casimir in Vilnius Cathedral? Whose wrath did the Swedish soldiers who ravaged Vilnius incur? You are invited to hear these and other stories and immerse yourself in the city of tales and wonders as you take a short stroll around the Old Town.

The route for self-guided walks is available HERE.

Map of Christmas Trees. Inviting residents and guests of the city to admire Christmas trees not only at the centre of Vilnius but also in other neighbourhoods has already become a tradition. Some of them have surprises in store – a Christmas tree in a bubble, paper cut-outs of the capital’s most famous buildings, illuminated sculptures and many more. And this year, legends related to a specific neighbourhood supplement the descriptions of the festive decorations on the map, spicing up a trip in search for Christmas trees in different parts of Vilnius with mysticism and mysterious stories.

A regularly updated map of newly illuminated trees in neighbourhoods of Vilnius is available HERE.

Fairy tale of Vilnius city, full of magic and so pretty… a short mythical story about the city posted on social media profiles of “Neakivaizdinis Vilnius” (Discover Vilnius). Was the wizard Lizdeika really found in a nest in Verkiai? Why did God create two black angels and put them on St. John’s Church? Where are the unicorns or mummies of Vilnius hiding? The most attentive listeners of the stories will be awarded souvenirs of “Neakivaizdinis Vilnius” (Discover Vilnius) after the holidays.

Join the community of fans of this fabulous city here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neakivaizdinisvilnius;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neakivaizdinis_vilnius/.

For more information, see: HERE.