The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, Modified: yes, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, Modified: yes, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet
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ID: POL-002236-P/165045

Writers' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet

ID: POL-002236-P/165045

Writers' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet

In the heart of Vilnius Old Town, there is a not very long street called Literary Lane. Narrow, winding and exceptionally picturesque, it runs from Zamkovaya Street towards the Church of St Michael the Archangel.

In the 17th century it was called Do Kalwińskiego Zboru Street. At its end, where today there is a small square, there was a Calvinist congregation. In 1639 King Wladyslaw IV ordered the Calvinists to move outside the city walls and the church to be demolished. By decision of the municipal authorities, the church was moved outside the city walls to Zawalna Street. Later, Literacka Street was called Svatomichalskyi, Svatomichalskyi II, Pokrovskyi, until the name Literacki was finally adopted, as in the 19th century it was home to many bookshops and small antiquarian bookshops.

During World War II, this not very long street, unlike the nearby Zamkowa Street, suffered practically no damage, the tenement houses were not destroyed. The facades of the houses in their original form have been preserved to the present day.

The house at number 5 was where the poet Adam Mickiewicz lived after his return from Kaunas in 1823. He rented a flat in the house of Mr and Mrs Piasecki, which at the beginning of the 19th century belonged to the father of the famous philaret, Kazimierz. It was here that the future bard was arrested in the autumn of 1823 and imprisoned in the Basilian monastery. The windows of the room overlooked the street, but the room itself was not precisely located. A commemorative plaque in Polish was placed on the frontage of the entrance arcade, while panels with inscriptions in Lithuanian and Russian were embedded below on both sides.

Before the Second World War, Czesław Miłosz lived on this alley. At the time, he worked at the Vilnius Broadcasting Station, which was located at number 22 on Adam Mickiewicz Street, in the last gate of this alley. The poet recalled that on the right, just outside the gate, there was an entrance to a staircase from which one entered a room. A window was placed deep in the bay window. This is the house on today's Literary Lane at number 9, on the corner of Rusų Street, and adjoins the walls of the Bernardine convent at St Michael the Archangel Church. In the 19th century, the house belonged to the Puzyn family. Miłosz wrote that he occupied this room in the winter of 1936. It was a flat as if from a previous era, full of old furniture, trinkets and paintings. There was a cooker, an oak bed The maid was an old Lithuanian woman. This room sank deeply into the poet's memory and he always remembered it warmly.

The walls of this cosy little street commemorate eminent writers connected with the town on the banks of the river and Lithuania. In 2008, the first plaques were built into one of the walls. There were 200 wooden, ceramic, metal and glass plaques commemorating writers and poets connected with Vilnius. The Wall of Writers was created. Polish writers connected with the city on the Neris River are commemorated: Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Wisława Szymborska and precisely Czesław Miłosz, who also has his plaque here.

Time of construction:

2008

Supplementary bibliography:

"Wandering the streets of Vilnius: Literacka - the atmosphere of old times", https://kurierwilenski.lt/2014/11/28/wedrowki-ulicami-wilenskimi-literacka-klimat-dawnych-czasow/ [accessed 10.08.2024].

Publication:

11.10.2024

Last updated:

08.05.2025

Author:

Katarzyna Węglicka
see more Text translated automatically
Narrow street in Vilnius' Old Town with a sign for Trinité Boutique, balconies, and a large wooden gate at the end. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Narrow alley in Vilnius Old Town with a yellow building at the end, featuring a wooden door and a small balcony with flowers on the left. Street lamps and signs are visible on the walls. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Narrow alley in Vilnius Old Town with historic buildings on both sides. A sign for Trinité Boutique is visible, and a balcony with plants is on the left. The alley leads to a wooden gate. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
The Literary Alley in Vilnius, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Wall of Writers in Vilnius with various plaques and artworks commemorating writers and poets. The wall is adorned with ceramic, metal, and glass pieces under a tiled roof. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Wall of Writers in Vilnius' Literary Lane, featuring various plaques and artworks commemorating writers associated with the city. The wall is adorned with metal, ceramic, and glass pieces. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Wall of Literati in Vilnius with various plaques and artworks dedicated to writers and poets. The wall features metal grates over windows and a variety of materials including ceramic and metal. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Wall of Literati in Vilnius featuring plaques commemorating writers. Visible are a round relief with a profile, a rectangular plaque with 'Czesław Miłosz', and other small numbered plaques. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Plaque dedicated to Czesław Miłosz on the Wall of Literati in Vilnius, featuring his name and a relief image of a reclining figure. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018
Plaques on the Wall of Writers in Vilnius, featuring a poem by K.I. Gałczyński with a bird illustration, and a quote by Simone de Beauvoir. Numbered plaques 113, 166, 177, and 180 are visible. Photo showing Writers\' Wall in a Vilnius backstreet Gallery of the object +8
Ściana literatów w wileńskim zaułku, photo Katarzyna Węglicka, 2018

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