Lithuania, part V - Vilnius Aušros vartai, Pilies street and Old town (Senamiestis)

Back to the city centre, and I wandered around for a bit. I lived right next to the Gates of Dawn, which gave me easy access to the Old Town. Let's see what wikitravel has to say about it.

It is a city area which began to develop extensively around the Middle Ages and it eventually became surrounded by a defensive wall after some time. The wall was distinguished by its strong surroundings and its shape for a long period of time, but this area is now called Old Town and has a separate status in the Vilnius administrative division. While the urban structure reflects the earliest development from c. 14th century, the architecture of the buildings is mostly from Baroque and Classicism periods with some examples of Renaissance and Gothic, to a lesser extent. One should keep in mind that medieval Vilnius was once a wooden city. The huge fires ravaged Vilnius several times since 1513 to 1749. Therefore, many buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries (still considered new) have Gothic and Renaissance cellars, many of which now are occupied with restaurants, bars or shops. (source)

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