In the 16th century, in Vilnius, the love story between the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Sigismund Augustus, and the Grand Duchess of Lithuania and Queen of Poland, Barbara Radziwiłł, took place. This story later inspired writers, artists, dramatists, and painters from many nations and eras. Their bond was very strong, their behavior scandalous and dramatic for that time, and their story short and tragic.

The route „Secret Love“ is a path that leads through important places in Vilnius where the famous couple lived, loved, and acted from 1520 to 1549. The story is crafted as if it is openly and sensitively narrated by Barbara Radziwiłł herself.

The audio guide will take you through places in Vilnius where Barbara Radziwiłł was born, grew up, and lived. Some said she was a capricious, lustful, and free-spirited girl who became a victim of her influential relatives’ political games and ultimately died from the poison of her mother-in-law, Queen Bona Sforza. Others testified that she was a smart, sensitive young woman who experienced immense love and happiness, as well as fierce opposition to her relationship with Sigismund Augustus. The attacks from opponents broke Barbara emotionally and physically. Due to constant tension, she fell seriously ill and died young.

The 21 stops mark the most important signs of the story of Barbara Radziwiłł and Sigismund Augustus in Vilnius, offering a romantic walk through 16th-century Vilnius along with Barbara Radziwiłł and your friends.