A free walk through Vilnius

Audio guide “Slapta meilė”

All stops

21 stops · 3.8 km · ~50 min walking and ~34 min of audio

1. The old riverbed
On Šventaragio Street, the square where the old bed of the Vilnelė once flowed, separating today's Gediminas Avenue and Tilto Street from the Lower Castle on the Cathedral Square side.
2. Her parents' home
Walking towards the Neris along the trace of the old Vilnelė riverbed: on the left, where the Vilnelė flowed into the Neris, stood the manor of Barbara's parents, Jerzy and Barbara. The palace grounds stretched from Tilto Street to Žygimantų Street, with a great palace, army buildings, stables, gardens and ponds.
3. Radziwiłł the Red
Barbara's older brother, Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Red, grew up with her and was one of the closest friends and companions of Sigismund Augustus.
4. Radziwiłł the Black
On the way to the Palace of the Grand Dukes, hear about Barbara's cousin Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black, the closest friend of Sigismund Augustus.
5. Palace of the Grand Dukes
The Palace of the Grand Dukes, where Barbara spent her childhood and met Sigismund Augustus. Here, too, is the mysterious tunnel through which the ruler came to the palace of Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Red to meet his beloved.
6. Cathedral Square
The Cathedral – the place of royal weddings, christenings and funerals. The story of the conflict between the Radziwiłłs and Sigismund Augustus.
7. Cathedral. The Wedding
The chapel of the secret wedding.
8. Cathedral. The Grave
The burial place – the epitaph plaque to Barbara in St Casimir's Chapel, written by Roysius, the lawyer and poet of Sigismund Augustus.
9. About Vilnius
Renaissance Vilnius – what was the atmosphere like at the royal court and in the homes of Vilnius townspeople?
10. The Glass Quarter
The Glass Quarter – a town of goldsmiths and glassmakers. A walk through the craftsmen's quarter of Vilnius, whose masters worked for the royal court all the time. Today it is full of hidden corners, which is why it is rightly called the most romantic quarter of Vilnius.
11. Vilnensis jewellery
Barbara's ring – Vilnensis gallery.
12. Stikliai hotel
Stikliai hotel – Barbara's apartments.
13. Augustus and Barbara
The Augustus and Barbara love café.
14. Lokys restaurant
The cuisine of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and a painting of the royal couple.
15. Glassware
The first glass manufactory in Vilnius. Sigismund Augustus allowed the glassmaker Marcin Palecki to found it. The era of glassmaking in Vilnius began with it, and the street you are standing on was named Stiklių (Glassmakers') Street. What did Augustus do to protect Barbara from attempts to poison her?
16. Printing house courtyard
The quiet printing house courtyard: Czechs, Spaniards, fashion and a secret marriage. Sit on a bench in the courtyard by the first printing house in Vilnius and hear who came here, what Barbara's dresses looked like and what Augustus did to protect her from poisoning.
17. Monument
The monument to Barbara Radziwiłł. See Barbara through the eyes of modern art.
18. The way home
The way home – the road through the Gate of Dawn by which Barbara and Augustus left for Kraków and by which Augustus returned after Barbara's death.
19. Gasztołd Palace
The site of the Gasztołd Palace – the home of Barbara's first husband, Stanisław Gasztołd, where Barbara lived.
20. The Cardinal's Palace
The palace of Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black – the Cardinal's Palace. Its former garden, fondly called the French Park by locals, surely saw Barbara and Sigismund Augustus visiting her cousin Mikołaj.
21. Necropolis
The Necropolis – a mausoleum. The mysterious foundations of two churches, the place Sigismund Augustus wanted to make the eternal resting place of his love. A tribute to the dark, dramatic Vilnius legend of love.

Stop pictures: details of Miglė Kosinskaitė’s painting “Augustas ir Barbora”.

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Thank the makers

The audio guide is free. Its texts, recordings and route were made by the small “Slapta meilė” team. If you enjoyed the walk, you can thank us with any amount you like.

The “Slapta meilė” route

In 16th-century Vilnius, a love story unfolded between Sigismund Augustus, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, and Barbara Radziwiłł, Grand Duchess of Lithuania and Queen of Poland – a story that later inspired writers, artists, playwrights and painters of many nations and eras. The bond between the rulers was very strong, their behaviour scandalous and dramatic for the society of the time, and their story short and tragic.

This is a route through important places in Vilnius where the famous couple lived, loved and acted in 1520–1549. The story is told as if by Barbara Radziwiłł herself, openly and tenderly.

The audio guide will take you through the places in Vilnius where Barbara Radziwiłł was born, grew up and lived. Some said she was a capricious, lustful girl of loose morals who became a victim of her influential relatives’ political games and finally died of poison given by her mother-in-law, Queen Bona Sforza. Others testified that she was a clever, sensitive young woman who experienced great love and happiness, as well as fierce opposition to her union with Sigismund Augustus. Her enemies’ attacks broke Barbara emotionally and physically. Under constant strain she fell seriously ill and died young.

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