Bernardine Gardens

The Bernardine Gardens occupy the ground between Gediminas Hill and the Vilnia river, land that belonged to the Bernardine monastery and was laid out as a botanical garden in the nineteenth century, later a public park, and restored in 2013 to the historic plan: formal beds, a fountain, a rose garden, a small botanical section, and paths along the river with the hill and the cathedral above. It is where Vilnius sits on a summer afternoon. The gardens lie within the historic centre that UNESCO inscribed in 1994, and the walk continues over the river into Užupis or up the hill to the castle tower. Concerts and open-air events run through the summer.

History

Until the 14th century a sacred oak wood of the pagan Lithuanians stood here; after Christianity came the oaks were felled, and in 1469, when King Casimir IV Jagiellon invited the Bernardine monks to Vilnius, the garden was made. It was closed in 1864 and reopened about twenty years later, and its third reconstruction was completed in 2013 (Wikipedia, Bernardine Garden).

What to look for

• Formal beds and fountain - the restored nineteenth-century layout.
• The river path - the Vilnia running along the garden edge.
• Gediminas Hill above - the castle tower rising over the park.
• Summer events - concerts and gatherings on the lawns.

When to go

May to September, when the beds are planted and the park is in use; it is open year round but bare in winter. Evenings in summer are the pleasantest. Blossom in May is the best moment.

Practical notes

The gardens are small and take an hour. Restoration is recent, so the planting is young. It is busy on summer weekends. Facilities are a café and public toilets.

Nearby

The Palace of the Grand Dukes lies west; Užupis is across the river.

Key facts