Podróże do Wilna i początki wileńskiej turystyki w drugiej połowie XIX wieku i w początkach XX stulecia (do 1914 roku) w świetle bedekerów i relacji

Abstract

In the 19th century Vilnius, as the seat of the governor, and administrative and trade center (especially during the annual fairs), was visited by the inhabitants of the surrounding lands. The city was the target of religious pilgrimages to The Gate of Dawn and Calvary near Vilnius. Youths who wanted to learn and study also came there. Newcomers took the opportunity to visit places connected with the history of the pagan Lithuania, the monuments from the time when Vilnius was one of the two capitals of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and to see souvenirs connected with Lithuanian magnates and with the lives of the eminent Romantic poets: Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki. In the 1850s, the first Vilnius travel guides written by Adam Honory Kirkor were published. They were used by travelers, who could travel by train since the early 186Os. Travel guides of the nineteenth century show the picture of the city and ancient hotels, restaurants and public transport. From the reports of the people who visited Vilnius at that time we learn about how travel conditions were changing, how everyday life of the city inhabitants looked like and how tourists and citizens were spending their free time in Vilnius.