The word Seimas refers to the Lithuanian parliament and can be traced linguistically to the Polish word sejm, meaning a gathering or assembly. With its origins in the second half of the 15th century, the contemporary Seimas is based on the First Seimas, which convened in Kaunas in 1922-1923. The work of architect brothers Algimantas and Vytautas Nasvytis, today’s Seimas building dates from 1982 and is unremarkable on the outside with the exception of the remains of the barricades built to defend the self-proclaimed independent Lithuanian Supreme Council building after Soviet forces tried to reinstate a Moscow-backed government with the storming of the Television Tower and other buildings in the early hours of January 13, 1991. Located on the western side of the building, the barricades are protected by huge sheets of glass but are clearly visible and retain the original political graffiti of the time. A small exhibition space has been added which will eventually hold public exhibitions related to the struggle for independence. Also find a memorial to the people of Chechnya and the diminutive Chapel of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the people of Lithuania who gave their lives to free the country from the USSR in 1991. Guided tours of the Seimas run daily during the week, and include details of the events of 1991 as well as a look at some of the interior’s more interesting features including Kazys Morkūnas’ extraordinary stained glass windows. Tours must be booked two weeks in advance, and are in Lithuanian unless otherwise requested. Curiously, the word seimas is also used to describe storks, Lithuania’s unofficial national bird, when they gather for winter migration.

Established in 1579 and one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, the splendid ensemble that makes up Vilnius University’s main campus buildings embraces just about every major architectural style of the last 400 years. Originally belonging to the Church, the University became a secular seat of learning in 1773 and has remained so ever since. Closed for much of the 19th and the first 18 years of the 20th century, famous past students who’ve studied here include the Polish Romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki, the Lithuanian author and historian Simonas Daukantas (see him on any 100Lt note) and the Lithuania-born Polish Nobel Prize-winning author Czesław Miłosz. As well as housing the oldest library in the country, Vilnius University is also famed for its lovely courtyards, of which depending on your definition of what a courtyard is, there are either 12 or 13. The University itself claims 13, although by rights the correct number should be 12 as one of them only has three walls, the fourth having been destroyed during construction work on the neighbouring Presidential Palace. The ensemble was fully restored in 1979 and is well worth investigating. A map can be found at Universiteto 7 explaining where everything is.