Site | Image | Location | Year listed | | Description |
Vilnius Historic Centre | | Vilnius | 1994 | 541; ii, iv | Vilnius was the political centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 13th to the end of the 18th century. The historic centre comprises the areas of the Vilnius Castle Complex and the area that was encircled by a wall in the Middle Ages. The street plan is radial, originating out from the original castle site. Despite invasions and partial destruction, the city has preserved a large number of buildings, in Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles. Historic sites include the Cathedral Square, the Town Hall, and the Vilnius University complex. |
Curonian Spit | | Neringa and Klaipėda district | 2000 | 994; v | The Curonian Spit, a long sandy dune that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Intense logging activities in the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in the dunes moving towards the Lagoon, burying the oldest settlements in the process. Dune stabilization work started in the 19th century and is still ongoing. It includes building a protective dune ridge, as well as planting trees and hedges. In time, some of the ancient fishermen villages have been transformed into tourist resorts, with lighthouses, piers, churches, schools, and villas. The area is also important for its sand flora and fauna, and as a bird migration path. The northern part of the Spit is in Lithuania, while the southern part is in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. |
Kernavė Archaeological Site | | Širvintos district | 2004 | 1137; iii, iv | The area around Kernavė has been inhabited continuously since the 9th or 8th millennium BCE, and there are several layers of archaeological findings from different periods. The most prominent remains are from the Middle Ages, from the 13th century, when Kernavė was an important feudal town. It had an extensive fortification system, parts of which are still visible today. The town was razed by the Teutonic Order in late 14th century but human occupancy of the area continued until modern times. A cultural reserve was established in 1989. |
Struve Geodetic Arc | | Panemunėlis, Nemenčinė, Nemėžis | 2005 | 1187, ii, iii, vi
| The Struve Geodetic Arc is a series of triangulation points, stretching over a distance of from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea. The points were set up in a survey by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve who first carried out an accurate measurement of a long segment of a meridian, which helped to establish the size and shape of the Earth. Originally, there were 265 station points. The World Heritage Site includes 34 points in ten countries, three of which are in Lithuania. The site at :lt:Meškonys|Meškonys is pictured. |
Site | Image | Location | Year listed | UNESCO criteria | Description |
Trakai Historical National Park | | Trakai | 2003 | | The Trakai Historical National Park covers a cultural landscape with forests, lakes, moraine hills, and agricultural areas. These diverse habitats are home to several rare plant and animal species. The human occupancy of the area dataes back to the 4000 BCE. The town of Trakai was first mentioned in the 14th century. Two castles have been built for fortifications; the well-preserved Trakai Island Castle and the Trakai Peninsula Castle. Trakai was granted Magdeburg rights in the 15th century. It was a multicultural city, with communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, and Poles living there. |
Kaunas 1919–1939: The Capital Inspired by the Modern Movement | | Kaunas | 2017 | ii, iv | During the Interwar period, the historic capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, was lost to Poland, and Kaunas was designated the temporary capital. This triggered a construction boom as all the vital infrastructure for a new country had to be built. The architectural style combined the national traditions and the contemporary influences from abroad to form a local school of Modernism. More than 6,000 buildings from the period have survived until today, including the Christ's Resurrection Church, the Bank of Lithuania building, and the Officers' Club Building. |