The history of Vilnius guides also reflects the major events in the city, which attracted crowds of visitors from Poland. Short illustrated guides were published for those occasions. On the occasion of the coronation festivities of the picture of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn in 1927, as many as three guides for pilgrims were published: A Memento of Vilnius. My Guide by Piotr Sankowski, A Memento of Vilnius By Aleksandr Łętowski, and A Short Practical Guide to Vilnius by an anonymous author. In 1935, the year of Józef Piłsudski’s death, Vilnius in Several Hours written by the tourist guide Edward Kulwieć was published. The burying of Józef Piłsudski’s heart and his mother’s remains in the Rasos cemetery in 1936 was a special event, and on that occasion A Short Guide. Vilnius and Its Environs by Kazimierz Lewkowicz came out. This publication was adapted for the visitors of popular annual events – “Northern Fairs” – presenting the industry, crafts and agriculture of the Vilnius region, and reprinted in 1937 and 1939.
Text author Laima Laučkaitė
