Living Rasos

Founded in 1801, Rasos is the oldest surviving cemetery in Vilnius. New principles of European urban development encouraged the allocation of clearly separated areas for cemeteries outside the city. These provisions also applied in the Russian Empire. Therefore, Rasos is the first "modern" cemetery in Vilnius and in Lithuania in general, established by the imperial authorities outside the city limits, away from the parish church, in an empty, hilly area.

Soon, Rasos became a pantheon for the Lithuanians, Poles, and Belarusians living here, an architectural monument, a place for national-political manifestations, as well as a unique green urban space. The life of plants, insects, fungi, and birds never stops in the cemetery.

The exhibition covers the period from the founding of the cemetery to the end of World War II. In it, we tell the story of the cemetery's establishment and development, the tombstones and their symbolism, some of the people who found their eternal rest in Rasos, and we also introduce the current inhabitants of the cemetery. We invite you to remember, get to know, and protect this fragile habitat of memory and biodiversity.

Tickets: https://vilniausmuziejus.lt/produktas/bilietas-i-padalini/