Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum

Overview

The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, also known as the Green House, preserves the memory and cultural heritage of Lithuanian Jewry — a community of over 200,000 that was almost entirely destroyed during the Holocaust. Through personal artefacts, photographs, documents, and survivor testimonies, the museum tells the story of the "Jerusalem of the North" and its tragic fate.

Highlights

• Holocaust exhibition: A devastating chronicle of the German occupation and the systematic murder of Lithuanian Jews in 1941–44.
• Pre-war Jewish life: Photographs and objects documenting the vibrant Jewish community that made Vilnius a global centre of Jewish learning and culture.
• Righteous Among the Nations: Stories of Lithuanians who risked their lives to save Jewish neighbours.

History

The museum was established in 1989, just before Lithuanian independence, as an effort to reclaim the suppressed history of the Litvak community. Named after the Vilna Gaon, Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, one of the most influential Jewish scholars in history, it has become a centre for research, education, and remembrance.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: The main Holocaust exhibition is at Pamėnkalnio Street 12 (the "Green House") — separate from the Tolerance Centre on Naugarduko Street.
• Tip 2: Allow time for reflection — the exhibitions are emotionally powerful.
• Duration: 1–1.5 hours.