You won't believe it, but I'm in jail right now.
Just kidding.
This used to be a prison but is now a tourist attraction in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
This is so strange.
Thinking about how things used to be here.
The notorious Lukiškės Prison was a place of murder and torture for over 100 years.
That came to an end in 2019 and a cultural center emerged on the prison grounds.
More on that later.
The symbol of Vilnius stands 140 meters above the city: the Gediminas Tower.
A remnant of what was once the city's most powerful defense system, the Gediminas Castle.
Hello from Vilnius in Lithuania.
Have you ever heard of it?
Well, Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states in Eastern Europe.
Russia and Belarus are direct neighbors, and the war in Ukraine is not that far away!
And I want to know: what is there to discover? Is it still safe to travel here in these times?
My name is Lukas Stege from DW Travel and that's what I want to find out!
The Russian war in Ukraine is viewed with concern in Lithuania.
No wonder, because the length of the Lithuanian border separating the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad
from Belarus is only some 100 kilometers.
Many Lithuanians fear that it could be Putin's next target.
Of course, this also worries tourists like me. Is it the same for other holidaymakers in Vilnius?
It's Europe.
So, if something happens here, I think Europe can react.
Hardly any other country has condemned the war in Ukraine as vehemently as Lithuania.
They've taken a firm stand, in a way that is as creative as it is clear.
Solidarity is huge in Lithuania, both among the general population and the politicians.
The street where the Russian embassy is located has been renamed "Street of Ukrainian Heroes".
Lithuania recently restricted freight traffic to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Belarus and Lithuania lie between the Russian heartland and Kaliningrad.
But while Belarus continues to allow all Russian trains through, Lithuania bans the passage
of Russian trains carrying goods falling under EU sanctions.
Moscow speaks of an illegal blockade.
The passenger trains from Russia to Kaliningrad via Lithuanian territory are not affected.
Lithuania must let them pass.
Twice a day the train to Kaliningrad pulls into Vilnius station.
Twice a day it stops for 10 minutes.
An announcement in Russian asks the passengers to look out of the window, where they are
confronted with pictures of Russian war crimes.
They show the destruction in Ukraine.
On each picture the same question is written in Russian: "Today Putin is killing the peaceful
people of Ukraine. Do you agree with this?"
That's really tough.
I'm wondering what the people on the train think about these pictures.
I was just told that this lady is coming here every day when the train is passing.
I am touched by the sympathy that Lithuanians have for Ukrainians.
The train is gone right now and I don't know what to say.
That was so strange.
The war in Ukraine and a tense atmosphere can be felt everywhere in the country.
One business that is benefiting from this fear and seeing sales skyrocket is the Oksalis arms dealership.
According to the owner demand increased tenfold in the first month after the war began.
This is for self-defense?
For home defense?
Yes!
I mean why are you so surprised?
We have Switzerland with machine guns at homes, you know.
I don't know anything about guns so this is all pretty new to me.
Well, if I am thinking of self-defense, I am thinking about a small handgun
and not about a shot gun.
Yeah, but this is a more effective weapon actually.
It is more effective than a hand gun.
You can load it just like in the movies.
Just pull it back and forward.
We know what we can be afraid of if the Russians come and after the last footages from Bucha
in Ukraine, when you see a lot of civilians just killed in the streets, women raped, children
killed, people are afraid and they want to have something to be able to defend themselves
and their families.
Since the beginning of the war, the number of applications for gun licenses in Lithuania has doubled.
Due to the current situation, there are fewer restrictions here than elsewhere in Europe.
The right to self-defense at home applies – even with the use of firearms.
Who is buying the guns?
Young people, elderly people?
Men or women?
Everybody does.
And most surprisingly, well not surprisingly because of what happened in Ukraine,
there are quite a lot of women who are coming to buy handguns and even shotguns for home-defense.
Even though I'm safe as a tourist here in Vilnius, I still have a sinking feeling.
But now city guide Kristupas will show me the city.
Our first stop: a small memorial plaque.
Of course, I can't say it out loud, but because
of the war in Ukraine you can probably guess what I wish for.
We continue to the most famous sight of the city: the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus.
It is the center of the Catholic faith in Lithuania.
The classicist building was finished in the early 19th century.
The bell tower stands alone, as is the case with many churches in the Baltic States.
At 68 meters high, it is the tallest building in Vilnius' Old Town.
Next, Kristupas takes me through the old town.
It is huge and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Winding streets and alleys, magnificent town houses and palaces: I like it!
Vilnius is also called the city of churches.
There are more than 50 of them.
Now Kristupas takes me to the last remaining medieval city gate in Lithuania.
The small chapel above not only attracts tourists.
Vilnius presents itself as a very western city.
Not much evokes its Soviet past.
But there are still a few architectural relics from the communist era.
For example, the former Concert and Sports Palace, a building in the Brutalist style.
In 2006 it was placed under monument protection.
However, the building remains unused and is falling into disrepair.
The Parliament building of Lithuania was built in 1976, the Supreme Soviet of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic met here.
Soviet architecture is usually huge architecture.
The opera house, which opened in 1974, is also a reminder of the Soviet past.
Operas and concerts are still performed here today.
Finally, I go back to prison: Lukiškės prison, which has become a symbol of freedom.
Nobody is locked up here anymore.
I recommend a tour of the prison cells.
It still looks the same as it did a hundred years ago.
Sarunas Valickas explains to me what life was like behind these thick walls.
A 2 hour tour with him in English costs 20 euros.
Take a seat.
What did you do?
I stole some sweets from a shop.
And what did you do afterwards?
I ran away.
And what afterwards?
Lukiškės Prison was considered the Alcatraz of Lithuania because of its cruelty.
Common criminals and political opponents were imprisoned here.
Since the prison is in the middle of the old city, the screams of the prisoners inside
could easily be heard from outside.
So this is like a typical prison cell?
Absolutely.
This is what you would have for the rest of your life.
It's small but kind of comfortable.
At the end of the tour, you get your own mugshot.
Touching the wall.
No smiling here.
The last prisoners were released in 2019.
This place, whose past is full of scary stories, has become a place of artistic freedom.
Almost every evening there are concerts and film screenings here.
I really liked Vilnius.
Lots of history, cool architecture, art.
And the Soviet Union fortunately only exists in the museum.
Even if the war in Ukraine is relatively close, Vilnius is an exciting and at least
for the moment safe travel destination.
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Bye, bye – see you next time!