First Printing House in Vilnius

Francysk Skaryna (d. 1552) was one of the brightest individuals of the old Lithuania, a true Renaissance humanist. A man of broad interests and multiple talents, through his life worked as a medical doctor, secretary, translator, publisher, printer, and gardener. His life, much like the entire legacy of the GDL, belongs to Lithuanian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and, in part, Czech people.

“The Little Book of Travels” and “The Apostle” were two works of religious literature published by Francysk Skaryna in his Vilnius-based printing house between 1522 and 1525 that became the first books printed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Skaryna became a symbol of the nascent tradition of publishing in Lithuania and the lands of the eastern Slavs.
Although the building next to the Vilnius Town Hall bears a memorial plaque to Francysk Skaryna (Didžioji Street 19/Stikliai Street 2) and his monument stands in the nearby courtyard (Stikliai street 4), the exact location of his printing house remains uncertain. The preface to “The Apostle” claims that the book was printed “in the house of Jakub Babicz, an honourable man, and burgomaster of the great city of Vilnius”.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear as to where that house exactly stood.
Learn more about the famous and brilliant Ruthenian and the first printing house in Vilnius by clicking this link.

Address: Stiklių str. 4