Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius

The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania has a long history. It was originally built during the 13th century as a stone castle. It was reconstructed in the 15th century as a residence for the Polish royalty and rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

From the 15th to the 17th century, the palace was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's political, administrative, diplomatic, and cultural center. During this time, the palace housed one of Europe's richest libraries and exquisite paintings, tapestries, and jewels.

During the 18th century, the palace fell into disrepair. The Russian Empire administration had the original palace torn down in 1801.

The current palace was built between 2002 and 2018. The rebuilt palace features Renaissance styling and matches the Vilnius Cathedral. The palace was used as a meeting site during Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the European Union. Heads of state such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and British Prime Minister David Cameron met for an Eastern Partnership Summit held in the palace.

The palace houses a museum with models showing the palace's development throughout the centuries. In addition, the museum's exhibitions look at the palace resident's daily life, musical heritage, and the palace's armament history.