The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius

Vilnius · Litauen · Fortress

In the bastion's 48-metre tunnel beneath Vilnius the basilisk is said to have dwelt – the beast whose gaze killed until an apprentice raised a mirror.

At the crossing of Bokšto and Subačiaus streets stands the 17th-century bastion of Vilnius' defensive wall, with a 48-metre tunnel leading down to underground casemates. Here the 19th-century historian Teodor Narbutt anchored the city's most famous monster legend: in the passages lived a basilisk with a rooster's head, frog's eyes and a serpent's tail, whose mere gaze killed anyone who met it. The city's scholars puzzled in vain until a young apprentice suggested letting the beast see itself – a mirror was carried down into the dark, and the basilisk fell to its own deadly stare. The bastion is a museum today, and the basilisk remains the Old Town's guardian monster.

FAQ

Hvor ligger The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius?

The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius ligger i Vilnius, Litauen.