The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius

Vilnius · Lithuania · 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

Where is The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius located?

The Bastion of Bokšto Street, Vilnius is in Vilnius, Lithuania.