On Friday, April 10, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, as part of the international “GeoNight”, a Geographical talk GEO-PHOTO-GRAPHY will be held on Gediminas Hill, in the heart of Vilnius, Lithuanian capital. This event will be dedicated to the landscape geography and will reveal the character as well as changes of Vilnius landscape and the development of the science of geography at Vilnius University in the period more than 100 years, along with engaging photography activities.

To mark the centenary of the establishment of the geographical departments at Vilnius University and to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous Lithuanian, Polish and Vilnius photographer, Jan Brunon Bułhak (1876–1950), a lecturer at Vilnius Stephen Báthory University, his photo frame taken from Gediminas Castle Hill will be analyzed.

We will talk about the view of the Neris Valley, captured by J. Bułhak in 1913–1914, as well as the changes in our capital city and in the field of geography itself over more than a century. The development of geography and the evolution of Vilnius landscape viewed from the Gediminas Hill will be commented by landscape geographer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giedrė Godienė (Institute of Geosciences at Vilnius University).

Gintas Kavoliūnas, a member of the Lithuanian Analogue Photography Association, head of the public institution “Open Photography Workshop”, and researcher of old photography collections, will help to see this scenery through the lens of old technology. Using a camera similar to J. Bułhak’s, he will replicate the framing, compose the image on the camera’s viewfinder, and re-photograph this historic shot. With the modern equipment available, all participants will be able to do the same.

The event is organized by:

the Lithuanian Geographical Society (LGS) and the Institute of Geosciences at Vilnius University.

Event partner: the National Museum of Lithuania (NML).

Duration: 1.5–2 hours.

The event is open to the public and free of charge.

The event will take place next to the Gediminas Castle Tower (Arsenalo g. 5, Vilnius), a branch of the National Museum of Lithuania; the meeting spot on the hill will be marked by the flag of the LGS. Please note that access to the hilltop area is only possible on foot via the path from the Vilnia river; the funicular is currently not operating and there is no access to a WC on top of the hill.

The event features Jan Brunon Bułhak’s photograph of Vilnius, “Panorama of Šnipiškės from Castle Hill,” 1913–1914. 10.7×15.6 LMAVB RSS, A8331, vol. 17, No. 339, LIMIS (Jan Bułhak. Vilnius. 2nd Book. Ed. J. Gudaitė. National Museum of Lithuania, 2013, p. 398).

Night of Geography, or GeoNight is a global platform of public geographical events. On a single agreed-upon day and night around the world, geographical associations and geography enthusiasts invite the wider public to participate in events promoting both geography and the role of geographers.

The national coordinator of this global initiative is the Lithuanian Geographical Society.

On April 10, 2026, “GeoNight” will take place for the 8th time in Lithuania, the 10th time in Europe, and the 6th time worldwide. Over 40 geo-events will be held across Lithuania on that day. Over the past 7 years, a total of 143 events were organized in Lithuania, attracting more than 8,300 people (2,555 in 2025).

“Geography Night” was first organized in 2016 in Croatia, in the city of Zadar, in 2017. Such a platform for Geographical events on a national scale was initiated for the first time by the French National Geographic Committee in France. Through the efforts of the Association of Geographical Societies in Europe (EUGEO), this initiative spread across Europe, and with the participation of the International Geographical Union (IGU), it has now spread worldwide.

More info about GeoNight: www.geonight.net; www.lgd.lt

Contact person: Giedrė Godienė, [email protected]