The House of Burgomaster Yakub Babich and the Sculpture “Chronicler”

Location: At the corner of Stiklių and Didžioji Streets, near the Town Hall Square (at Stiklių Street 2 / Didžioji Str. 19).

It is believed that this is the place where F. Skaryna’s printing house was located before it burnt out in 1530. Yakub Babich, the burgomaster of Vilnius, helped Francysk to establish the printing house.

The two-story building that has survived to the present day was built in this place in the late 16th or early 17th century and belonged to the Vilnius burgomaster (Pol. wójt). Nowadays, the building houses two restaurants: „Amatininkų užeiga“ (“Craftsmen Pub”) and “Di Vino”. The building has preserved elements of Renaissance architecture. There is an interesting gallery with an arcade in the courtyard. The memorial sign of the Francysk Skaryna’s printing house is placed on the building of Didžioji Street house No. 19A.

The neighbouring house (Stiklių Str. 4) has a closed courtyard that houses the sculpture “Chronicler”. The building dates back to the 15^th–first half of the 17^th century. The sculptor Vaclovas Krutinis erected the 1.1 m high granite statue in 1973 in the honour of two Vilnius printers – Skaryna and Mamonicz (Mamoničius).