Literatų Gatvė (Literature Street) is a narrow lane off Pilies Street in the old town, whose walls are completely covered with small artworks — ceramic tiles, sculptures, glass pieces, etchings, and paintings — each dedicated to a writer or translator with a connection to Lithuania. The project was begun in 2008 and grows each year as new plaques are added.
The effect is dense and surprising. Some of the writers honoured are Lithuanian, others are international figures who wrote about or were connected to Lithuania (including Adam Mickiewicz, who studied in Vilnius). The variety of styles — abstract, figurative, naïve, technically sophisticated — makes the wall endlessly interesting to read close up. It is one of the most quietly successful public art projects in the Baltic capitals, and it costs nothing to visit.