Podróżnicy brytyjscy a Wilno w XIX wieku

ENDuring the nineteenth century traveling became more popular in Britain. The trip to Europe was no longer a privilege of aristocrats, but still required funds available to large segment of middle-class. Travellers from the British Isles as a rule avoided Eastern Europe. Wilno (today Vilnius) as a provincial Russian town was no exception. Analysis of British travel guides, published travel books, articles from newspapers and periodicals from the nineteenth century confirms a profound lack of knowledge about the region and the city which seemed to be very far away from the main tourist centres. It also confirms the absence of tourists from Britain in the former capital of Lithuania. Those few who visited Wilno were not particularly impressed. They were usually in hurry and did not spend enough time visiting the town. The charms of Wilno were lost on them.