Guild houses in seventeenth–eighteenth century Vilnius

ENA guild is a well-organized association of artisans of one or a few related trades in a feudal city. Guilds aimed to organize the production of individual artisans by way of competition among the members of a guild, thus ensuring their high professional preparation and high-quality products, as well as, in case of need, to aid members that faced difficulties or had become impoverished. In Vilnius, the first guilds – of goldsmiths and tailors – were founded in 1495. Tanners, shoemakers, producers of malt, weavers, cap-makers and many other artisans followed their example. In the late sixteenth century, guilds encompassed artisans of 27 trades. In the next century, 21 new guilds were founded in Vilnius. Even though at a slower pace, new guilds were formed in the eighteenth century too. In Vilnius, guilds were active until 1893, though their functions had changed. According to the feudal city tradition, guilds had to have their own house. The author of the article has examined the activities of guilds that were active in Lithuania’s capital city during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and provided his findings into how guild houses looked like and in what places they were located in Vilnius city.