A wooden sofa, a sculpture made of truck tires, buildings with solar-powered walls, and the oldest oak tree in Vilnius are just some of the stops that children are invited to discover in the capital this summer. The new “Extraordinary Vilnius” city experience map-game “Green Vilnius for Kids” with three unexpected routes is designed for them.
"Not only we, adults, but also the little Vilnius residents can and should get to know Vilnius – the European Green Capital 2025 – and together create its green future. And taking the first green steps and understanding the significance of each one is most fun when playing. Therefore, the game-map "Green Vilnius for Children" can be the first activity for the whole family as the summer holidays begin," says Simona Bieliūnė, Vice-Mayor of Vilnius.
The map-game "Green Vilnius for Children" consists of three routes around the city: "Beyond the Neris", "Palei Vilnelė" and "Šaltinio". Each of them has 7 stops with questions and fun tasks. After completing all of them, a prize will be waiting for the little explorers of the city at the Vilnius Tourist Information Center.
"Our character "The Outsider" will accompany children on their summer vacation. On the pages of the new map-game, he helps everyone with a curiosity gene and those looking for adventure get to know the city. We strongly encourage children to share their discoveries with their friends, because exploring Vilnius is contagious," says Kristina Mackevičienė, Chief Specialist of the Vilnius Municipality's Foreign Relations and Tourism Department, wishing them a happy start to their vacation.
The idea of this project is to observe the city openly, curiously, to see unexpected objects. After all, most often in the daily routine, no one embarks on such adventures, they simply pass by them without getting to know them. And the routes provide a stimulus and directions for interesting things to do, and to understand that Vilnius is a city blessed with nature.
According to the route designer Andrius Jakučionis, the main criteria for selecting the stops were the keywords "green", "non-formal", "with a story" and "interesting for children": "I was looking for objects that indirectly spoke of the theme of nature, were associative or the theme of "greenness" was felt through works of art, unexpected objects and stories. The routes will help you discover the objects one after the other like mushrooms. The stranger the object, the more interesting it is for children, because it tickles the imagination, and perhaps reminds them of cartoon characters. Such as, for example, eels emerging from the pavement, black "rubber fir trees", a spider-nest, a rabbit-ufonaut".
The map-game was illustrated by Ieva Žilytė.
The publication "Green Vilnius for Children" can be picked up at the Vilnius Tourism Information Center (Pilies St. 7), in Vilnius city municipality at the stand of "Extracurricular Vilnius" or download HERE.
