You can read in detail about the history, architecture and other attractions of Vilnius in the book "Sightseeing around Vilnius: micro-districts of the city". This is a publication about almost 60 areas of Vilnius. Information is provided about 21 boroughs of Vilnius (Antakalni, Fabijoniškes, Grigiške, Justiniške, Karoliniške, etc.) and smaller areas belonging to them. The texts of this book are mainly summaries of publications prepared using the works of various authors who wrote about Vilnius. They are indicated in the bibliography accompanying each text. The publication is illustrated with today's photos and old iconography, preserved in Lithuanian museums and libraries. The book is intended for schoolchildren and anyone interested in the city.
Vilnius is always different - romantic in the streets of its old town, dreamy in Vilnius In Užupi, reaching cloud in Šnipiškės, windy Fabijoniškės, mysterious Markučiai... Vilnius hides so many secrets and undiscovered places. Let's look around Vilnius together.
Spies
Spies - about 20 thousand. a multi-ethnic microdistrict on the outskirts of the city center, often referred to as the new center of the capital due to the development of a luxury glass and steel skyscraper district and favorable location. However, the people of Vilnius prefer the name of Shanghai, because there are many abandoned and still inhabited buildings from the XNUMXth century. the end of the XNUMXth century early folk-style wooden houses.
The suburb of Šnipiškii comes from the surname of Povilas Šnipkas (Šnipios), a wealthy Vilnius merchant who had a manor in this area. Šnipiškės are mentioned in the historical documents of Vilnius since the 1536th century. In the part of the current territory of Šnipiškii, by the river Neris, there were warehouses for storing goods transported by the river. in 2002 in order to facilitate communication with the city of Vilnius, on the order of the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Žigimantas the Elder, Ulrich Horazijus, the guardian of Vilnius Castle, built a wooden bridge over the Neris River with brick supports and a brick gate, and apartments on the second floor for the bridge guards and customs officials. Next to the bridge, by two historic road routes, Ukmergė (from XNUMX - Prospectus of the Constitution) and Kalvariju streets, the suburb of Šnipiškii was created.
XNUMXth century on the eastern side of Kalvarijų street stood the palace built by the Vilnius magistrate for the Russian and Tatar envoys, the Grand Duke of Lithuania's doghouse, and the glass manufactory of Martynas Paleckis. on Ukmergė street, bricklayers and potters lived in small wooden one-story houses. XVII-XVIII centuries. Šnipiškės was one of the most important districts of Vilnius ceramics industry. There were brick, brick and tile workshops in the area. There were clay and limestone quarries in a large area to the east of Kalvariju Street and to the north of the former Ukmergė Street. The area was also famous for excavating mammoth bones. Also, horticulture flourished in Šnipiškės.
Spies commemorate more than one historical or political event. in 1702 and in 1705 Swedish and Russian troops set up military camps here, in 1835. defensive fortifications are installed in the area. in 1905 A secret Lithuanian printing press was installed in the apartment of Jonas Jaks-Tyris, an activist of the Lithuanian Social Democrats who lived in Šnipiškės, where appeals were printed in Lithuanian and Polish.
1903-1981 In Šnipiškės, the first central power plant of the city of Vilnius operated with coal, supplying electricity, heat and hot water to a part of the city of Vilnius. Coal for the power plant was transported by horse from the railway of the station, further - "narrowly" through Vingis Park and a wooden bridge over Neris. Since 1962 started burning gas and fuel oil.
Šnipiškės has long been considered a comfortable and popular suburb. Communities of various faiths gathered here. Most of the people of Vilnius associate the area with the 1812th century. - 1989th century in the first half, in the suburb of Žvejai, on the site of the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace building and in the nearby area, the former Old Jewish Cemetery. But have you heard about the St. Rapolo church cemetery? Do you know that in this place in 1944 victims of the Franco-Russian war were buried in 2006. On the initiative of the Polish Union, symbolic grave samples were poured in XNUMX. for the three dead soldiers of the Army of Craiova, and since XNUMX in the surviving St. Are Armenians praying in the Rapolo cemetery chapel?
Today, Šnipiškės is divided into two historical parts, Piromont and Skansen, formed in the 1880th century. at the end of the 1930th century at the beginning Piromont is the territory of A. Juozapavičius, Rinktinė, Šeimyniškių and Sluck streets, built with brick residential houses. Near the Green Bridge, on a small hill, stands the Neo-Gothic Raduskevičius Palace. It is believed that in the XNUMXth century, there were the ruins of a palace built by Piro of Vitebsk Voivodeship in this place. They were called Pyromont. Skansen, also called Shanghai by the people of Vilnius, is the current streets of S. Fin, Giedraičiai, Šilutė, Krakuva, Daugėliškis, Širvintos, Saracėnai, Kalvarijės. Walking through the streets of Skansen, you can see XNUMX-XNUMX. built folk-type wooden houses, in some places preserved ancient pavement or large-leaved and small-leaved linden trees protected by heritage conservationists. Now the wooden houses of Skansen are slowly disappearing, in their place are being built modern multi-storey buildings made of glass and steel, which are changing the urban image of Šnipiškii.
Although the area is not characterized by green areas, nature lovers have a place to go here. Residents of Šnipiškii can take a walk along the coast of Neris, fish in the ponds on Linkmenų street or near White bridge to admire the Japanese sakura trees that bloom every spring...
For your attention, the electronic version of the publication:
