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.
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.
Žirmūnas
Žirmūnas – one of the oldest and largest microdistricts in Vilnius in terms of population. The name of the area comes from a small street that was in the territory of Žirmūnai back in the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This street was already marked in the 16th and 17th century Vilnius city plans. In the memoirs of old Vilnius residents, the area was called Losiuvka in Polish, but, according to linguist Jonas Jurkštas, Losiuvka is not the current Žirmūnai, but only its beginning. In addition, Losiuvka cannot be translated as Briedynė (Łosiowka; Polish “łoś” - elk), because it is a place name of personal origin, associated with General Aleksandrs Losev, who owned a plot of land in this place.
The interesting history of this area can be seen by examining the old maps of Vilnius. Do you know that a few centuries ago in the current territory of Žirmūnai there were Vilnius forestry estates and a small village of Šeimyniškii? XNUMXth century In the middle of the XNUMXth century, near the village of Šeimyniškii, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Žygimantas Augustus founded a special state estate called Derevnictva, which was supposed to serve Vilnius Castle.
People who belonged to the manor lived in the village of Seimyniškii. In the middle and eastern parts of the former manor park, XNUMXth-XNUMXth century buildings were found. farm pits. Most of them are without finds, in others, chopped boiled and fried animal bones, pottery shards were found, as well as one - from the XNUMXth century. help A coin (from the time of Jogaila).
XNUMXth century the manor house was managed by the famous Lithuanian nobles Valavičiai, Rudaminai, Pace, the Tyzenhauses. 1866th century in the middle of the 1863th century, the estate of Derevnictva manor was split and divided into two separate farms. The center of old Derevnictva became the center of Derevnictva, which did not exist before. Šeimyniškės also belonged to this family. in XNUMX The palivarkka of Derevnictva (territory at the junction of the current Šeimyniškių-Žirmūnai streets) was bought by one of the XNUMX of the suppressors of the uprising, General Alexander Losev. The general's farm was called Losiova Dača (Polish: Łosiowa Dacza). XNUMXth century Ave. the old Derevnictva manor had already disappeared.
Tuskulėnai manor homestead
Between the Neris river and Minties and Tuskulėnai streets, the former Tuskulėnai manor homestead - part of the Derevnictva farm - has been preserved. 1795th century in the middle of the 1825th century, the central part of the Derevnictva manor belonged to monks and canons of the Lateran who came from Poland. They named the estate Tuskulėnai. After the third division of the Republic of Both Nations in 5 Tuskuleni became a treasury estate of the Russian Empire and was ruled by various Russian officials. From the XNUMXth century the documents and plans of the end mention the Tuskulėnai palivark. It is believed that around XNUMX, the manor house that has survived to this day was built. Vilnius Governor General A. Rimskis-Korsakovs resigned. XNUMXth century In the XNUMXs, the manor palace became a kind of Vilnius youth cultural center. The owner of the manor, doctor and public figure Julijanas Titijus, had turned them into a real inn, which was regularly visited by the composer Stanislovas Moniuška, the writer Juzefs Ignacijus Kraševskis and other representatives of the then Vilnius bohemian.
The monks of Latero, canons, who once lived in the manor, came up with the name Tuskulėnai while considering the questions of the meaning of life, loss, and peace of soul, but later history testifies that it was not possible to create a place of peace in these surroundings. After Lithuania regained its independence, the bloody secrets of the Tuskulėnai manor came to light. in 1944 the heads of the KGB and other Soviet security services settled in the manor house. In the adjacent park in 1944-1947. the bodies of tortured and murdered members of the anti-Soviet resistance movement and persons executed for criminal and war crimes were secretly buried. It was established that Bishop Vincent Borisevičius, one of the leaders of the resistance, Jonas Noreika-General Vėtra, and others were buried in the cemetery of the Tuskulėnai manor. For a long time, the territory of the cemetery was guarded by special officers. The territory of the manor was fenced with a brick wall almost two meters high, and a wooden fence was built in the inner part of the territory, which divided the territory of the Tuskulėnai manor in half.
The military was settled in the northern part and paramilitary social organizations were established. In the south, the park and part of the farm buildings remained. Today, the painful events of the manor are remembered by the Tuskulėnai rimties park memorial complex - a branch of the Lithuanian Genocide Victims Museum.
Northern town
in the Soviet era Žirmūnai the territory of the barracks, called North Town, was also inaccessible to the public. Part of the territory was called the Military Field, where military exercises and parades were held. Did you notice that as many as 11 streets of the North Town were named after famous Lithuanian officers of the interwar period, such as the first killed volunteer Povilas Lukšios, generals Jurgis Kubiliaus and Silvestros Žukauskas? Ulonai, Lakunai, Apkasai, Rinktinė streets also appeared.
Napoleon Bonaparte's army has also marched through the territory of the North town. According to historical sources, it was established that the second line of the defense system of Napoleon's Grand Army, which consisted of a system of trenches and redoubts, ran in this place. in 2001 during construction work, one of the largest graves of soldiers of Napoleon's army was found here. The remains of the French army were reburied in 2003. in June Antakalnis cemetery.
Centennial Žirmūnai oak tree
Maybe you have seen director Saulius Drunga's movie "Anarchy in Žirmūnai"? Many contemporary images of the area can be seen in the film. The current image of Žirmūnai began to be shaped during the Soviet era, 1962-1969. Until 1965 Only five-story buildings were built in Žirmūnai, later twelve-story residential buildings were also built. The nature of the area is very picturesque. Residents of the area can admire the green banks of the Neris River or the 150-200-year-old exceptional Žirmūnai oak tree growing near the Verkių Regional Park...
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