Going down the stairs from Mindaugas Street towards the Old Town, not far MO Museum, on the way there will also be the old Vilnius aqueduct, which from 1501 to 1914 supplied water to the city from the natural Vingria springs that were here. Today, these springs are hidden underground, and the area near the old watering hole is overgrown with bushes, cars and garbage containers, but the appearance of the area should change significantly in the coming years. Vilnius city municipalities the administration signed a contract with the company "Conresta", which in the spring, after the completion of the exploratory archaeological research and the preparation of the work project, will start the renovation of the territory.
The works planned during the performance of the contract are one of the measures aimed at improving the attractiveness of the city of Vilnius, in terms of the residential and investment environment, and specifically - in the area bordering the Old Town. in New City and in their connections.
The project envisages the installation of sidewalks, stairs, viewing paths, greenery, a children's playground, a memorial, management of worn-out existing infrastructure, installation of necessary engineering and rainwater networks. Lighting, benches and other small architectural elements will also be installed.
All these works will be carried out during the installation of the pedestrian alley from Vingriu Street to the MO Museum. The area is currently noisy due to passing cars, and cars are parked in a chaotic manner in the existing parking lot, obstructing the movement of pedestrians and cyclists. With the installation of a public space here, the parking lots will no longer exist, and are now invisible Exercise sources will be directed to flow in newly formed cascades, returning the forgotten historical character to the area and making it more attractive for pedestrians.
An observation deck will be installed in the expressive terrain, at the bottom of the stairs leading from Mindaugas to Vingriau street. Before going down to the Old Town, it will be worth stopping and looking at the old roofs of Vilnius.
In the area near the entrance to the MO Museum, the architects managed to preserve the existing mature acacia trees in the project, integrating them into the overall composition of the space. A terrace with water cascades will be formed near the existing sculpture "Water Lilies" (author: Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė). It is expected that the space being formed near the MO Museum will be filled with artistic installations and accents on the theme of water, thus further strengthening the local identity and emphasizing the historical value.
Pedestrians are given priority in the project, therefore, according to the architects of SĮ "Vilniaus planas", appropriate measures are planned for the organization of traffic in the territory - a raised crossing is planned to be installed on Vingriu street, barrier columns are designed to ensure traffic safety. Pedestrians will be able to comfortably get from Vingria to Pylimo street without being hindered by cars. People with special needs will be able to access the different heights of the space through other paths located outside the project.
In order to ensure the safety of passers-by, it is also planned to install barrier lines at the sidewalks, which will limit parking in the pedestrian zone. It is planned that the removal of the parking lots will increase the space for outdoor cafes, while the protection from the hot sun will be preserved and the existing greenery will be supplemented with new ones.
The parking spaces that will have to be abandoned during the construction of the pedestrian alley will be moved to the nearest streets, first of all Vingriau street.
At the moment, archaeological research is being carried out in the territory, and in the near future it is planned to manage the underground engineering networks, of which there are many in the territory. All of them will be reconstructed, changing the tracks and providing more opportunities for the redevelopment of the area and leaving enough space for the growth of greenery. At the moment, there is no continuous greenery in the territory, so it is proposed to create it by preserving the existing one and planting new types of trees and shrubs.
After a general assessment of the territory, it is planned to remove trees with a dangerous slope, dry trees (a total of 15 pieces with a diameter of 8 cm) and trees with no growth prospects. Five trees will be removed to create a new ground level and pavement. The rest of the plants will be pruned to form the canopy. New types of plantations have been selected, primarily taking into account the Lithuanian climate and resistance to urbanized areas. 12 conifers, 23 deciduous trees, more than 400 bushes are planned. Among other species, there will be pendulous willow, Himalayan birch, thorny hawthorn and almost 3000 herbaceous plants. The landscaping works have already started.
It is expected that the new pedestrian alley will become a convenient and attractive connection between Old Town and New Town.
The project is financed from the funds of the European Regional Development Fund. The contract for contract work with UAB "Conresta" was signed in 2020. August 25 The deadline for the completion of works is 8 months. from the date of entry into force of the contract. The value of the contract is 1,4 million. EUR with VAT.
