The 1960s marked the period when there was solid growth in Vilnius not just on the left bank of the River Neris but also on the right bank. Žirmūnai became the first large-scale housing estate on this side of the river.
When designing the future district, the architects’ drawings divided it into three micro-districts under the code names D-10, D-18 and D-25; however, the residents did not find the faceless combinations of letters and numbers attractive, so a few years later, the whole territory was given the name Žirmūnai. In 1968, part of the design team, led by architect Birutė Kasperavičienė, was even awarded the USSR State Prize for its innovative solutions in the D-18 district – so Žirmūnai had its “fifteen minutes of fame” once too. Despite the predominance of blocks of flats, the district also hides gems from more diverse historical backgrounds. A tip – the best way to get around Žirmūnai is to listen to the song ‘Palydėki į Žirmūnus’ by Mikas Vaitkevičius and Ona Valiukevičiūtė (It can easily be found on the internet). True, back then the authors of the song complained that Žirmūnai was so far away… But what does it look like now, when the city has grown considerably in half a century?
What will you learn/see on the route:
- Which scenes from ‘Chernobyl’ were filmed in the Palace of Culture and Sports of the Ministry of Interior?
- Why was it decided to bury the victims of the NKGB-MGB internal prison executions in Tuskulėnai?
- What is the reason for the existence of a strange inlet by the cycle path along the Neris Street?
- What is sometimes called the ‘dancing deer’?
