The name Užupis is easy to decipher – it’s the place beyond the river. And whatever lies on the other side of rivers, mountains, or fences always seems different and mysterious. In fact, Užupis has never been an ordinary urban place where life moves in a boring rhythm.
This poor, historic suburb was once home to industry powered by the river Vilnia. Mills, canals, factories, and the not-always-pleasant smells of leather workshops were the order of the day. During the Soviet years, when the capital was rapidly building residential districts, Užupis became a colourful crossroads where the criminal underworld met bohemia – citizens looking for a quiet and cosy life preferred to move to flats with amenities somewhere in Karoliniškės, Pašilačiai, or Antakalnis. The vacuum created after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence – picturesque but abandoned places in the centre of the city – was occupied by artists, and their imaginative activities soon developed into… a separate republic. More than two decades have passed since its foundation, and much has changed in Užupis in that time – business and tourists have discovered the place, but it is just as ready as ever to reveal its immortal bohemian side. After all, it’s not for nothing that they say: Užupis is so small; there’s enough room for everyone. The renewed route of ‘Neakivaizdinis Vilniaus’, now in its third iteration, invites you to dig out some decent footwear because, after the urban attractions, the hills will undulate up and down.
What you will learn/see on the route:
- From which hill in Užupis do you get the most beautiful panorama of Vilnius?
- Which resident of the Bernardine Cemetery even has his own Facebook page?
- Which sculpture stood on the site of the Angel?
