20th century Vilnius: changes at the speed of light

On 14 February 1903, Vilnius shone brightly with new light. The dim light of kerosene and gas lanterns was replaced by 198 electric arc lights. However, their bulbs were not the first electric bulbs in Vilnius. The first building in the city to be lit by electricity belonged to M. Yelensky, who set up the first private power station at Gedimino pr. 19. Soon afterwards, his neighbour laid an overhead line between Yelensky’s house and the palace, which stood on the site of the present-day building at Jakšto g. 9.

But back to the city. A new water station was electrified after the construction of a power plant, the city’s citizens started enjoying the benefits of electricity, and there were even plans for an electric tramline. However, the war threw a massive spanner in the works, and in 1944 the power station was blown up by the retreating German troops. Only the administration building and the sculpture ‘Elektra’ on its roof remain today. If you look at it from the street more intently, you will be able to see Prometheus carrying a torch; the Greek god stole fire and passed it on to humans before being trampled under the foot of the goddess of electricity. The original sculpture was removed during the Soviet era and only reconstructed in 1986 from photographs.

Today, you can travel by bus all around Vilnius. The first buses hit the streets of Vilnius in 1905: in the summer, they took passengers from Cathedral Square to Verkiai. The fare was five times more expensive than a horse-drawn tram, but bus travel was more comfortable and faster. Only the well-off could afford to travel by bus, and 14-16 people could ride at a time. Regular bus routes began to be established between the wars, and soon there were 8 bus routes in Vilnius. However, the city was left without public transport during World War II. Buses only returned to the streets in 1946, when 17 old vehicles abandoned by the German army were repaired. They were joined by ZIS-5 trucks adapted for transporting people, obtained from the Russian army. The first regular route in the post-war years was the ‘Žvėrynas-Geležinkelio stotis’. The trolleybuses, which are now a symbol of Vilnius, hit the streets in the middle of the 20th century, when the 7.8-kilometre network was built. Passengers could travel from Antakalnis to the station. Time passed, and by 1975, trolleybuses in Vilnius could travel 480.6 kilometres.

Today, if you turned on the tap in any house in Vilnius Old Town, you probably wouldn’t realise that the water was coming from a pumping station that was built 107 years ago. Walking through the Bernardine Garden, you will see the beautiful buildings that replicate the shape of the Bernardine Church. It is the first water pumping station in Vilnius, still in operation today, and supplies the residents of the centre of Vilnius and the Old Town with underground water from 11 boreholes. The oldest water supply system in Lithuania started in 1501, but it was the water point in the Bernardine Gardens that became the foundation of the city’s modern water supply system – it was from here that water was introduced to the capital’s residents through a centralised supply system. The water reserves are stored in a century-old underground reservoir made of red bricks. Vilnius was not without its problems: in the mid-20th century, there was an outbreak of dysentery and typhoid fever spread by water, which led to the pumping station’s water being chlorinated. During the Second World War, the Germans blew up the reservoir of this water supply during the retreat of the army, but it was rebuilt a year later and still supplies water to this day.

Although the magic of cinema was introduced to Vilnius residents at the end of the 19th century in the Bernardine Gardens, the first cinema ‘Iliuzja’ (Illusion) opened its doors a little later – in 1907. Two hundred people were able to watch films there. The entertainment became so popular that soon cinemas began to spring up, with several on Didžioji Street alone. After the First World War, Vilnius residents could enjoy the art of cinema in six cinemas. A wide variety of films were shown on the screens, but there were also complaints. Religious citizens did not like the fact that children could go to watch films featuring tango dancers. Films about Vilnius were also made, with familiar images helping to attract viewers. The film industry in Vilnius was owned by wealthy Jews and Russians. The film industry required a lot of money to show films, as the cinema tax to the City Council was high.

As you sit in the Philharmonic Hall and listen to a classical music concert, try to transport your mind back to the early 20th century. This is where the events that shaped the Lithuania we live in today took place. On 4 and 5 December 1905, the Great Vilnius Seimas met here. Around 2000 Lithuanian representatives from all over Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, and other countries gathered to talk about autonomy and to lay the foundations for the act of Lithuanian independence. So why was it held here at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic? The building, erected in 1902, was then known as City Hall. It housed a bookshop and was used not only for music, but also for various events of importance to the city. The first Lithuanian national opera, Mikas Petrauskas’ ‘Birutė’, premiered here. By the way, if you go into the men’s toilet, you will see an unexpected sight – an underground brook flowing under the floor covered with glass…

Welcome to Vilnius’ oldest marketplace. Once a horse and grain market, its untidy stalls darkened the cityscape. That’s why the Halės Market, which opened in 1906, seemed like a true miracle – a covered, clean, and impressive shopping area. Wacław Michniewicz took his design inspiration for such a building from the recently constructed Eiffel Tower in Paris, which was cheaper than reinforced concrete and steel structures, and therefore perfectly suited to the new construction. It is the only building of this type in Lithuania. In fact, some of the metalwork for this building was produced by the ‘Petras Vileišis Mechanical Workshop’. Try to find the imprint of this company on the interior columns of the building. A small hint: the text is in Cyrillic.

The market was famous for its modern engineering solutions, with water supply, electric lighting, public toilets, and an icehouse for storing meat.

The newly opened market also differed from the previous street markets in terms of sanitation: meat sellers had to wear white aprons, were forbidden to solicit customers, carry goods between the rows, or smoke in the cellars.

Today, it would probably be difficult to imagine building residential townhouses next to Lukiškių Square, just like the fact that the first townhouses were built precisely in this place. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of terraced cottages in Vilnius, known as colonies, was an unprecedented phenomenon that was ahead of its time. Józef Montwiłł, a prominent public figure and philanthropist who designed 22 buildings on a former wasteland, proposed a cost-effective way of building without neglecting the comfort and aesthetics of housing. And indeed, walking past one of Vilnius’ most unique architectural gems, you might think you were in a suburb of London. The main inhabitants of the Art Nouveau colony were intellectuals and bank clerks. The flats were sold on hire-purchase and mortgages were provided by the Land Bank, of which Józef Montwiłł was the director. Lawyers, attorneys, artists, and merchants lived there. Incidentally, the houses at J. Tumo-Vaižganto g. 5 and 7 were decorated with the coats of arms of the nobility, according to the wishes of their owners. Lift your eyes to the sky: the roof of the house at Savickio g. 11 has one of the most beautiful winged hussars in the capital, a weathervane reminiscent of the elite warrior class of the Rzeczpospolita.

In the 19th century, prisons were set up in the former monasteries of Vilnius, where prisoners were required to do hard labour. However, there was not enough space for the prisoners, and as the punishment system changed, the city needed a new prison. The new Lukiškės Prison complex was modern and provided not only detention and punishment, but also work, prayer, healthcare, and administrative functions. The first prisoners were brought to Lukiskės Prison on 26 June 1904. The prison maintained its function through the duration of the two world wars and the Soviet period and continued to operate as a prison after independence – the last prisoners were evicted only in 2019. The Lukiškės Prison complex was used to hold criminals, political prisoners, and escaped exiles. As you walk by, you will notice the St. The Orthodox Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker. In those days, the path to reformation was based on faith, so the church was given a large space and was decorated with paintings, rugs, and icons by famous painters.

Until recently, you probably wouldn’t have wanted to have found yourself on the other side of the perimeter fence surrounding the prison building. But today, the situation has changed. The architecture of the decommissioned prison has attracted foreign filmmakers and commercials, including the famous Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’.

In the last century, the possibility of living in an apartment of almost 200 square metres seemed unthinkable, let alone one complete with servants’ quarters, garages for cars, tennis courts, and even a shop for the convenience of residents. But in the early days of the Cold War, scientists loyal to the government were highly valued. So in the mid-20th century, the Italian architect Giovanni Ripa-Angioletto designed the Specialist Senior Researchers’ House, which was built to house loyalists from the fields of science, art, and culture. The beautiful tower also served a practical function as an anti-aircraft reconnaissance tower. The tower’s spire has been a frequent subject of photographs since its earliest days and is still an eye-catcher to this day. The building itself became the central axis of the new scientific quarter, with scientific institutions and a library being built around it.

In the 20th century, Vilnius began to expand rapidly and “broke out” of its usual framework. While the left bank of the Neris River was previously considered the city centre, in the 1970s, buildings began to spring up on the right bank of the Neris. Although this area was originally planned to be an area for blocks of flats, the city’s architects came up with a different design, giving birth to what is today known as the ‘urban hill’. A wide pedestrian promenade leads from the Green Bridge. Along the promenade, visit  VCUP, the first shopping centre with an escalator that you can still use today. For stargazing, visit the Vilnius University Planetarium. A little further afield, a monolithic tower block commemorates the end of the Soviet era. In the early years of independence, a pizzeria opened next door, serving the first pizzas in Vilnius.

Today, the majority of Vilnius residents have a computer at home, which is no surprise. The first Lithuanian computer saw the light of day at the Vilnius Computing Machinery Factory, and it looked nothing like the ones we use today. Gintautas Grigas, an associate professor at Vilnius University’s Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, and his team developed the computer ‘Rūta’. It could run up to three programs at the same time and required 410 km of wires and over 16,000 transistors and diodes, so you couldn’t really take it with you and use it in a café: the computer was about huge – about 2 metres in height and width, with an input device the size of a kitchen cupboard next to it. However, it did make Lithuania the leader in the Soviet Union in terms of computing machines for processing large amounts of data. These computers were used for bookkeeping calculations and business accounting, and best of all, they required no specific knowledge or training to operate them. A total of 37 such computers were assembled, one of which can be seen today in the Vilnius Energy and Technology Museum.

The Vilnius TV Tower is taller than even the Eiffel Tower! Today, it offers the most impressive panorama of Vilnius. The opening of the TV Tower on 30 December 1980 was considered a true miracle. But it was not the first TV tower in Vilnius – the original one was built on S. Konarskio Street. The new tower not only improved the quality of television and radio communications in Lithuania, but also provided entertainment for the citizens and visitors of the city. It took six years to build the tallest construction in Lithuania, which housed a unique revolving restaurant called ‘Paukščių takas’, which could be accessed by the fastest elevator in Lithuania. By the way, the designers of the TV tower unofficially gave it a 300-year guarantee, so it should be around for future generations. From the recently opened 180-metre-high observation deck, the whole city looks as if it is in the palm of your hand. On special occasions, the tower lights up in different colours at night and becomes a spectacular spot for fireworks at New Year.

Modern Vilnius is not only the city centre and the Old Town, but also the newer residential districts that have become an integral part of the city. Although the first block of flats in Vilnius was built in Naujamiestis, Lazdynai is considered one of the most beautiful and modern districts. The district got its name because of the abundant hazel trees that once grew here, but it became famous when a group of architects led by Vytautas Čekanauskas implemented their project, which won the Lenin Prize of the USSR; tourists crammed onto buses to see the hailed modern buildings. Residents of the district were even instructed on how to hang out their laundry on their balconies to make everything look modern and tidy. The building at Architectų g. 19 was home to one of the most famous restaurants of the time, the ‘Erfurt’, where an orchestra performed and Soviet music stars appeared. To get a table, reservations needed to be made up to two weeks in advance. The first skyscrapers of Vilnius, sixteen-storey monoliths, were also built in Lazdynai, where the top floors offer a spectacular green panorama of the city. Only in Lazdynai will you see the then-new architectural innovation – oblong block five-storey towers with obtuse angles. There are also plenty of green spaces for quiet walks, so take your time and feel the spirit of the district.

During the Soviet era, factories sprang up in Vilnius one after the other, and industrial zones appeared in Naujamiestis, Kirtimiai, and Žemieji Paneriai. In Naujamiestis, radios, socks, clothes, cigarettes, cardboard packaging, drills were produced. The factories were like separate towns, for example, the electrical engineering factory ‘Elfa’ employed as many as 8,300 workers. Nowadays, you’ll be hard pressed to hear machines whirring, but might hear the buzz of the crowd dancing to modern music at the ‘Loftas’ music club. Despite its name meaning sweet meringue, the ‘Zefyras’ factory did not exude the aroma of sugar, instead producing up to 480,000 cigarettes a day. Europe’s largest drill factory was also located in Naujamiestis. But the most interesting history is hidden in the buildings now numbered T. Ševčenkos g. 16, which have become lofts and commercial premises. The ‘Pašto dėžė 555’ factory here was a secret factory, so there are many legends about what was actually produced here: black boxes for airplanes, locators for submarines, or maybe even devices for spacecraft. The research and design institute of this factory alone employed around 10,000 people. Production here was so classified, however, that the workers themselves did not even know what the parts they produced would be used for.