Šnipiškės is a junction of the past and modernity
Šnipiškės is one of the oldest and most contrasting districts of Vilnius. Although the Oginskis, Valavičiai and Sapiegos also owned land here in the early times, it was also a district of workers and craftsmen who lived in wooden houses. Therefore, it is obvious that this place has deep historical roots.
Now Šnipiškės stands out for its abundance of wooden architectural heritage and modern skyscrapers nearby. And indeed, upon entering the wooden Šnipiške, it is difficult to understand whether you are in a village or a big city – on one side are modern and luxurious-looking buildings, on the other – shack-like houses. And people walking towards the wooden houses full of history looked around, marveling at these unusual sights for the capital.
As Giedraičiai elder Dalia Cibauskaitė told, Šnipiškės are special not even because of their contrasting appearance, but rather because of their way of life: “There are still outdoor toilets, not all houses have water inside (they bring it from the blue “Vilniaus vandenys” columns on the street), gravelly, dusty, potholed when which streets Dogs and cats run, pigeons and crows fly. Chickens are digging in the area, you can hear the crowing of morning roosters.”
She was seconded by architect Agnė Cibauskaitė, who emphasized the greenness of the area: “Residents are walking, growing vegetables and fruits in their gardens and orchards, pigeons in dovecots. It’s quieter here, there are many birds in the trees, and hedgehogs are chirping at night. All these things are extremely important not only for locals, but also for people who work in skyscrapers or live in the densely built new apartment buildings nearby.”
According to architect Agnė Gabrėnienė, there are objects in Šnipiškės registered in the Register of Immovable Cultural Values, but there are also worthy ones, but not registered. D. Cibauskaitė added that the most valuable thing in Šnipiškės are the people: “Only after that are the buildings or other cultural objects.” Without a person, what are those objects or houses for? Only a creative, active resident of the capital can nurture and decorate his yard, contribute to a harmonious neighborhood, and at the same time make the city of Vilnius cute, safe, blooming, green, active, playful.”
Art and historical heritage in Medinukai yards
There was no lack of playfulness at the open yard event. Although the exhibition “Walking in silence” was waiting for visitors on Krakuvas street. ZEN silence’, but there was little peace there. The owner of the house hospitably invited all the visitors to come in and eat cheese and cookies, so it was as if the courtyard, which was supposed to be quiet, turned into a community hearth.
As the artist and visualization creator Pijus Čeikauskas (Pidžin) who lives there said, the yard is open to visitors so that they can get rid of negative associations related to the Šnipiškii district and get to know the people who live here: “Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to go to someone’s yard, and when they are open door, everything becomes much easier.
A dozen steps away is a creative workshop. Here used to be the House of Prayer of the Elders, which from 2025 will be handed over to the Vilnius City Museum. The workshops held in the outdoor part were crowded, because here the residents could offer their ideas, visualize them according to what they would like new in these premises.
According to Goda, a local resident of Šnipiškii, who was met at the workshop, such activities appeared to be extremely relevant to her: “It is nice that what the residents themselves want is taken into account. I suggested that these premises could be equipped with a cinema hall or something where events could take place. Spies is unique, so it’s great that we’re included in it.”
In one of the trees, its resident architect Miroslavas Bielinis shared stories about the reconstruction of a house that has been in existence for more than 100 years, explained and showed the gathered how he restored certain segments of the house. Almost 15 visitors gathered near the yard, delving into the shadows of the past and present, meeting in the yard of this little tree.
Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Open yard day in Šnipiškės
M.Bielinis hung photos on the fence that showed how the house looked differently in different eras, as well as finds left by the old owners: “I myself was born and grew up in wooden Šnipiškės. Giedraičiai Street, that whole block with houses is a protected area of the Vilnius City Municipality and I think that in the future the impact will only be positive – there will be investors who will fully fix the facades and houses and it will be a beautiful, unique street that cannot be found anywhere else in Europe.”
Visitors could also see the wooden Šnipiške from a bird’s eye view – an entire exhibition in Lauryns Mituz’s yard was dedicated to this. Viewers were able to view the images captured by the drone, which revealed the area from a different angle. As L. Mituz said, the district has changed a lot in recent years, an area that was previously considered a bit dangerous, has turned in a different direction: “In order for everything to be beautiful, a lot of things need to be renovated, so it is necessary to open up to people so that they can visit here, see everything up close and maybe would like to live here. There are a lot of houses that could be bought with a bit of a facelift, but the bottom line is that people need to at least see, not live in old ways.”
At the beginning of Giedraičiau street, on the wooden fence, the exhibition of photographs by photographer Algimantas Aleksandravičius, depicting the road to the Europa shopping center, was waiting for Vilnius residents.
Artist P. Čeikauskas, who lives in Šnipiškės, painted the work “Medinukas in hands” on the spot, and children and adults could try their hand at painting on the wall. As the artist stated, it is obvious that the idea of the drawing is to convey the wooden houses that are important to the community: “An invisible character from Šnipiški, for example, a cat, a pigeon, a mouse, who hold the houses in their hands, as if carrying them, protecting them, taking care of them, sometimes maybe giving them to someone. The visitors of the event also enjoyed watching a cartoon, a tour of the doll house, an orientation game and other activities.
Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Open yard day in Šnipiškės
Do sticks have a future?
In spite of the fact that cultural values came from the courtyards of Šnipiškės medinuks, the question remains – what future awaits Šnipiškės medinuks? Observing the event from the side, it seems that this is a unique and interesting place for everyone, which will retain its originality. But the glass skyscrapers sprouting up all around make me worry about gentrification.
As Gabrielė Janilionytė, one of the organizers of the event, Head of Public Involvement Projects at ID Vilnius, said, the purpose of this event is to promote community dialogue, thereby involving residents in the process of solving various problems.
According to G. Janilionytė, cooperation with the Šnipiškii community bears its own fruits: “Šnipiškii residents often feel faced with dual feelings – on the one hand, they want to preserve the historical heritage, but on the other hand, there are challenges due to the rapidly modernizing environment. Some residents, especially older residents, feel a little apprehensive about the potential for change and gentrification, but many residents appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the process. Both artistic initiatives and discussions with local artists help people to feel more included, which contributes to more positive moods and greater communality among residents.”
As architect A. Gabrėnienė commented, wooden Šnipiškės can and should become the New Center of Vilnius, attracting foreign experts, but for this to happen, it is necessary to preserve what is valuable and accordingly demand contextuality and quality from the buildings built around it: “Local residents believe that this the place can and should become not a place of antagonism and confrontation between the past and the future, but a place of synergy and balance, an inspiring example of sustainability.”
Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Open yard day in Šnipiškės
The elder of Giedraičiai added that it is difficult to say whether it is possible to become such an example, because no matter how much one wants to maintain the distinctiveness of the district, it is still necessary to adapt to development: “We do not conform to anyone, but do what is acceptable and suitable for us – creatively and with respect access to our living environment. We have to appreciate the past, which was our parents’ homeland, and adapt it to today’s or modern man’s needs, the accelerated pace of life. We balance between what we already have and, on the existing foundations, we improve our lives with modern means and methods.”
Local residents, indeed, take different positions. Although, according to D. Cibauskaitė, last year only three trees opened their doors, and this year – as many as twelve, people in the Šnipiški community react differently: “We have, as everywhere, a very diverse audience: some want the trees to remain, others want to demolish and they get a decent amount of money, others just live for the day – as it is, it is. Some like the action and get involved in the activities, others willingly criticize, and still others do not react at all.”
In the opinion of L. Mituz, a resident of Šnipiškės Medinukas, society makes a bad assumption – after all, the areas around the wooden Šnipiškės are modernizing, but not the wooden Šnipiškės themselves: “The city’s vision is to preserve the heritage here, which means that one way or another, most of them will definitely remain. This house has been standing here for over 100 years, and may stand still for almost as long. And when many people think that they will be torn down and instead of them will be built apartment buildings, then, I think, it will not happen. It would be necessary to agree with a lot of owners, and the heritage would not allow it, so it would be difficult to implement this thing.”
Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Open yard day in Šnipiškės
Since Šnipiškii district is in any case modernizing little by little, abandoned and unsafe places are being replaced by spaces intended for the community, local resident P. Čeikauskas assured that the future is already here: “Living here, in a way, you are already in the future, but the further future, I think, will bring greater fellowship and connection between the surrounding businesses and households. As much as some want to stay away and just live in their village under the skyscrapers, I think it’s going to get harder and harder to be just an observer because we’re already involved.”
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2024-09-16 07:18:10