Day 79. In search for Jerusalem of the North. #CityTours #JewishVilnius

#JewishVilnius

#VilniusConfessions

I am comming back with my posts after quite long period of time. To be precise after 5 months of silence. Why I made this break I am not sure and I can not tell the truth.

But I am full of ideas and of knowledge that I want to share with someone.

And I will prove you that you can stay in Vilnius for 365 days and you will never be bored of the city and you will always find some interesting things to do. And after those 365 days you can star all over again :) :) True.

Let's continue our Vilnius journey. And I am really sorry that my English is not perfect, and, actually, it never was :)

Guilty :)

If you want to know the basics of Jewish Vilnius you should definitely take a tour with a local guide or study the history of Jews in Vilnius on your own.

To be sincere, this topic was very difficult to me and I was consiouosly trying to avoid it. Even I was scared a little bit of that aspect of history of Lithuania.

Why?

The roots of the fear lay back in my school times, when I was in the 7th class we visited the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) museum. The place is somwhere deep in my memory and it haunts me. I think that all schoolchildren, but those older, should be taken to a visit to that museum.

And one more thing. I always used to think that I am little afraid of the Jews, although I never met any Jew in my life. I don't have any aquinatnces Jews. So why? Where these feelings come from?

Finnaly I've decided to take a Jewish tour in Vilnius.

November 17 was the first day in this autumn season with a morning with a minus temperature. So the morning was foggy and cold.

The tour was for beginners and it was the very basics of Jewish Vilnius.
But a tour guide Gabija Luneviciute (Savaitgalio ekskursijos on FB) covered the most essential and the most important points. Gabija is journalist and she guides Jewish tours for 3 years.

The tour started in the French squire just where the Gaono str. and the former Jewish quarter begins.
She told us that it is believed that the first Jews came to the GDL in XIV c. after famous letters of the Grand Duke Gediminas inviting merchants from all over the Europe to come to the GDL and to settle there. Although the are no written documents confirming the fact of Jews settlment in Vilnius. It is known that it was issued the priviledge forbidding jews to practice merchancy and etc. Why? Probably Christian citizens of Vilnius did not wish to have any competition. First written information about Jewish community is that from the 2nd half of XVI c.

We continued on Gaono str. and stopped at the corner of Gaono str. , Stikliu str. and Zydu str.

Street name plate in other language (Jewish street)

#VilniusStreetNames

Gabija told us about Jewish synagogues. It is documented that before WWII there were over 130 synagouges in Vilnius (she found the number - 137). But Jewish synagogues are such sophisticated buildings like Vilnius baroque churches.

We continued on M. Atokolskio str. Gabija told us about Markas_Antokolskis (in LT) The former Mesiniu str. was renamed to M. Antakolskio str. after his death.

The Great Synagogue and Vilna Gaon 

We walked trought the yard and came to the monument of Vilnius Gaonas Elijahu.
Gabija told us about Vilna Gaon Elijas_Ben_Saliamonas_Zalmanas and explained us why Vilnius was called Jerusalem of the North.
We found out a little bit about Hasidic Judaism (in LT).

She told us about Great_Synagogue_of_Vilna destroyed in 1961.

She also mentioned about the plans how to preserve that valuable place. The place should be ready as place of commeration in 2020 ( 300th anniversary of birth of Vilna Gaon Elijahu).

The Great Synagogue site nowadays

Some future plans were discussed here: http://m.diena.lt/naujienos/vilnius/miesto-pulsas/buvusios-didziosios-sinagogos-vietoje-atsiras-erdve-menininkams-860567

and nowadays issues and future plans here:
https://www.15min.lt/m/id/aktualu/lietuva/archeologas-noredami-sunaikinti-didziaja-vilniaus-sinagoga-sovietai-ja-issaugojo-56-1002908

Documentary The Holocaust Escape Tunnel (2017) depicts some archelogical researches on the site.
Further researches will be carried out in summer 2019 https://gvf.lt/blog/2019/03/05/sia-vasara-bus-tesiami-archeologiniai-tyrimai-didziosios-sinagogos-vietoje/

PS. It is interesting coincidence that on that Saturday, after comming back from the tour I turned on a TV and my eyes catched a programme Menu sala on TV8 just accidentally. The 13th episode was about Jewish heritage in Vilnius and Lithunia. Both episodes 12 and 13 could be found on tvplay.tv3.lt/menu-sala/menu-sala.

Just in front of the Great Synangogue of Vilnius there was the Library of Mathias Strashun (in LT).

And Gabija told us about who was Mattityahu Strashun (in LT).

Vokiečių str. 

We continued our tour to Vokieciu str. Former Mesiniu str. started where now M. Antokolskio str. goes and crossed Vokieciu str. and continues as noways Mesiniu str. Most buildings on the left side of Vokieciu str. (direction towards the Town Hall) were built in the soviet times.

#VilniusStreetNames

Gabija told us that at Vokieciu str. 14 there was legendary vegeterian restaurant of Fania Lewando and her husband Lazar Lewando (in LT).

The book published in 1930 in Yiddish is translated into Lithuanian and translated into Lithuanian and published by Alma Littera.

We continued to Mikalojaus str. and here Gabija told us about many words in slang Lithuanian who are Yiddish more about borrowed words - here) in LT).

Next, we came to Zemaitijos str. which former was called M. Strasuno str.

A signboard of a Kerosene (Lamp oil) shop before WW II in Polish/ Yiddish on Žemaitijos str.

A signboard of Grocery shop before WW II in Polish/ Yiddish on Žemaitijos str.

We stopped in front of the former Jewish library in the Large Ghetto (Zemaitijos str. 4). Zemaitijos str. 4 is on the Lithuanian Heritage List (in LT).

Gabija told about the Vilna Ghetto.

She mentioned librarian Herman Kruk.

While standing in the backyard of the buildings in front of the building No 4  we've heard the history of Fania Bransovskaja (in LT) for the forst time in my life.

The Star of David on the wall of Žemaitijos str. building

(nobody knows when it was inscribed or by whom)

 (#VilniusGraffiti ?)

Gabija made an interview with Fania once and she has met Ms Fania personally.

Also, Gabija and the fellows from the tour recommended to watch a documentary by Edita Mildazyte Fanios Vilnius. So I did it.

Also they recommented to watch a movie by Audrius Juzenas Vilniaus getas (2005). Also I did it.

Finnally we came to Ligonines str. and we have heard the history of the former Jewish Hospital.

One of fellows from the tour recommended me to read Jerichas 1941-metais. Vilniaus-geto-istorijos by Igor Argamante.

We opened one of the door in the former Jewish hospital and we appeared just in the front Vilnius Choral Synagogue.

FYI: it is opened for visiting on working days 10:00 - 14:00. Entrance fee - 1 eur.

We finished our tour tour near the Jewish Center with the poem Vilnius of Moyshe Kulbak translated into Lithuania.

The tour lasted for 2 hours and 30 mintes. And it was really really informative. After the tour I will improve my knowledge and I will be ready to pass my knowledge to others.

Day 78. Open House Vilnius. Part I. #VilniusFestivals

#Vilniusfestivals

#OpenHouseVilnius

1. From the Point of View of a Visitor

Open House Vilnius is festival of open architecture, when various buildings are opened for visitors and free tours in those buildings are organized. For visiting some buildings you have register in advance. Other can be visited without any registration just by joining tours or without any waiting or after waiting in a queue for some time.

The festival usually takes place on the last weekend of April.
This year, in 2018, it was the 4th festival.

That year, 2018, I've heard about that festival for the first time from my colleague Tomutė. Tomutė, thank you!

On Saturday I've visited Juozapas Montvila Jozef Montwill Colony in Lukiškės, after standing in  a queue for 1 hour and a half :D

Was ir worthy? Yes.

On Sunday early morning I've visited beautiful Vileišiai Palace.
Later on, I've visted Lithuanian Union of Cooperatives Office building. (Lietkoopsąjungos pastatas) and Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania. Palangos 4 Business centre.

Just it's a little bit pity that I do not have any pictures from these tours.

And that was the start of my adventure with OHV.

Day 77. Vilnius Culture Night. #VilniusFestivals

#VilniusFestivals

One night festival called Vilnius Culture Night usually takes place in the middle of June, as I guess, excactly on the last Saturday night before Saint John's Day (Festival).

In 2018 it took place on June 15. :)

During the Culture Night (former Let it be Night!) the squares, streets, parks, and the most unexpected spaces in Vilnius are filled with the projects of various types of artistic projects: music, dance, theatre, cinema, photography, state-of-the-art installations, etc. A one-night festival was first organized in Lithuania in 2007 preparing for the events of Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009.

Although, during the very first year only 40 events were hosted in Vilnius, subsequent festivals have involved more and more events and gathered more and more artists as well as participants – last year the festival of culture and art has invited the guests and permanent residents of the city to see 167 projects, presented by 700 artists from Lithuania and foreign countries. It was estimated that the events were attended by approximately 100-150 thousand people.

Initiator of the festival – Daina Urbanavičienė, the Chair of the Lithuanian Council of Culture and the Member of the Council of Vilnius City Municipality

The info is taken from the official website.

INTERESTING POINTS: I don't know why but Urban Adventures put the festival on the TOP7 coolest annnual festivals in Vilnius!!!

Day 76. Vilnius Must See Sculptures and their hidden secrets. Part II. Vilnius Art

#VilniusSculptures Continuation of Part I

7)  Zemaite (Lithuanian writer Žemaitė)

The sculpture was created by Petras Aleksandravicius in soviet times. The sculpturer was was awarded Stalin award in 1950, Tretyakov gallery even bought Zemaite and it was the first sculpture from the Baltic states bought by the gallery. Such evaluation meant for the sculpturer a lot, since the authorieties controlled whar artist were creating and if they were creating on unacceptable themes, their lives could be desroyed.
A smaller copy of "Moscow" Zemaite stands in Zemaite square at Gediminas avenue.

You should not forget that Zemaite is of Vilnius Talking Scultures.

8) Half Mountain

Non-traditional sculpture of Robertas Antinis. This an example of landart. Such art was created by western artis as a form of protest to gallery art wich was created mainly with one intention to be sold. Therefore artists started to creat objects which do not fit in into the closed spaces and could not be sols. These objets were situated in forests, on meadows, on the sea banks.

Location on the left bank of Neris.

9) Two-storey

450 cm height sculpture by Mindaugas Navakas ctreated in 2009. It is constructed from collons typical Egypt architechture and Vilnius architecture.

Location: left bank of Neris

10) Fantastic Animal by Mindaugas Navakas.

Day 75. Liepkalnis Water Reservoir

Liepkalnis water reservoir was opened for the public this year 19 May.

The reservoir was opened for the public for the first time last year (in LT).

Liepkalnis Water reservoir is such a unique place!!!

Or it may even be called a building or a construction.

First, when you enter inside, the echo is repeating each word at least five-six times, so it is not possible to communicate if you're standing not close each to another.

It is especially funny for kids, what you will see from the video given below.:)))

Second, the reservoir was opened for he public for fist time only last year.
Usually is was opened every therre or five yers, when the water was drained out, and the reservoir had to be cleaned. But that was a work of employees Vilniaus Vandenys.

Third, when you enter reservoir, you get into 5 meter deep round construction, where eight collums support round dome. From the balcony, supported by colums, you go down the stairs.

while travelling Liepkalnio street one can easily miss the place, because the water reservoir looks like a simple green hill (it reminds me one of these hills from Teletubbies :DDDD).
The hill has a baroque tower on its top. You can see a date 1916 over the entrance.

A little bit of history

The reservoir was constructed 101 years ago :) Also Tauras Hill water reservoir was constructed.
The two reservoirs, wells in Bernardine gardens, a water pump and 54 km long pipelines system formed a foundation for nowadays water supply system in Vilnius.

The reservoir was designed and constructed by three specialists: Eduardas Simanskis, Eduardas Senfeldas, Oskaras Smrekeris.

According to initial project, the reservoir was designed for 300 square meters.
However, it could be easily seen that the reservoir is much more spacious.

Although water from the reservoir could be supplied to Vilnius residents, the water stored there is used only for snow making for  Liepkalnis skii runs.

The owners of the skii runs have declared that they are planning to use water from their own well, therefore the future of the reservoir is not clear.

All the information above was taken from the article indicated above and it was provided by a historian Darius Pocevicius.

More photos of really high quality could be found, as usually, on http://pamirsta.lt.

Location of the spot: Liepkalnio str. 20.

Day 74. Vilnius Carillion Festival

Carillion festival takes place for the very first time in Vilnius.
The info about Vilnius Carillon Festival you can find here.

Location: Church of St Philip and St Jacob.

What is Carillon you can find on Wiki She Knows Everything.

There are four carillions in Lithuania: in Kaunas, Klaipeda, Sakiai and, here, in Vilnius, housed two years ago in Church of St Philip and St Jacob.

You have unique opportuity to listen to that music till August 16.

Day 73. Project #WereadVilnius (#skaitomevilniu)

#VilniusandLiterature

This is the project #skaitomevilniu (#wereadvilnius).
The info about the project itself and the creators of the idea you can find here (in Lithuanian).

Words of famous Lituanian artists, poets and writers you can find all over Vilnius!

 (1) by a writer Ričardas Gavelis (on 22 August 2018)

 (2) These are words by Algirdas Julius Greimas.

I do not remember already where these words are, 

but as soon as I find them again, I will let you now!

Well, i've found it.

It's at the Courtyard of Library of the Vilnius University.

 (3) Words by Ona Šimaitė on Vokiečių str. 

Just near Contemporary Art Museum.

(4) by Paulius Širvys (in LT)

(5) by Vytautas the Great

(6) by Liudvikas Jakimavičius (in LT)

(7) Quotation by Gediminas the Great  

just near the norther facade of the Cathedral

(8) Quotation by blessed Teofilius Matulionis 

in front of the main western facade of the Cathedral

(9)

(10) by Czesław Miłosz near the entrance 

into the Vilnius University (on 09/04/2019) 

(11) by Gabrielė Petkevičaitė Bitė near the King Mindaugas Monument /National Museum