Author's tour - Šiaurės miestelis and Verkių Street. Military field histories

The first comprehensive Lithuanian publication about the surroundings of Vilnius (1958) describes a trip to Verkiai as follows: “To the left stretch the uninteresting Šnipiškės with old narrow streets and simple houses in gardens and orchards. To the right is a wide plain, the so-called War Field (Karo Laukas).” This referred to the territory of the Northern Town (Šiaurės miestelis).

"Military parades and inspections used to take place in this Field. Here, the Russian Tsar Peter I inspected his army. Here, in 1812, before the ill-fated march to Moscow, Napoleon observed his colorful, multi-ethnic army."

During the Soviet era, part of this Field became a large, closed, secret territory, around which new factory buildings and houses arose.

Let us look for the remaining traces of this Field: from the times of Napoleon and the Soviet Army.

Where were the buried soldiers of Napoleon's army found?

What does the Christ on Kalvarijų Street mark?

Did mammoths walk here? And why not?

Signs of the Afghan War.

The pride of the Soviet micro-district - the banquet hall; what happened there and what is happening there now.

Where it is better not to buy apartments and why.

The gates of evil and two accounting offices.

Have you ever wondered why one of the streets in Vilnius' Northern Town is now called Lakūnų?

Start: Kun. Br. Laurinavičius Square (intersection of Žalgirio and Kalvarijų streets).

End: PC Banginis

Duration: 1.5 hours.

Length: 2 km.