Once again Naujamiestis.. you allready saw some photos from this district, but not too much and not everything :)

Style: brick style :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7867.jpg

Some sort of Museum (who knows?), style: Eclectic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7868.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7869.jpg

Three more buildings, style: Eclectic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7871.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7872.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7873.jpg

One of most hated places in Vilnius, in this building they recruit new solders :) Still, kinda nice building.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7876.jpg

Simple brick building
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7880.jpg

Few shots of Vingriu street
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7881.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7882.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7884.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7885.jpg

Nice Eclectic building
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7886.jpg

Very well known building. HQ of LG ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7888.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7889.jpg

Rare example of Neo-Renaissance
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7890.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7892.jpg

Just random shots ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7891.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7893.jpg

Now we are moving to Teatro street
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7894.jpg

Very nice building, but i don't have any info about it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7896.jpg

Random shots around Teatro street
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7898.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7900.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7901.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7902.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7906.jpg

Now we are in K. Kalinausko street
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7909.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7912.jpg

Modern and old ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7913.jpg

And back to J. Basanaviciaus street. Everything here is builded in Eclectic style, but need a lot of restoration.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7915.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7918.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7919.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7923.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7924.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7926.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7929.jpg

And one very nice (in my opinion) photo for happy ending ;)

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/9908/img79402filtered3yt.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Very nice phototrip. I really like walking in this district :yes:

I remember people here saying that this proper downtown of Vilnius doesn't quite fill its job as a downtown, and that it's in need of development. Now, my only info comes from various pictures posted here, but from them I've got couple questions:

- Where are all the people from the streets? In all downtown pictures I've seen, the streets have been almost completely empty.

- Where are all the shops and cafes? Is this the reason why downtown is so neglected? No life on the streets?


Edit: additional question

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7885.jpg
What cars does the police in Vilnius use? No need for pics, names would suffice. :)

I remember people here saying that this proper downtown of Vilnius doesn't quite fill its job as a downtown, and that it's in need of development. Now, my only info comes from various pictures posted here, but from them I've got couple questions:

- Where are all the people from the streets? In all downtown pictures I've seen, the streets have been almost completely empty.

- Where are all the shops and cafes? Is this the reason why downtown is so neglected? No life on the streets?

You are right it is downtown of Vilnius, but it's now mostly residental area and nothing more, while most of shops and cafes + other forms of entertainment is in old city or other districts. It's quite strange, because even in residential districts of Vilnius you can find more entertainment than in downtown..

I think Vilnius city planers need's to review their strategy of downtown to attract more people and business in this part of city (or maybe time will solve this problem). In downtown we even have some quite nice parks, but they are empty, people just prefer squares and parks in old town or some other places.

While for now new downtown should be in NCC, but we can't call this area downtown as it's only under develpment.

@OL

Indeed Naujamiestis looks empty and it mostly is empty (some areas are pretty busy though). The main life in the center is mostly ongoing in the old town and surrounding areas. Time of day perhaps also has some crucial importance for various activities in the town. :)


About police cars. They use various cars from Honda Civic (as seen in that photo) and VW Golf to BMW 5. Civic seems to be the most popular though :)

Why is it called "downtown"? Hasn't the Old Town traditionally always been the city centre?

great pics, there seems to be allot of grand buildings there, i love the strong red colour on the brickbuilding in the last photo

Why is it called "downtown"? Hasn't the Old Town traditionally always been the city centre?

It was and it is. But this district supposed to be new city center, but somehow failed to do this job.

Naujamiestis is mostly filled with residentials and offices. Old town is filled with residentials, offices, shops, various "entertainment buildings" - it's much more attractive and that's where all the life is. Gediminas avenue which is the street of Naujamiestis is the exception - more and more attractive objects are being opened here and around it. Btw I think that these photos were taken at weekend (am I right?) - no one works at that time.

^^ Sunday :) Anyway i have more photos, but just waiting for next page (i hope).

I slept in a student hostel in Naujamiestis last year and I can confirm that there were really few people around, but that district is very nice, still many restorations to do, compared to the old town, but it surely has its charme, and maybe in the future it could become more popular.
(another post to come closer to the new page! :D)

nice pictures! How old are those buildings, Vilnius and Riga are so different from Tallinn! Tallinn doesnt have such Eclectic and various other style buildings... mby they got bombed to smithereens?

Naujamiestis is mostly filled with residentials and offices. Old town is filled with residentials, offices, shops, various "entertainment buildings" - it's much more attractive and that's where all the life is. Gediminas avenue which is the street of Naujamiestis is the exception - more and more attractive objects are being opened here and around it. Btw I think that these photos were taken at weekend (am I right?) - no one works at that time.

Hmm, in Tallinn its turning to be the opposite, tourists roam the Old town but downtown is mostly for local people, cafes, bars, shopping centre (like Viru) are filled with estonians at most times...Viru centre and its surroundings are FULL of people at practically all times, sepcially at 5pm, feels like a mio city then. Its good to know things about Vilnius, im still mistyfied about the location of downtown there.....(but mby its because all the downtown houses are so ornate that i couldnt distinguish the difference between that and old town!)

nice pictures! How old are those buildings, Vilnius and Riga are so different from Tallinn! Tallinn doesnt have such Eclectic and various other style buildings... mby they got bombed to smithereens?



Hmm, in Tallinn its turning to be the opposite, tourists roam the Old town but downtown is mostly for local people, cafes, bars, shopping centre (like Viru) are filled with estonians at most times...Viru centre and its surroundings are FULL of people at practically all times, sepcially at 5pm, feels like a mio city then. Its good to know things about Vilnius, im still mistyfied about the location of downtown there.....(but mby its because all the downtown houses are so ornate that i couldnt distinguish the difference between that and old town!)

If everything will be allright NCC will be new Vilnius downtown, but for now Lithuanians chose old town instead of downtown. (and i'm one of them :)) I think this gives another feeling to Vilnius old town, it dont look like tourist attraction only, it lives it's own live ;)

I don't know why, but Vilnius old city is special for me, i visited allmost all grand Europien cities, but never feeled like here in Vilnius old town, sound's very nationalistic, but true :)

Uhh forgot about your question :)

Most of those buildings were builded between 1850-1905.

@Ch1le: And what is downtown in Tallinn?

@Geex, good answer :), well, i also feel special in Old town, but its a special feel, not like the feel at downtown, in the old town i feel very proud, i love the tourists going about, i love the sounds from the many bars and boutiques and etc, im sure you have the same feel too :)
@Edd, well, the downtown of Tallinn is the area between Kadriorupark and Kristiine for me, core of downtown would be area around viru centre with maakri district and harbour district, the zone of 7-8+ floor buildings. :)

Thanks for the replies to my question, guys. :)

@ Edd
Inner downtown of Tallinn is more or less the area around Tallinn's high-rises. It's rather small, actually, but the tall buildings make it seem much bigger.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v125/oberleutnant/tallinn/

:) well OL, actually, a Much denser area, although, with less action is east of CBD(central business district), near Freedom Square, its the most built up area of tallinn, and was developed at very very rapid pace during the I republic, in soviet times the downtown moved eastwards, to the place where you pointed and more east from there. The downtown is not huge, but its still pretty big ;)

CBD:
http://www.pressifoto.ee/image.php?id=149079&s=2&g=13
Eastern DOwntown:
http://www.pressifoto.ee/image.php?id=149325&s=2&g=13
bad picture of part of Western Downtown: http://www.tallinn.ee/galeriipilt?p=1126&id=1171&type=0

Thank you for this series of super nice photos of a part of Vilnius we don't usually see here, Geex! :applause:

I hope TRUE restoration and modernization (but only as far as utilities & infrastructure is concerned) will happen to these handsome apartment buildings soon! :)

Am I totally off in thinking that this is sort of the area between Gediminas & the airport? I may be totally mistaken, in which case I better :runaway:

Thank you for this series of super nice photos of a part of Vilnius we don't usually see here, Geex! :applause:

I hope TRUE restoration and modernization (but only as far as utilities & infrastructure is concerned) will happen to these handsome apartment buildings soon! :)

Am I totally off in thinking that this is sort of the area between Gediminas & the airport? I may be totally mistaken, in which case I better :runaway:

Thanks WH :)

And Naujamietis is really big district, but it's area between Gediminas&Train station, while airport is a little bit further (BTW i think you made this mistake, because next district is called Naujininkai, so sounds pretty similar to Naujamiestis) ;)

I think guys here never saw much pictures of area around Trains station? Maybe i'll fix this :)

BTW i jus found how part of Newtown looked back in ~1900 (Lithuania was still under Czar Russia rule, so don't wonder why everything is in Russian)

http://www.ljplus.ru/img/alma_pater/lost-vilnius-pohulianka.jpg

And now (viewing down same street)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7886.jpg

And same LG HQ building seen in old picture
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7888.jpg

Actually nothing changed too much, except they added trolley bus lines :)

Thanks Ch1le and Ober for explanation, so it seems that new high-rises in Tallinn are being built in the downtown. The New City Center in Vilnius is indeed the new city center, because although its location is quite good but previously I did not call it "part of the downtown", now after many buildings were built there it starts to look more like downtown but still it has to expand very much to be a true downtown. ;) (I hope I used not too many words "downtown" in one sentence :)).
Btw most of the places which Geex posted are mostly residential areas. One more thing - at the corner of Naujamiestis ("NewTown") Business triangle is located.

Thank you, Geex! :)

I'm afraid you overestimate my knowledge of the different areas of Vilnius. :( And you're right: Naujininkai and Naujamiestis do sound awfully similar. ;)

And thank you for the nice shot of the LG HQ complex! It's pleasant to see such a fine ensemble. :cool: You don't show the other side of the street though: has it changed from the historic photo?

WH: another part of street didn't changed too, but i dont have my own pictures to compare with old ones :)

Anyway it's page two, so here we go :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7945.jpg

Neo-gothic building in Vilnius (really nice one):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7948.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7949.jpg

http://img174.exs.cx/img174/117/img79515xq.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7953.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7954.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7956.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7957.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7959.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7960.jpg

Soviets was allready begining to ruin it with such buildings:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7961.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7962.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7964.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7965.jpg

Names of People who was tortured by KGB and died because they were loyal to Lithuania
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7966.jpg

Some renovation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7969.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7970.jpg

Building with really nice decorations..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7972.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7973.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7974.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7975.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7978.jpg

My tour was interrupted due to "low battery", so it's a little bit unfinished, but i promise i will continue it :)

^^^ Very nice. Keep your phototours coming, they are better and better :okay:

Thanks for these photos Geex they are very nice. :okay:
Good to see that this building is being renovated. What is it going to be used for?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7969.jpg

Great photos, Geex!
Naujamiestis is one of my favourite districts in Vilnius and Lithuania, its great to see so many of its buildings renovated or in processes of being renovated!
This part of the city definately needs more attention in here.

Very nice photos. I lived in Naujamiestis myself so these pics brought me back so many memories.

delete

I don't really think that a term "downtown" is appropiate for european cities. "City center" would be something better :yes:

Here's one of definitions I found

"a land use category that encompasses the high density office, high-rise office and commercial services buildings in the heart of the city. This category includes a variety of retail, institutional, tourism-related and residential uses which provide services to the entire city and the metropolitan region, and which serve important national and international functions. Downtown is often referred to by the common acronym, CBD, which stands for Central Business District."

Good point, Mantai! :okay:



EDIT @Geex: thank you for yet more lovely photos of this beautiful part of Vilnius! :) May it all be restored, and soon! :angel1:

Thanks for replies and comments guys :)

Here i go with some more and last ones, i promise (actually i don't:)).

This is area around central train station in Vilnius, a lot of nice buildings can be found in here.

Vilnius train station
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7980.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7981.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7983.jpg

Now walking around it :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7990.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7991.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7993.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7996.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7997.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_7998.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8000.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8003.jpg

FREAKS!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8007.jpg

Thanks again Geex, you made me do again almost all the "tour" I did last summer, walking from the Stotis to the end of Vivulskio g.... but that time I had a huge and heavy backpack on my shoulder, this time it has been more comfortable! :D
Unfortunately I don't have any summer pics of Naujamiestis, since I was too tired to stop and take some, with the backpack!

One question: as many of you said, this is now mostly a residential zone (and it was quite easy to imagine, walking around there); many buildings are really beautiful, expecially the restored ones, so I would think that it's quite an expensive residential zone... do you know how much are the prices for an apartment there? Only new rich people live there? You know, there's a big difference between Naujamiestis and the commieblocks outside the centre... And compared to Old Town, is it cheaper?
Thanks again, you won another Švyturys offered when I come back to Vilnius! :D

Yes, Geex is definitely an appropriate candidate for the gift of of a few Švyturys! :cheers1:

:banana: Geex, and more thanks! All these buildings you show us, even the most modest ones among them, have such presence and elegance! :cool:

I truly hope that the restoration works that are bound to come will leave the fassades as they are :angel1: because they are BEAUTIFUL! :). Just paint and patch, nothing drastic!.

One question: as many of you said, this is now mostly a residential zone (and it was quite easy to imagine, walking around there); many buildings are really beautiful, expecially the restored ones, so I would think that it's quite an expensive residential zone... do you know how much are the prices for an apartment there? Only new rich people live there? You know, there's a big difference between Naujamiestis and the commieblocks outside the centre... And compared to Old Town, is it cheaper?
Thanks again, you won another Švyturys offered when I come back to Vilnius! :D

Well 70 m^2 flat costs around 400 000 - 500 000 Litas (1 Euro = 3,4 Litas), but it's cheaper if building is commie, i thin you saw some commies in this district too.

For example bigger flat in commie district could cost around 100 000 Litas :)

So yeas it's expensive area, but old city is even more expensive. Still i sometimes don't understand people, they renovate flats from inside, but nobody cares about facade, i think it would be really nicer to live in nicely renovated building than in one with old and unrestored facade.. but i think time will solve this problem (especially when living standarts will get higher).

Thanks again Geex, so it seems that they are not very cheap... of course they are if I compare them with Italian prices, but for Lithuanian wages they are quite expensive. Yes of course I saw some commies too in Naujamiestis, it's really horrible to see them among those beautiful old houses. I was inside a commie myself, used as student hostel for summertime, quite tall and ugly, I have a pic if you want! :D

About restoring inside and not outside it's quite simple to explain: you HAVE to restore inside since you live there and you want your house to be nice and comfortable, while restoring the facade is very expensive, all the people who live in the house have to agree and pay... and maybe it's better to wait for some money from the State, or from EU and so on... It's the same here, no one wants to spend a lot of money for restoring facades, unless you are in some rich residential zones, they always prefer to wait for the State or city council to give them some money! My house has just been restored foew years ago, fortunately, so we are quite an exception, but I do live in a very beautiful zone of Genova's "Naujamiestis"! :)

And WH thanks one more time :)

Uhh, it's shame i made those photos in early morning, weather was bad, and now sky is cloudless and sun is shining :(

Thanks again Geex, so it seems that they are not very cheap... of course they are if I compare them with Italian prices, but for Lithuanian wages they are quite expensive. Yes of course I saw some commies too in Naujamiestis, it's really horrible to see them among those beautiful old houses. I was inside a commie myself, used as student hostel for summertime, quite tall and ugly, I have a pic if you want! :D

About restoring inside and not outside it's quite simple to explain: you HAVE to restore inside since you live there and you want your house to be nice and comfortable, while restoring the facade is very expensive, all the people who live in the house have to agree and pay... and maybe it's better to wait for some money from the State, or from EU and so on... It's the same here, no one wants to spend a lot of money for restoring facades, unless you are in some rich residential zones, they always prefer to wait for the State or city council to give them some money! My house has just been restored foew years ago, fortunately, so we are quite an exception, but I do live in a very beautiful zone of Genova's "Naujamiestis"! :)

Yeah prices are rising from 15% to 25% each year, experts predict that they will stop only when average cost of flat will reach average flat price in old EU members. Anyway more and more foreign citizens are buying flats in Old city and Naujamiestis (in U/C apartments in Uzupis, 45 of 220 new flats was bought by foreign citizens). I readed in one newspaper, that they really like atmosphere in old town and people who lives here, so they kinda glad to have own flat in Vilnius :)

Btw some are buying flats to resell them when prices will be much higher ;)

And i also was thinking about help from municipality to this district of Vilnius, but now they are mostly concerned in old town restoration works.

Another great set of photos, Geex :master: :master: :master:

Thanks again Geex, you made me do again almost all the "tour" I did last summer, walking from the Stotis to the end of Vivulskio g.... but that time I had a huge and heavy backpack on my shoulder, this time it has been more comfortable! :D
Unfortunately I don't have any summer pics of Naujamiestis, since I was too tired to stop and take some, with the backpack!

One question: as many of you said, this is now mostly a residential zone (and it was quite easy to imagine, walking around there); many buildings are really beautiful, expecially the restored ones, so I would think that it's quite an expensive residential zone... do you know how much are the prices for an apartment there? Only new rich people live there? You know, there's a big difference between Naujamiestis and the commieblocks outside the centre... And compared to Old Town, is it cheaper?
Thanks again, you won another Švyturys offered when I come back to Vilnius! :D
Well I lived in Naujamiestis commie and it wasn't that bad. I know it's ugly but I could walk to old town in 20 minutes. Besides I could sea Vingio parkas from my window and during winters I used to go skiing in there. And from some places you can see Europa tower :yes: The price of 2 room appartments in there is about 100000 Litas.
@ Geex. Very nice photos, keep on posting :okay:

Thanks for good comments chukchi and blimey ;)

Well I lived in Naujamiestis commie and it wasn't that bad. I know it's ugly but I could walk to old town in 20 minutes. Besides I could sea Vingio parkas from my window and during winters I used to go skiing in there. And from some places you can see Europa tower :yes: The price of 2 room appartments in there is about 100000 Litas.

Yes of course "commies" are ugly to see, but being in Naujamiestis was surely good, and much cheaper, so I'd live there too! :D

Here is "my" commie where I slept in Vilnius, Vivulskio 36, which should be still considered Naujamiestis, isn't it?

http://www.upupa.net/sky/vilnius/mycommie.jpg

Great view from there... over shopping malls and commie districts! :)

^^^ Yes it's still Naujamiestis :) Is this commie some sort of youth hotel?

It's called VPU Student dormitory, I think it's mainly for university students during the year, and youth hostel in summer. It was not bad at all, only not so close to the old town and the station on foot! But that zone was nice, it was a very quiet street, with mainly commieblocks not high and with quite a lot of green, I thinks it's a good place to live in.

FREAKS!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/geex1/IMG_8004.jpg


Why has hook on the gable facade been recently added?

http://www.upupa.net/sky/vilnius/mycommie.jpg



This place brings back many memories of backpacking in Lithuania in '98, '00, and '02. The reception people are very tollerant, i still dont know how we didnt get kicked out.

Why has hook on the gable facade been recently added?
Recently? It's been there for ages. ;) I think that the building was originally built with the hook.

Recently? It's been there for ages. ;) I think that the building was originally built with the hook.

With hook? No.. some time ago in this building was night club named "Kablys" (hook) and they added this hook ;) Anyway now somebody should remove this stupid hook.. I saw "for sale" announcement on this building so i hope new owner will remove it.

This place brings back many memories of backpacking in Lithuania in '98, '00, and '02. The reception people are very tollerant, i still dont know how we didnt get kicked out.

It's student dormitory and they are used to everything :D

Nice district. Looks very European, but many houses need some restoration.