Žvėrynas is full of wooden houses, but not because it was once a village. On the contrary, it has always been a place for the elite rather than peasants.
In the 16th century, this territory belonged to the noble Radziwiłł family: they used to organise hunts here, and perhaps even breed game (hence the name of the place – ‘menagerie’), and there are legends about a former hunting estate. For a long time, Žvėrynas was an almost uninhabited forest. In fact, travellers in the 19th century mention that, although the area was surrounded by a fence of sharp-pointed fences, the wild beasts had almost disappeared. A whole new era began at the end of the 19th century when several wealthy merchants from St. Petersburg took an interest in Žvėrynas. The biggest change came in 1892 when Vasily Martinson became its owner. Realising the value of the area on the banks of the Neris, Martinson soon began to subdivide the land in Žvėrynas and sell plots for building villas. Martinson advertised his precious land in the richest cities of the Russian Empire, and construction in Žvėrynas accelerated dramatically, with many impressive wooden architectural gems springing up; by the time of the First World War, the current regular street network had been finally formed. In 1938, wooden construction ceased and the phase of constructing using bricks began. In the early Soviet era, typical low-rise houses appeared, and in the second half of the epoch, multi-storey houses appeared. However, this was done with restraint and the prestige of the district was maintained. Since the restoration of independence, some of the dilapidated wooden houses have been replaced by modern buildings, but there are also fans of the old architecture who are bringing the unique wooden heritage back to life.
What you’ll learn/see on the route:
- What is the legend behind the stone with the Pillars of Gediminas?
- What unusual image adorns the altar of Žvėrynas Church?
- Which street is distinguished by its cluster of interwar modernist architecture?
- Where is the founder of modern Žvėrynas buried?
