Description of the attraction
Town Hall Square is located between Didzeyi, Vokieciu and Ausros Vartu streets. It is one of the oldest squares in the Old Town of Vilnius. Previously, it was considered honorable to build a palace for merchants or nobles, because it was in the town hall that the rich city life was concentrated, and the square in front of it was the place where executions were carried out, as well as the market and the confluence of all the bustle of the city's public life.
The Triangular Town Hall Square appeared on the site of a market that emerged in the 15th century at the intersection of trade routes in the very center of the Old Town. Inns, houses of artisans and merchants were constantly being built near the market. The town hall was built by the city magistrate, which is mentioned in the sources of the 16th century. A pillar of shame was built next to it, which bore the name "Pilate" and it was to it that the guilty people were tied to carry out corporal punishment. The scaffold and gallows were also located on the square until the middle of the 17th century. Subsequently, the death penalty was transferred outside the city limits.
In the middle of the 19th century, when the building of the town hall housed the city theater, the market was removed from the square, and the square itself was planted with trees and fenced, receiving the name Teatralnaya square.
After the events of World War II, the building of the town hall was the Art Museum, while the square was called the Museum. The square was reconstructed in 1961-1962 at the suggestion of Enrikas Tamoševičius. By 1962, a monument to the commissar of the Bolshevik movement in Lithuania, the communist leader Vincas Mitskevičius-Kapsukas appeared on the square. But as soon as the independence of Lithuania was restored, the monument was immediately removed, and now it is located in Grutas Park.
From mid-2005 to 2007, a large-scale reconstruction of the area took place according to the project of JSC "Archinova". The reconstruction was carried out at the expense of the carriageway area of the streets, which was reduced for the partner part of the area. In addition, 55 new lamps, benches and other small architecture were installed. The area was significantly landscaped by planting more than 12 maples brought from Germany, as well as about 500 bushes brought from Holland. The reconstruction of the square took about 20 million litas.
As for the actions themselves, held on the square, then these include: concerts, fairs, city holidays. Every year, a large and colorful Christmas tree is erected on the square, around which New Year's festivities are held. But in March, the Kaziukas fair is held on DJeyi street and square.
In most cases, the square is surrounded by old residential buildings and various buildings of the town hall. The sights located near the square include the house of Mark Antokolsky: the great sculptor lived in this house only when passing through. If you look into the gateway, which leads directly to the courtyard, you can see a memorial plaque installed in this place back in 1906. The table says that the famous sculptor Antokolsky was born in this house. In fact, he was born in another place, which is located on Subačiaus Street, but this house, unfortunately, has not survived.
The adjacent house belonged to the monastery on Antokol, which was built in the 16-17 centuries and was rebuilt after a severe fire in 1748. This building combines features of the Renaissance, Gothic and Late Classicism. On the ground floor, on the left side, under layers of paint and plaster, you can discern a fragment of a Gothic wall, which miraculously survived. The building houses "Versme" - a bookstore designed by the artist Petras Räpsis: he created a metal sign on an advertising theme in the exterior and a pictorial panel. On the brass sign, you can read the lines of the title page of the very first Lithuanian book - "Catechism" by the author Martynas Mazvydas, as well as poetic fragments of the book's preface.
Opposite are the houses that make up the guild building complex. The Small Guild is one of the most Gothic buildings on the square, dating back to the 15th century. These buildings have been rebuilt and restored more than once. Behind the Town Hall Square is the building of the Museum of Contemporary Art, built in 1968 according to the project of Vytautas Čekanasukas.
