David Whitley gets a dose of passion, quirkiness and culture in Lithuania’s understated capital.
Ambassadorial gift
“In my role as unofficial ambassador for Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008, I hereby present you this bird,” says Matt. He’s a little tiddly, and is gleefully handing over a soft toy that he bought in the northern English city’s visitor centre.
The publican, unsurprisingly, looks a little perplexed at this symbolic gift. But he grins, creates a space for it on the shelf in between a couple of dusty trophies and gives it a pat. “Thank you from Vilnius, European Capital of Culture 2009.”
It’s fair to say that the yellow bird behind the bar at the Avilys brewpub – it was still there when we checked in December – isn’t a major part of the Lithuanian capital’s year in the spotlight, but it is indicative of the attitude.
Baltic capitals
Of the three Baltic capitals, Tallinn in Estonia has the looks and Riga in Latvia has the dynamism. Both also have hordes of tourists – largely weekenders in search of cheap beer and lots of it.
Of the three, Vilnius is the quiet one you have to watch out for; the gawky girl with glasses that suddenly blossoms into an absolute stunner. Its charms are less immediate, but it doesn’t take long to realise that Vilnius is tremendous fun. In short, Vilnius has the heart.
Italians of the Baltics
The Lithuanians are regarded as the Italians of the Baltics – all passion and expressiveness with a predilection towards the good life. There’s a warmth that’s not often found in the region, and a defiant streak that turns old the KGB HQ into gory museum and ensures the TV tower – scene of bloodshed in the 1991 independence struggle – is used for bungee jumping.
Vilnius revels in doing things differently – artists and bohemian types are given far more leeway than they are elsewhere. The bust of psychedelic musician Frank Zappa is a classic example.
Zappa has no links to the city, but a group of artists wanted to make it, and the Vilnius city authorities saw no good reason to stop them. So it stands.
Republic of Uzupis
Then there’s the suburb of Uzupis, which has long been the arsty enclave. The residents have declared the area to be an independent republic, designated April Fools’ Day as the ‘national’ holiday and erected an angel statue that is so enormous compared to its surroundings that it looks rather comical.
Anywhere else, the tanks would have been sent in at the first sign of rebellion, but in Vilnius it has been allowed to flourish. There’s a definite “why not?” spirit.
Capital of Culture programme
This approach seems to have been applied to the Capital of Culture year. 120 unique art and culture projects have been launched, and over 900 events are planned to take place in 2009. It’s almost as if everyone that came up with a suggestion has been allowed to go ahead with it.
Amongst the more predictable events are a book fair, spring poetry festival and classical music recitals. There are also theatre productions of Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot. Throw in dance, opera and visual arts exhibitions and you’ve got the standard highbrow festival fare.
Other initiatives
As always, though, it’s where Vilnius deviates from the norm that makes it interesting. Where else would they encourage the entire nation to write a celebratory haiku, for example?
Then there’s Street Musician Day on May 2nd, for which street performers from across the world have been invited to roam the city streets. The organisers promise everything from avant garde to African drumming, but it’s fair to say that you’ll never again see such a collection of accordions and harmonicas in one place.
Art In Unusual Places
Equally charming is the Art In Unusual Places week in September. This will see streams of artists unleashed across the city to dance in squares, project audio-visual presentations over fountains and take over ghost buildings.
It promises to be gleeful chaos, especially as residents have been asked to join in and create their own artworks for display in their gardens and outside their apartment blocks.
The New Prague?
The attention that the Capital of Culture circus will bring to Vilnius will inevitably lead to the city being billed as “the new Prague”. After all, every other city in Eastern Europe has been, so why not Vilnius?
Well, it has a castle and the riverside areas are undeniably gorgeous but the comparison is a little stretched beyond that. Vilnius is a lot smaller – cute rather than grand – and the Old Town’s architecture is identifiably baroque as opposed to Prague’s through-the-ages mish mash.
For now, Vilnius is also largely off the mass tourism map. It’s much more strollable – visitors ambling across the hugely impressive cathedral square don’t have to fight their way through armies of tour groups to appreciate the white tower.
Pilies Gatve
Even the most touristy street – the cobbled Pilies Gatve with its souvenir stalls, buskers and olde worlde eateries – seems endearingly quaint rather than a cynical cash-grabbing exercise. The food is proudly home-cooked, and there’s an element of craftsmanship in the hat and nick-nack stalls rather than a truckload of cheap tat.
The stallholders will attempt to advise (albeit in broken to non-existent English) and help rather than flog like mercenaries
Café culture
Vilnius also has cafe rather than bar culture; everything is far less hurried, and beers are to be talked over rather than downed in a drunken frenzy. People will get together over meals and put the world to rights rather than standing at a bar getting froth on their upper lip.
The bars tend to be cosy rather than trendy – think medieval arched caves rather than glass-fronted posing palaces. Some of them aren’t immediately obvious either – a shabby looking exterior can often lead downstairs to a snug stone-walled drinking den that feels perpetually Christmassy without even a shred of tinsel.
Bars in Vilnius
This is the case even on Vokieciu Gatve, the major street-come-square that is besieged with terrace tables in the summer.
Vilnius’ bars are also the sort of places where the bar staff will try and strike up a conversation when they’re bored instead of half-heartedly pretending to scrub the taps. The conversation may be stilted, but the intent is what counts, and it’s far better than a cold glower.
Hopefully this outlook on life will continue well beyond Vilnius’ big year. It’d be a real shame if being Capital of Culture put a stop to the ridiculous statue building and willingness to integrate silly yellow birds from overseas into the decor.
