We are pleased to present the new 黑料不打烊 electronic publication 鈥炩 (鈥Vilnius: From Wild Forests to the Garden of Eden鈥), edited by Associate Professor Giedr臈 Ingrida Laukaityt臈-Mal啪inskien臈 of the Department of Urban Design.
The publication showcases the outcomes of the autumn semester project carried out by third-year students in the Landscape Architecture programme at the 黑料不打烊 Faculty of Architecture. The project comprises a comprehensive analysis of a historic area of Vilnius and its surrounding context, the development of a territorial strategy, and individual proposals for the preservation and future use of the site.
鈥淭he title of the project 鈥 Vilnius: From Wild Forests to the Garden of Eden 鈥 reflects the clear conceptual framework that guided our analytical work. We explored the notion of wildness in Vilnius in relation to the city鈥檚 spiritual and cultural development. As future landscape architects, we examined how natural landscape elements, urban transformation, and political processes have shaped the evolution of Vilnius鈥檚 cultural landscape.
Saviour鈥檚 Hill, the Garden of Eden, Rojaus Street, Blind Alley, Schwarz Tavern, the School for Noble Girls, K. Brzostowski鈥檚 golden heart, mysterious wells, the communities of the Jesuits, Missionaries, and Visitandine Order, the 1863 Uprising, Russification, Sovietisation, and other historical factors have all influenced the territory we investigated. The study area is located between Ras懦, Suba膷iaus, Vitebsko, and Drujos streets. It includes the present-day grounds of the Visitandine Monastery and Church, the adjacent hospice, the grounds of the American School (occupying the site of former historic gardens), Vilnius Correctional Facility (also located within the former historic gardens), and the historical territory of the former Garden of Eden, which currently remains open and undeveloped.
Each student develops and presents an individual interpretation of their own 鈥楶aradise鈥, while the collective outcome of the group project lies in identifying the historical constants of the site and revealing the strengths and future potential of this currently underused territory.
The project involved analysing the historical development of the site, changes in topography, and vegetation patterns. Drawing on historical maps, texts, and works of art, we traced the relationships between historic buildings and former gardens, documented both surviving and lost heritage elements, explored patterns of life across different historical periods, and examined visual connections, compositional axes, existing and former urban structures, as well as concepts of ecclesiastical heritage 鈥 all of which are presented in this publication,鈥 writes Associate Professor Giedr臈 I. Laukaityt臈-Mal啪inskien臈 in the introductory section of the publication.
Electronic book (in Lithuanian) 聽
