Birštonas - least known Lithuanian resort, part 1
Birštonas is one of the officially recognized resorts in Lithuania. And probably this is least known resort: if Palanga and Neringa and even Druskininkai are more or less known internationally Birštonas is lesser known. So it is my attempt to introduce this town:
Birštonas is located 40 km south from Kaunas on the banks of Nemunas river. It is one of the officially recognized resorts in Lithuania. And it is least known from the Lithuanian resorts. This causes the fact that Birštonas is "used" mainly by Lithuanians. But even this situation is changing slowly: this year I saw also Russian-speaking Israelis here.
Birštonas was mentioned in the written sources for the first time in 1382. In Birštonas Vytautas Magnus issued a decree granting Magdeburghian rights for Kaunas in 1408. For the long time Birštonas was on the list of not-privileged towns of MDL. The new life for Birštonas started in 1851 when township began the transformation to resort after the big fire in Stakliškės which was well known for their mineral waters. After that fire mineral waters of Birštonas got attention also. From 1966 Birštonas is a town of "republican importance" (such status was granted for the bigger towns and resorts and there were 11 towns with such status in this country).
So let's go to the town. On the arrival you can see residential districts of Birštonas. Built in the 1980s they differ from other commiblock areas of that period due to the resort status of the town:
Now I am in the small "commercial-administrative" center of Birštonas:
This area is completely formed during 1970s-1980s and has typical look for that period.
Municipality of Birštonas:
Sculpture near municipality:
Birštonas culture palace - venue for once famous jazz festivals. Built under typical project in the 1980s in recent years it was reconstructed:
Near the culture palace is the villa and the "training center of the service of financial crimes investigation of Lithuanian Republic":
Sculpture near the center built in 1986:
On the other side of the square is now unused cinema:
Now cinema is decorated to hide it's unusability:
And brutally typical Birštonas sports center:
Now I will head further from the center of Birštonas to the local commiblocks district. The result of 1970s and 1980s Birštonas commiblocks districts looks better than many other such districts in the area from East Berlin to Vladivostok - town was resort:
Some stupid insertions from the 1990s:
Or such typical and untypical commieblock:
In the area you can find the single factory in Birštonas - Birštonas mineral waters company (acronym BMV :))) :
This is factory, yes :)))
Decoration on factory :
But the main "industrial" objects in Birštonas are sanatoriums of course :
But about them next time ...
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Birštonas is located 40 km south from Kaunas on the banks of Nemunas river. It is one of the officially recognized resorts in Lithuania. And it is least known from the Lithuanian resorts. This causes the fact that Birštonas is "used" mainly by Lithuanians. But even this situation is changing slowly: this year I saw also Russian-speaking Israelis here.
Birštonas was mentioned in the written sources for the first time in 1382. In Birštonas Vytautas Magnus issued a decree granting Magdeburghian rights for Kaunas in 1408. For the long time Birštonas was on the list of not-privileged towns of MDL. The new life for Birštonas started in 1851 when township began the transformation to resort after the big fire in Stakliškės which was well known for their mineral waters. After that fire mineral waters of Birštonas got attention also. From 1966 Birštonas is a town of "republican importance" (such status was granted for the bigger towns and resorts and there were 11 towns with such status in this country).
So let's go to the town. On the arrival you can see residential districts of Birštonas. Built in the 1980s they differ from other commiblock areas of that period due to the resort status of the town:
Now I am in the small "commercial-administrative" center of Birštonas:
This area is completely formed during 1970s-1980s and has typical look for that period.
Municipality of Birštonas:
Sculpture near municipality:
Birštonas culture palace - venue for once famous jazz festivals. Built under typical project in the 1980s in recent years it was reconstructed:
Near the culture palace is the villa and the "training center of the service of financial crimes investigation of Lithuanian Republic":
Sculpture near the center built in 1986:
On the other side of the square is now unused cinema:
Now cinema is decorated to hide it's unusability:
And brutally typical Birštonas sports center:
Now I will head further from the center of Birštonas to the local commiblocks district. The result of 1970s and 1980s Birštonas commiblocks districts looks better than many other such districts in the area from East Berlin to Vladivostok - town was resort:
Some stupid insertions from the 1990s:
Or such typical and untypical commieblock:
In the area you can find the single factory in Birštonas - Birštonas mineral waters company (acronym BMV :))) :
This is factory, yes :)))
Decoration on factory :
But the main "industrial" objects in Birštonas are sanatoriums of course :
But about them next time ...
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