Šiauliai Boulevard

Vilniaus Street, like Tilžės Street, was laid out in the 18th century. It is a historic axis leading from east to west and back, just as Tilžės Street runs from south to north. In the 20th century, when the city, badly damaged during the First World War, was being rebuilt and developed, Vilniaus Street was lined with buildings of expressive interwar architecture – Modernism. Quite a few 2–4-storey masonry buildings on Vilniaus Street (from Tilžės Street to Didždvaris Gymnasium) survive to this day. In Soviet times, after the Second World War, the buildings of Vilniaus Street were rebuilt or reconstructed and adapted to the needs of the time, and structures and symbols typical of the Soviet era appeared. On the sites of destroyed buildings, Stalinist-period residential blocks were built, with shops or eateries on their ground floors. The architecture was suited to a small city, so the pomposity that dominated Soviet post-war architecture was avoided. Until 1974 the street carried heavy traffic – it was one of Šiauliai's main transport and commercial arteries. In 1975 the central part of Vilniaus Street (from Žemaitės Street to P. Višinskio Street) became a pedestrian street. The Vilniaus pedestrian street of the time was a unique phenomenon not only in Lithuania but in the entire Soviet Union. The second part of the pedestrian street was laid out in 1986, to mark the city's 750th anniversary. After the section from P. Višinskio Street to Draugystės Avenue was reconstructed, the pedestrian zone extended to 1,280 m. The boulevard was reconstructed in 2005–2009. The reconstructed section is 735 metres long. Dressed granite stones left over from the old city paving were also used in the reconstruction. For the convenience of pedestrians and people with disabilities, the kerbs are sloped, which also ensures smooth movement for bicycles, roller skates and pushchairs. Vilniaus Street has kept its importance throughout every period of Šiauliai's development. Since independence was restored, this part of the city has grown and become especially attractive, and it is now the most important place for leisure, relaxation, entertainment and shopping in Šiauliai.