The Lutheran Garden – the old Evangelical cemetery of Vilnius – has been started on the territory of Taurus Hill, and will be revealed as a park for quiet recreation. The approaches to the future National Concert Hall, the “House of the Nation”, will not only be landscaped, but will also be adapted for the public’s comfortable use, with new benches, the restoration of old paths and the return of restored monuments.
The Lutheran Garden preserves the city’s long history – the Evangelical Cemetery, which has been in existence since the 19th century, was important for the burial of important Lithuanian personalities and its exclusive territory, but was later liquidated when the building of the Palace of Trade Unions and the park were planned. The cemetery on Tauro Hill, which was in operation for more than a hundred years, was the burial place for scientists and artists of various nationalities, doctors, clergy and government representatives, whose memory must be commemorated. To this end, the park will exhibit old tombstones, and visitors will find information stands with information about the history of the site and the people buried there. The cemetery, now located in the centre of Vilnius, was in operation until the late 1960s, and some of the most valuable gravestones and tombstones dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries were moved from the old cemetery to the new cemetery in the summer of 1839, where they were reinterred in a semi-secret manner on 27 February of the same year. The remains of Simon Konarski (1808-1839), a rebel who was shot in Vilnius on February 27, 1839. Konstanty Wolan (1799-1862), President of the Evangelical Reformed College, Józef Głowacki (1830-1893), General Superintendent, Andrzej Kader (1831-1902), and Michał Józef Jastrzębski (1858-1938), General Superintendent, were also buried there. “Appreciating the sensitive history of the site and its current importance for the city’s inhabitants, the Lutheran Garden project seeks to minimize intervention in the existing environment and landscape. The paths are being restored in the historical places, preserving all the existing trees, the surviving fragment of the cemetery fence is being restored, and the surviving tombstones and monuments will be returned to the cemetery”, said Lolita Vileikienė, Project Manager of SĮ Vilniaus Plan, about the management of the historic site. Archaeological investigations were carried out on the site between May and June to find out whether there are archaeological and cultural layers and fragments of archaeological and cultural layers, human burials, and fragments of previous buildings at the sites of the planned works. The investigations have revealed isolated finds from the 16th and 20th centuries in various parts of the site, which are presumed to have originated in the area with the soil brought in. In the cemetery at the top of Taurus Hill, almost all of the excavations contain human burials dating back to the period when the cemetery was in operation; therefore, in accordance with the recommendations of the archaeologists, the planned installation of the utilities is to be carried out by means of a closed push-pull method, thus minimising the number of manholes to be installed, while ensuring the efficiency of the storm water drainage. After the Department of Cultural Heritage has evaluated the archaeological investigations carried out and, in accordance with the recommendations of its specialists, has changed the layout of the utilities, the old part of the fence at the Marriage Palace will be cleaned up, and preparations will be made for its restoration and the opening of the arched niches, where the old tombstones will be exposed. Surface sewage networks will also be installed, the existing paths will be reconstructed and the old ones restored, small architectural elements and appropriate lighting will be installed, and additional landscaping will be provided.
The management works have started in the territory of the Lutheran Gardens between K. Kalinauskas and V. Mykolaičio-Putino streets, within the framework of the project “Management of Tauro hill Park and Lutheran Gardens in the Southern Target Area” financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the municipal budget. The whole project is planned to be implemented in 2023, with the Lutheran Gardens to be cleaned up in 2022 and the Taurus Hill Park in 2023.Changes have already started in other areas of Taurus Hill: in the spring, the area was cleaned up with dead trees and stairs, and now the access to the National Concert Hall is gradually being renovated, which will make one of the greenest spaces in the city even more open to the citizens. The Tauro Hill area is to be landscaped in such a way that it not only enhances the architectural character of the new concert hall, but also becomes a more comfortable public space for citizens to meet and relax.
