Case Studies   Vilnius Old Town: Užupis – Paupys Area Case study

2. Urban genesis of the area

2.1. Historic overview and general preconditions

Užupis and Paupys historic Eastern suburb settlements of Vilnius city formed at the end of XVI century. The area was started to be developed eastwards, just behind the medieval city wall. The main street of it led to Polock and Minsk, main cities of the Great Duchy of Lithuania. Today these are biggest Belarus cities. Graveyard of the Franciscan monastery was located at the very Eastern edge of Užupis. The graveyard was expanded and used until the early XX century. Since the XVI c. Užupis was settled mainly by Russian and Belarus merchants who constructed here timber villas. One can thoroughly despise quite a number (that is, all except two or three) of decrepit (forsaken and still inhabited) historic buildings in the lower, older part of Užupis, dating from XVI century (the Benedictine nunnery and the basements of buildings on both sides of Malunu (mills) street to the turn of the century (most of the current facades). Yet the area beams a perceptible quality difficult to just ignore. There was one Orthodox church and few manor houses built in a lower Užupis close to the city wall in XVII-XVIII c.

In late XIX century the area was expanded and had nearly 3000 residents majority of whom were city manufactures' workers - lower social class residents. During the Soviet era in 1940-1990 Užupis was inhabited mainly by local factories’ workers therefore the urban fabric and aesthetic value of the architecture was relatively low. There are few urban advantages of the area: attractive natural landscape - high and fascinating hill rising up from Vilnia River, low density of construction and much of greenery.

Southwards across the Vilnia lies former Paplavu, now Paupys, suburb the west part of which has disappeared under a transit road while the east has fallen victim of to late 19 century industrialisation of the river valley, factories now place by side of the remaining housing from the turn of the century.

The Užupis of today is (and has been so during discernible span of history) a residential hamlet of the Old Town. In the course of time, however, during the World Wars the rank of its inhabitants has declined from wealthy craftsmen speckled with an odd nobility urban domicile to social bottom workers, thieves, and (some say-inferior) liberal artists. This period has also added the south eastern part of the area covering the hill with some one-story one family wooden huts. The degradation in contents was promptly followed by decay of the frame - in many buildings the facilities have never been better installed despite the relative progress of new soviet-style areas around. Some evidence of mature socialism came down to the north east of Užupis in the shape of five-storey redbrick multi-storey housing of the late Seventies.

After the reconstruction of Lithuanian statehood in March 1991, the area was one of the most dilapidated within the historic city centre. Local residents living there didn't have a will neither were capable to maintain buildings and urban environment. Economic transition and social crisis became a reason of growing abandonment of the urban fabric in the area. Natural gas and cold water supply as well as sewerage infrastructure existed there since early XX century but it served only app. 40% of the area. The rest of houses were heated by coal or wood, using well water and local sewerage.

1.7. Streets, bridges and parks    2.2. Why and how the area declined