Fabijoniškės – 50mm advent calendar

Fabijoniškės was developed in the 1980s, making it one of the newest soviet-built districts in Vilnius. It is located on the eastern side of the highway that runs from Vilnius to the Nortwest, in the direction of Ukmergė and onwards to the Latvian border. The area features two main types of buildings – one being the 13-floor vertical tower with rounded corners pictured above, and the other pre-fabricated blocks laid out in horizontal rows. A unique feature of the Fabijoniškės blocks is a massive, three-metre-squared street number painted on each apartment complex in white on a blue background. In parts, these numbers in an otherwise monochrome scene are more evocative of a prison complex than a place where people live of their own free will, and in to put it kindly, Fabijoniškės is not one of the highlights of the Vilnius suburbs. As with any part of the city, however, the Soviet legacy is being relentlessly chipped away. Modern apartment blocks are springing up in the edges of the district, and even luxury gated villa compounds, and the area is well served by the full suite of big-box retailers.

Every day between December 1 and 24, the 50mm Vilnius blog will try something new – an advent calendar featuring the districts of Vilnius in alphabetical order. There are 21 “elderships” in the city (Wikipedia has a handy list and rough map here), but I’ve added three parts of town that I think deserve a special mention for their unique character (Jeruzalė, Užupis, and Valakampiai) to make 24. Some photos will be drawn from the archives (as dedicated as I am, I’m not going to be able to run around a different part every day just to nurture a hobby), so don’t be surprised if there is a return of some summer or autumn scenes! Enjoy and happy advent!