Struggling with the upkeep

In Vilnius, there’s a constant renewal of the infrastructure – housing, roads, and all the other brick-and-mortar features of everyday life – which is constantly renewing the creaking old stock of Soviet era craftsmanship with modern versions. Unfortunately, it is not always the case that the replacement constructs are built to last in the same way that they were back in the olden days, and it quickly starts to become evident that while Lithuania is pouring money into replacing old with new, there is less willinginess to maintain the new stuff, even in a culture that has an instinct for mend and repair rather than the throwaway consumerism of the West. Nowhere is this more evident than in the playgrounds. Vilnius is not short of playgrounds – mostly the basic set from the Nordic staple brands like Hags or Lappset – but many of them are worn to the bone, and badly in need of a sprucing-up, even though they were likely put in place in the last few years.