Žvėrynas

Žvėrynas ( _pl. Zwierzyniec; literary "the menagerie") is one of the older neighborhoods in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is enclosed by Neris River, and situated west of the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) building. The river surrounds it from three sides and isolates from the city. Across the river to the northwest there is the large Vingis Park ( _pl. Zakret).

At first it belonged to the Radziwiłł family, who grew wild animals in the area for hunting purposes (hence the name). In 1825, a summer house was build which later became the residence of Governor General of Vilna Governorate. This house was visited by many nobles; they would party, hunt, and swim in the river. At the end of the 19th century, Žvėrynas was sold to businessmen who in turn sold the tracks of land for the city residents. In 1901, it was incorporated in the city. Žvėrynas was the first planned neighborhood with straight streets and rectangular blocks. It developed mostly before the World War II and the Soviet occupation. It remained mostly residential with very few industrial companies. After Lithuania declared independence in 1990, Žvėrynas became one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods because it is extremely close to the city center and is relatively quiet, isolated from the traffic noise.

Žvėrynas is also an elderate within Vilnius city municipality. According to 2001 census, about 12,000 people live in 2.7 km². It makes it the second smallest elderate in the municipality. Žvėrynas has a great number government and educational institutions, finance and insurance companies, health care institutions.

Žvėrynas houses the only kenesa in Vilnius city.

External links

* [http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=181807 Discussion thread with lots of photos]
* [http://www.vilnius.lt/seniunijos/img/0128_1200.gifMap of Žvėrynas]
* [http://www.international.icomos.org/risk/2004/lithuania2004.pdf Wooden Architecture of Vilnius Historic Suburbs]
* [http://www.zverynas.lt/ Žvėrynas Community Homepage] lt icon