Vingis Park ( lt, Vingio parkas) is the largest park in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, covering . It is located in a curve of the

Neris River The river Neris () or Viliya ( be, Ві́лія, pl, Wilia ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman), at Kaunas, as ...

, hence its Lithuanian name: 'vingis' means "bend", "curve"; the same meaning has the historical Polish name of the location: Zakręt, Russified as Закрет, Zakret. A pedestrian bridge connects the park with

Žvėrynas Žvėrynas (literally ''the menagerie'') is one of the older neighborhoods and smallest elderships in Vilnius, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, 11,079 people live within its 2.6 km² area. It lies on the banks of the Neris River, ...

. It is used as a venue for various events, especially concerts and sports competitions. It contains a small botanical garden of

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...

, stadium, and an amphitheater.

History

The park's history dates back several centuries.

Palace in Zakret

Marcelli Januszkiewicz, Jėzuitų rūmai Vingyje, 1836

It was the site of a Palace in Zakret, that eventually was bought by the Local Russian governor general of

Vilna Governorate The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...

Levin August von Bennigsen , native_name_lang = , birth_name = , nickname = , birth_date = , birth_place = Braunschweig, Electorate of Hanover, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = Banteln, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation ...

in 1801. Prior to his purchase, it was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

palace built on a design by

Johann Christoph Glaubitz Johann Christoph Glaubitz ( – 30 March 1767) was an architect of German descent who is generally considered to be the most prominent Baroque architect in the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Early life Glaubitz was born in Sc ...

. Bennigsen's palace in Zakret is where, during a

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

that took place on the night of 24/25 June 1812,

Tzar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...

received the first news about the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

by the

Grand Army Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. As Vilnius was close to the frontier where the invasion took place Alexander and his entourage left the area in a hurry. This event was immortalised in Tolstoy's account of it in ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (Book 9 Chapter 3). Later that year during the invasion the palace was used as a French military hospital, until it caught fire and was badly damaged. After the war it was not renovated and in 1855 the remains were demolished.

Redevelopment as an amphitheater

In 1965, the park was redeveloped and adopted to the needs of mass events, such as concerts or political rallies. The amphitheater was built using the design of the modified Estonian Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn. Several major rallies and demonstrations were held there during the course of the Lithuanian independence movement of the late 1980s; a rally on August 23, 1988 drew 250,000 people.

Events

Many celebrities have performed their shows at this venue, including

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

, and famous Lithuanian music groups like Foje, Antis. The record of most attendants was in 1997, when Foje performed their last concert - over 60,000 fans were there.

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

has performed at this venue for her first concert in a Baltic country on August 21, 2012 at Vingis Park in

as a part of her The Born This Way Ball Tour in front of 14,853 people. On November 7, 2016,

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

announced that he will be performing at the venue on August 16, 2017. German band

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

has announced the start of their European Stadium Tour there on the 22th of May 2023.

Sports

* , seen on the map of the park (a.k.a. Vilnius Gintaras Stadium, to distinguish from the older, but abandoned ) formerly belonging to the sports club Gintaras *

Vingis Park Rugby Stadium Vingis Park Rugby Stadium ( lt, Vingio parko regbio stadionas) is a stadium, rugby union stadium in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is located in Vingis Park, next to the city's main athletics stadium, . In 2014 the stadium hosted the 2014 European Women ...

* Archery field * Tennis court * Basketball court

Notes and references

External links

Official website
{{coord, 54, 41, 0, N, 25, 14, 23, E, display=title, region:LT Parks in Vilnius