Vingis Park

Vingis Park
Vingio Parkas
Vingis Park is located in Vilnius
Vingis Park
Location in Vilnius
TypePublic park
LocationVilnius
Coordinates54°41′0″N 25°14′23″E / 54.68333°N 25.23972°E / 54.68333; 25.23972
Area157 ha (390 acres)
Operated byVilniaus miesto parkai
OpenOpen, year-round
StatusExisting
Websitewww.vilniausparkai.lt/vingio-parkas/
Vingis Park map
Pedestrian bridge to the park
Amphitheater in Vingis Park

Vingis Park (Lithuanian: Vingio parkas) is the largest park in Vilnius, Lithuania, covering 162 hectares (400 acres). It is located in Vilkpėdė eldership near a curve of the Neris River, hence its Lithuanian name "vingis" which means "bend" or "curve". A pedestrian bridge connects the park with Žvėrynas. It is used as a venue for various events, especially concerts and sports competitions. It contains a stadium, an amphitheater and a department of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University.

History

The park's history dates back several centuries.

Palace in Zakret

Palace of Levin von Bennigsen in Zakret by Marcelis Jannuszewicz (1836)

Vingis has also a historical Polish name of the location: Zakręt (with the same meaning). It was the site of a Palace in Zakret, that eventually was bought by the Local Russian governor general of Vilna Governorate, Levin August von Bennigsen in 1801. Prior to his purchase, it was a Jesuit palace built on a design by Johann Christoph Glaubitz.[1]

Bennigsen's palace in Zakret is where, during a ball that took place on the night of 24/25 June 1812,[2] Tzar Alexander I of Russia received the first news about the French invasion of Russia by the Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte.[1] As Vilnius was close to the frontier where the invasion took place Alexander and his entourage left the area in a hurry.[3] This event was immortalised in Tolstoy's account of it in War and Peace (Book 9 Chapter 3).[4]

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.[1]

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 a modified design of the 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.[5]

Events

Many celebrities have performed their shows at this venue, including Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Björk, Sting, Rod Stewart, Depeche Mode, 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 has performed at this venue for her first concert in a Baltic country on August 21, 2012 at Vingis Park in Vilnius as a part of her The Born This Way Ball Tour in front of 14,853 people.

On November 7, 2016, Robbie Williams announced that he will be performing at the venue on August 16, 2017.[6]

German band Rammstein has announced the start of their European stadium tour there on the 22nd of May 2023.[7]

Concerts

Concerts at Vingis Park
Date Artist Tour Attendance
17 May 1997 Foje Foje Farewell Concert Tour 60,000
31 August 2001 Depeche Mode Exciter Tour —
1 September 2006 Elton John Elton John 2006 European Tour 30,000+[8]
13 July 2008 Björk Volta tour —
31 July 2008 Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli in Concert Tour 18,000+
10 June 2010 Rod Stewart Soulbook Tour —
27 June 2011 Sting Symphonicity Tour —
21 August 2012 Lady Gaga The Born This Way Ball Tour 14,853
27 July 2013 Depeche Mode The Delta Machine Tour 23,794
16 August 2017 Robbie Williams The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour —
22 May 2023 Rammstein Rammstein Stadium Tour 33,290
16 August 2023 Imagine Dragons Mercury World Tour 42,013

Sports

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Museum staff (19 September 2015). "The Period of French Rule in Vilnius". National Museum of Lithuania (lnm.lt). Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ Leo Tolstoy recounts that it was on 13 June, because that was the date by Julian Calendar which was in use in Russia at that time (see Old Style and New Style dates).
  3. ^ Antanas Klimas, ed. (Spring 1984). "Napoleon's Lithuanian Forces". Lituanus: Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences. 30 (1). ISSN 0024-5089.
  4. ^ Tolstoy, Leo. "Book 9/Chapter 3" . War and Peace – via Wikisource.
  5. ^ Vytas Stanley Vardys, Judith B. Sedaitis (1997). Lithuania: The Rebel Nation. Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-1839-4.
  6. ^ "Britų superžvaigždė Robbie Williamsas antrąkart koncertuos Lietuvoje". 15min.lt. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. ^ Rammstein. "Rammstein - Europa Stadion Tour 2023 - Tickets jetzt erhältlich!". Rammstein - Europa Stadion Tour 2023 - Tickets jetzt erhältlich!. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. ^ DELFI.lt (24 July 2013). "Lietuvoje vėl planuojamas sero E. Johno koncertas". www.DELFI.lt. Retrieved 17 August 2023.