Can the National Stadium Pit in Vilnius Become Heritage?

On May 10–11, the capital will once again host the open architecture festival Open House Vilnius. This year’s theme is “Future Heritage,” inviting us to view today’s architecture as tomorrow’s history. During a discussion organized by the festival and moderated by architect and historian Matas Šiupšinskas, architects Martynas Mankus and Lukas Rekevičius, together with Vilnius city parks’ landscape architect-ecologist Vaiva Marozienė, sought answers to the questions of what heritage is, what we can define as future heritage, and what we will leave for future generations.

“The simplest definition of heritage is that it’s some kind of legacy. That legacy can be both positive and negative. Every generation has to discover a personal relationship with heritage — both with the objects already considered heritage and those they themselves will designate as such,” said architect M. Mankus during the discussion.

Can the National Stadium pit in Vilnius become future heritage?

Participants of the discussion invite us to reflect on which of today’s and tomorrow’s architectural and urban projects will become future heritage — what kind of legacy are we creating for the generations to come?

“Future heritage includes what is already considered heritage today, because presumably what we preserve today, we will also preserve in the future. Future heritage is also what we don’t yet consider heritage. And a third aspect is what we’re creating today. When creating today, we must think about what stories these things will tell in 50 years,” said architect L. Rekevičius.

According to him, no one questions whether a church, a castle, or a palace fits into the environment. That’s because over the centuries, people have given these buildings a mandate to be taller, more beautiful, and to dominate their surroundings. In Rekevičius’ view, the “new churches” are what we will consider heritage in 50 years.

“In the 20th century, we witness the emergence of ‘new churches’ — libraries, museums, concert halls, theaters. We grant them the right to dominate the environment, to stand out above others. This concept is gradually expanding. For instance, a skyscraper often sparks outrage at first, but it is also a kind of ‘church’ representing business, capital flow, and the economy. These things become familiar to us, and we allow a building or group of buildings that reflect a specific phenomenon to become the ‘new church’ and dominate the landscape,” Rekevičius said.

He believes that the new heritage may include the Opera and Ballet Theater or perhaps the MO Museum. Meanwhile, architect M. Mankus speculated that the future heritage might even include apartment blocks — or the National Stadium pit in Vilnius.

“Can apartment buildings become heritage in the future? Maybe they can. I’m convinced that the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant will become a heritage site. The pit of the National Stadium in Vilnius could also become heritage. Lithuania is striving to become a country of unicorns, but do we have a little room where those startups began? Can graffiti on walls be considered heritage? Of course it can,” Mankus said during the discussion.

Green Urban Heritage

This year, more than 50 sites will open their doors during the event, including 12 newcomers. Also returning are the popular meetings with city creators. For the first time, the festival program includes four green urban spaces — green zones that are becoming an increasingly important part of modern urban architecture.

“Just like architecture, landscape is planned, considered, and created through reading and analyzing history, local identity, context, and other aspects. When we stand in front of a building, we understand its style, era, and can sometimes even guess the author based on its design. The same applies to landscape projects — we need to learn how to ‘read’ them. I’m very glad that natural objects have been included in the Open House Vilnius program this year,” said V. Marozienė.

When asked whether nature in the city is heritage, Marozienė says that what is healthy for people is undoubtedly a value worth preserving.

“Green spaces, where you can relax, breathe, smell something, hear a sound — they recharge us emotionally. A healthy city is shaped not only through architecture but also through landscape design. We create a complete whole that is high-quality and healthy for people. That is likely the value we must preserve,” the ecologist said.

During the Open House Vilnius festival on May 10–11, visitors will be able to meet 12 city creators, experience architecture through various artistic activities and performances, and choose from tours of more than 50 sites. The tours are led by volunteer guides, who are an integral part of the festival’s success. Nearly 500 volunteers will be helping this year.

Tours will be held in Lithuanian, English, and Ukrainian. All tours are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The open architecture festival is organized by the Architecture Fund. Open House Vilnius is part of the Open House Worldwide network, which connects over 50 cities around the globe. The festival is also part of the Open House Europecollaboration project, co-funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian Culture Institute. It is partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.

Photos by Jurgita Kunigiškytė.