While most people associate Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, with picturesque Old Town or the bohemian Uzupis Republic, the city has also some pretty interesting examples of Soviet architecture.

After all, Lithuania has been part of the Soviet Union from 1939 till 1990 and many of the public service buildings in Vilnius were designed in the famous-then brutalist style. And since they are often marked as the heritage sites, even if they are not loved by many they are still there, giving utter joy to all the fans of Socialist Modernism.

Where to find Vilnius Soviet architecture

The good thing is that many of the examples of Vilnius Soviet architecture are located in the city center. You don’t need to figure out the public transport system, you don’t need to spend too much time traveling around the city – all the buildings mentioned below are within a walking distance from each other.

During your trip to Vilnius, you can easily combine traditional Vilnius sightseeing with some alternative spots and Soviet architecture in Vilnius.

Soviet Vilnius tour

If you like to visit places on your own – that’s totally fine. But if you would like to learn more about Vilnius during the Soviet times as well as the background of some of the best examples of Vilnius Soviet architecture I recommend joining Vilnius Soviet tour.

I went for the tour during my last trip to Vilnius and it was such a good and interesting experience. The guide, Ieva was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, she shared so many insights about her city and the life under the Soviet rule in Vilnius. Even if I think I know a lot about Central and Eastern Europe I still learned so many new things.

Click here to learn more about the tour and book the place!

Vilnius Soviet architecture

And now, let me show some great examples of Vilnius Soviet Architecture! You can find the map with all the locations at the end of the post.

The Sporto Rūmai (Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports)
Built in 1971.
Architect: Eduardas Chlomauskas, Zigmas Liandzbergis, Jonas Kriukelis
Address: Rinktinės g. 1

Former Ministry of Communications of the LSSR (now: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania)
built in 1979.
Architect: Justinas Šeibokas
Address: Vilniaus g. 33

Lithuanian Institute of Agrarian Economics
Built in 1979.
Architect Vytautas Edmundas Cekanauskas
Address: V. Kudirkos g. 18

Former building of the Lithuanian SSR cooperative unions (now: Cooperative unions of Lithuania)
built between 1979–1986.
Architect: Justinas Šeibokas
Address: Gedimino pr. 28

The former Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Party (now: Government of the Republic of Lithuania)
Built in 1982.
Architect Vytautas Edmundas Cekanauskas
Address: Gedimino pr. 11

Palace of Weddings
Built in 1974
Architect: Gediminas Baravykas et al
Address: K. Kalinausko g. 21

Lietuvos nacionalinis operos ir baleto teatras (Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre)
Built 1974.
Architect: Nijolė Bučiūtė
Address: A. Vienuolio g. 1

Contemporary Art Centre
Built in: 1967-1967
Architect: Vytautas Čekanauskas
Address: Vokiečių g. 2

Lithuanian Seimas
Address: Gedimino pr. 53

Other places worth checking

Those Soviet Vilnius buildings I mentioned above are all located in the city center but if you would like to visit some other great Socialist modernism architecture gems you can find them a bit further too. You can find the whole list of Soviet modernism in Lithuania here.

Be sure to also check Fabijoniškės district where the famous tv show “Chernobyl” was filmed (it was used as Pripyat). Other places that you can see in the show and you can easily visit include Kaunas, the second biggest city in Lithuania, and Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Map of Vilnius Soviet architecture

If you need a map of all the buildings mentioned above I created one – click here to access it. You can download .kml file and put it on your phone to use when you visit Vilnius. I always use maps.me application that has offline maps.

Further reading

I published many articles about Lithuania that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

• A mini guide to things to do in Vilnius, Lithuania
• Mini guide to quirky, alternative Vilnius
• 29 Great Things to Do in Kaunas, Lithuania
• Guide to Impressive Modernist Architecture in Kaunas, Lithuania
• and more!

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Eastern Europe and ask your questions there.

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For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Vilnius too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

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