Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, Vilnius

Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, Vilnius

The Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, also known as the "Sporto Rūmai," is an abandoned building located in the northern bank of the Neris River in Vilnius. This building was completed in 1971, and it served as a large sports hall with a capacity for 4,400 spectators, catering typically to sports such as basketball and volleyball.

The Palace of Concerts and Sports was built during the post-Stalin era, and it was constructed in the Brutalist architectural style that had been popularized by Western nations. This building was one of the many cultural centers built throughout the Soviet Union after World War II, serving both to distract Soviet soldiers and civilians from the horrors of the recent war and instill a sense of shared pan-Soviet nationhood.

This building played a significant role in Lithuania's efforts to achieve independence from the Soviet Union. In October 1988, the palace hosted the inaugural congress of Sąjūdis, a reformation movement, and in January 1991, it provided the venue for a public funeral of 13 Lithuanians who were killed by Soviet soldiers during the nation's struggle for self-determination.

Although the Sports Palace remained in use after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its arena had been converted to a complex of privately leased shopping and exhibition spaces by the late 1990s. In 2004, the building was closed for good after being deemed unsafe, and new, modern sports venues began to appear in Vilnius. The cost of renovating the Soviet-era Palace of Concerts and Sports no longer seemed justified by its potential usefulness.

Despite its abandonment, the Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports is still a memento of the district's history. The area was once the location of Piramónt Cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Vilnius, but was destroyed in 1949 and 1950 as the Soviets laid the foundations for their new sporting facilities. The adjacent car park has been converted into a memorial lawn in respect of the Jewish cemetery that was destroyed to make room for the building. In July 2006, the building was added to a registry of architectural heritage sites, highlighting its cultural significance and historical value.

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Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports on Map

Sight Name: Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports
Sight Location: Vilnius, Lithuania (See walking tours in Vilnius)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Vilnius, Lithuania

Create Your Own Walk in Vilnius

Create Your Own Walk in Vilnius

Creating your own self-guided walk in Vilnius is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Užupis District Walking Tour

Užupis District Walking Tour

A tiny isolated area and a former suburb, which now forms part of the Old Town of Vilnius, the Uzupis district is often compared, for its bohemian and laissez-faire atmosphere, to Montmartre of Paris and Freetown Christiania of Copenhagen. Similarly to the latter, in 1997, the district declared itself an independent republic; the tongue-in-cheek constitution of the self-proclaimed “republic”,...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles
Historical Churches Tour

Historical Churches Tour

As the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese and the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Lithuania, Vilnius boasts a wealth of gorgeous churches featuring diverse architectural styles – Gothic, Baroque, to mention but a few. Many of the local churches are historical, having witnessed centuries of events and become iconic landmarks of the Lithuanian capital.

One of the most famous temples in Vilnius...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.4 Km or 0.9 Miles
Vilnius Old Town Walking Tour

Vilnius Old Town Walking Tour

The historic and present-day capital of Lithuania, Vilnius is known for the architecture in its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

The name of the city originates from the River Vilnia (which is the Lithuanian for “ripple”). According to legend, Grand Duke Gediminas (c. 1275–1341), having hunted near the confluence of the Vilnia and Neris rivers, saw a dream in which a...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles