Vilnius – Žalgiris Stadium

This is the former home of the Lithuanian national football team. It’s obviously not now, as they’ve knocked it down, which seems a reasonable compromise for those who don’t like football. The national team now uses the LFF Stadium in the city, which has a maximum capacity of just over 5,500 which doesn’t really seem ideal compared to the 15,000 which this stadium could hold.

The story of the country’s new national stadium is bordering on farcical and seems to have been constantly delayed. The EU offered to put funding into the project which was then sent out to tender. Two companies submitted bids, but one did it electronically and one did it in a sealed envelope. The sealed envelope bid was rejected, even though it was cheaper, although a court decision ultimately said this was legal. There are plans to start work on the project in late 2018, way overdue.

There are a few remnants of the former stadium still visible, which I’m assuming will be demolished in due course. The stadium lights are though still in place, I wonder whether they’ll be part of the replacement buildings. There are apartments, hotels and shops planned for the new site, in an area of the city which is undergoing some considerable transformation at the moment.

This is what is planned in the future for this site.