WORTH VISITING:
In the second half of the 19th-century Jewish community in Vilnius started to change and divide based on their lifestyle. Jews, who still led traditional life closely linked to religion, tend to stay in historical Jewish quarters in Vilnius. And those Jews, who felt emancipated and aimed for modern lifestyle, searched for new spaces for their daily life and cultural development. Undoubtedly, Pohulanka (nowadays – J. Basanavičius street and its surroundings) was such a modern space, and in every house of this area lived inspiring and aspiring Vilna Jews.
BRIEF HISTORY:
The history of the Vilnius street nowadays called in the name of J. Basanavičius dates back to the year 1440, when Kazimieras Jogailaitis granted this land to Vilnius city. Until the 19th century, there were mostly gardens, but during the 19th century with the development of the city, this land essentially changed. At the beginning of the 20th century, this territory was already full of representative city houses and known as Wielka Pohulanka (The great Pohulanka) – it linked Vilnius Old town with the road to Kaunas and Trakai.
At the beginning of the 20th century, many famous Vilnius society figures lived in this particular area – the owner of „Victoria” confectionary Israel Bunimovicz, doctor Cemach Szabad, founder of YIVO Max Weinreich or lawyer Motiejus Jamontas. The great writer of the 20th century – Romain Gary – also spent his childhood in the streets of Pohulanka.
CURRENT SITUATION:
Today we rarely hear the name “Pohulanka”, it was successfully replaced by the name of J. Basanavičius street. Nevertheless, the buildings in this area remind us about the modern history of Vilna Jews, who lived here in the 19th c. and in the beginning of the 20th c. Even though the apartment of linguist Max Weinreich, where he founded YIVO at J. Basanavičiaus str. 16, was never recreated into the museum, it is still here and we can count, how many steps did it take to M. Weinreich to go from his apartment to the new building of YIVO at Vivulskio street.
LOOKING AROUND:
Historical Jewish quarter in Vilnius, 54.679532, 25.285090
Jewish street in Vilnius, 54.679532, 25.285090
The place of the Great Synagogue and shulhof (jid. shulhoyf) (Žydų g. 3), 54.679901, 25.284511
The mausoleum of Vilna Gaon and his family (Jewish cemetery, Sudervė road, 28), 54.712898, 25.234477
A sculpture of Vilna Gaon (Žydų g. 3), 54.680137, 25.285079
Choral synagogue Taharat ha–Kodesh (Pylimo g. 39), 54.676070, 25.281575
Užupis synagogue (Užupio g. 36), 54.681471, 25.298633
A sculpture of doctor Cemachas Šabadas (sculpt. Romualdas Kvintas), 54.677248, 25.284342
The place of YIVO institute and its memorial plague (Vivulskio g. 18), 54.678840, 25.265085;
The place of old Jewish cemetery in Šnipiškės (Olimpiečių g. 1a), 54.690243, 25.291117
Jewish cemetery in Užupis (Olandų g. 22), 54.688106, 25.307748
The printing house of widow Rom and Rom brothers (A. Strazdelio g. 3), 54.675534, 25.292128