Babilonas (shopping mall)
Encyclopedia
Babilonas is a shopping and entertainment mall in Panevėžys
, Lithuania
(Klaipėdos street 143a). It is a part of a wider Babilonas
real estate development.
Furniture retail hall, cinema and the electronics store are the largest in northeastern Lithuania (Aukštaitija
).
In the August of 2008 the mall was expanded: the cinema and several additional shops were opened.
In 2007-2008 the primary market catered by the mall was that of household goods: furniture, construction, interior décor. Other primary target market was that for entertainment (cinema, ice rink
).
Since year 2009 the market orientation changed: the number of interior goods stores lowered somewhat and at the same time number of stores selling soft goods such as clothing and shoes. In 2010 a supermarket (food store) opened for the first time in Babilonas.
, the interior of Babilonas is modeled after the ancient Middle East
. On the walls over the shop entances there are fresco
es with bulls and ancient people. In front of main entrance there are improvised columns. Inside a shopping center in a special terrarium a crocodile
, named by children Babilonijus, lived for several years.
, chess
, weightlifting
competitions as well as gigs.
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(Klaipėdos street 143a). It is a part of a wider Babilonas
Babilonas
Babilonas is a privately developed district of retail, commercial, residential and public buildings in Panevėžys, Lithuania....
real estate development.
Shops and entertainment businesses
In the shopping mall there are:- Three restaurants and a cafeteria.
- Cinema (Forum Cinemas Babilonas, 3 cinema halls).
- Separate hall for furniture sales (4590 sq. m).
- Hall for entertainment and events (967 sq. m). Here, depending on the season various entertainment is offered (ice rink, trampoline jumping, sailing balls). Additionally, various events, sporting competitions and gigs take place here.
- Electronics store (Topo centras, 1545 sq. m).
- Chinese goods store (Azijos centras, 800 sq. m).
- Food store (TAUTauTau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 300.The name in English is pronounced , but in modern Greek it is...
, 1000 sq. m). - Various other stores and entertainment places (up to 400 sq. m): clothes, sports and lifestyle, drinks, books.
Furniture retail hall, cinema and the electronics store are the largest in northeastern Lithuania (Aukštaitija
Aukštaitija
Aukštaitija is the name of one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. The name comes from the relatively high elevation of the region, particularly the eastern parts.-Geography:...
).
History
The construction of the shopping mall started in 2006 and ended in 2007.In the August of 2008 the mall was expanded: the cinema and several additional shops were opened.
In 2007-2008 the primary market catered by the mall was that of household goods: furniture, construction, interior décor. Other primary target market was that for entertainment (cinema, ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
).
Since year 2009 the market orientation changed: the number of interior goods stores lowered somewhat and at the same time number of stores selling soft goods such as clothing and shoes. In 2010 a supermarket (food store) opened for the first time in Babilonas.
Image and architecture
As the name “Babilonas” means BabylonBabylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, the interior of Babilonas is modeled after the ancient Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. On the walls over the shop entances there are fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es with bulls and ancient people. In front of main entrance there are improvised columns. Inside a shopping center in a special terrarium a crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, named by children Babilonijus, lived for several years.
Events
The shopping center has a central area (former ice rink). Here various events take place, such as regular boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
competitions as well as gigs.