Laisves aleja
Encyclopedia
Laisvės Alėja is a prominent pedestrian street in the city of Kaunas
, Lithuania
. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine
style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas. For a long time it was main commercial district of Kaunas.
Stretching for 1,6 km, Laisvės Alėja is still the longest pedestrian street in Eastern Europe
. Motor vehicle
s cannot travel lengthwise up or down Laisvės Alėja, but can cross this pedestrian street at intersections
with other street
s where vehicle traffic is allowed. This boulevard is separated into two walkways by a median strip lined with linden trees
.
Construction around Laisvės Alėja originally took place during the latter half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, however some construction continued even afterwards. Because of at the time built Kaunas Fortress
all the buildings were limited to 2-3 floor size, with a few exceptions like St. Michael the Archangel's church built in 1895 in a place of a fountain.
In 1982, Laisvės Alėja was reconstructed according to plans of architects V. Palauskas and V. Paleckienė, and completely transformed into pedestrian area (as it was planned as early as in 1953).
Both Kaunas State Musical Theatre
and Kaunas State Drama Theatre
are located along the street, as well as the Kaunas Red Cross Hospital
.
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, 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...
. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine
Neo-Byzantine architecture
The Byzantine Revival was an architectural revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It emerged in 1840s in Western Europe and peaked in the last quarter of 19th century in the Russian Empire; an isolated Neo-Byzantine school was active in Yugoslavia...
style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
The Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum was established in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1919 by Tadas Ivanauskas. The museum collects and exhibits various animals: hunting trophies, stuffed animals, insect collections, skeletons, dissections...
around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas. For a long time it was main commercial district of Kaunas.
Stretching for 1,6 km, Laisvės Alėja is still the longest pedestrian street in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s cannot travel lengthwise up or down Laisvės Alėja, but can cross this pedestrian street at intersections
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
with other street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s where vehicle traffic is allowed. This boulevard is separated into two walkways by a median strip lined with linden trees
Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata is a species of Tilia native to much of Europe and western Asia, north to southern Great Britain , central Scandinavia, east to central Russia, and south to central Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Caucasus; in the south of its range it is restricted to...
.
Construction around Laisvės Alėja originally took place during the latter half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, however some construction continued even afterwards. Because of at the time built Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
all the buildings were limited to 2-3 floor size, with a few exceptions like St. Michael the Archangel's church built in 1895 in a place of a fountain.
In 1982, Laisvės Alėja was reconstructed according to plans of architects V. Palauskas and V. Paleckienė, and completely transformed into pedestrian area (as it was planned as early as in 1953).
Both Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre is musical theatre in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was established on November 27, 1940 in former State Theatre hall adjoining the Laisvės Alėja. For some time it was playing mostly operettas.-The building:...
and Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
The Kaunas State Drama Theatre is the biggest theatre in Kaunas, and one of the oldest functioning theatres in Lithuania.-History :Its beginnings date to the 1920s, when the Lithuanian Artists' Association established drama and opera playhouses. The first play performed by the Kaunas Drama Theatre...
are located along the street, as well as the Kaunas Red Cross Hospital
Kaunas Red Cross Hospital
Red Cross Hospital in Kaunas is the oldest still functioning hospital in the city and in Lithuania.-History:Hospital was founded November 29, 1908 and recently has celebrated its 100 years of activity....
.