Calm, quiet and homely cozy town of Siauliai is located in the north of Lithuania. It is the fourth largest in the country in terms of population. The city of Siauliai in Lithuania appeared a hundred years earlier than Vilnius, it is a year older than the German capital - Berlin - and only a year younger than Tehran. The city has a history of 770 years.
Geography
The city of Siauliai in Lithuania is the administrative center of the district of the same name. It is 214 kilometers from Vilnius, 142 kilometers from Kaunas, and 161 kilometers from Klaipeda. Major cities of the country can be reached from Siauliai by bus or rail.
Lithuania, Siauliai: climatic conditions
The climate in the city is considered to be transitional from maritime to continental. It is characterized by cool summers with abundant rainfall and fairly mild winters. The weather in Siauliai (Lithuania) is changeable, and a calm day is a rarity here. In July, the air warms up to +25 °C, the average January temperature is not lower than -1 °C.
Lithuania, Siauliai: attractions. Peter and Paul Cathedral
The story of the emergence of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul has two versions. According to one, it was erected in the period from 1617 to 1637, according to another, the date is different: between 1594 and 1625. Be that as it may, this ancient building has retained its original appearance to this day, despite the fire of 1880, serious destruction during the war with Nazi Germany.
The cathedral was restored during the Soviet era and has been one of the most popular attractions ever since. Among other churches and temples of Lithuania, the cathedral is distinguished by the presence of bay windows, which indicate that the building also had a defensive function.
In the temple there is an ancient organ (XVIII century), which was transferred here from the Church of the Holy Trinity (Kaunas). And on the seventy-meter tower of the cathedral, as in ancient times, the sundial shows the exact time, despite their "advanced" age.
All city roads led to this temple: here, on Resurrection Square, artisans and merchants gathered, noisy fairs and bazaars were organized. And today, on the street in front of the cathedral, the townspeople and guests of the city make appointments, city holidays are held.
Franciscan monastery
In 2000, a Franciscan monastery was built in this Lithuanian city. Its appearance was initiated by Pope Paul II. A place was chosen for the construction near the Hill of Crosses.
Returning to his homeland after visiting Lithuania, the Pope notified the monks of the Franciscan monastery, which is located on Mount La Verna(Italy) that he visited the Hill of Crosses. At the end of the visit, a decision was made to found a monastery in Lithuania. In 1997, the layout of the future structure was approved and consecrated, the first stone in the foundation of the building was laid in 1998.
The building of the monastery is made of red brick, its roof is crowned with a cross. In the courtyard you can see a sculpture of a praying monk, and the interior is decorated with icons. Today, in the monastery, anyone can buy a pectoral cross and consecrate it.
Mountain of Crosses
One of the most unusual sights in the city of Siauliai in Lithuania. It is a local shrine and place of pilgrimage. It is located twelve kilometers north of the city and is a small hill covered with crosses. According to rough estimates, their number exceeds fifty thousand.
The reasons for the appearance of this city attraction are not known for certain. Researchers also find it difficult to name the date of its appearance in the city: some attribute it to 1831, others are sure that it appeared much earlier. According to popular belief, everyone who erects a cross on the mountain will find happiness, and good luck will never turn away from him.
The crosses here are very different - huge, several meters high crucifixes and ordinary pectoral crosses dug into the ground. One crucifix was installed here by Paul II during his visit to the country. This event had a great resonance, and a huge number of tourists rushed to the hill.
In the twentieth century, Soviet officials several timestried to destroy the Mountain, but immediately after the next clearing of the hill by bulldozers, the crucifixes reappeared on this site.
Vilniaus Pedestrian Street
Like many modern cities, Siauliai in Lithuania has a pedestrian street, but not everyone knows that it was in this city that it first appeared in the USSR. Its length is about five kilometers, and the pedestrian part of Vilniaus Street is located between Žemaites Street and Draugyste Avenue. Citizens call this part Šiauliai boulevard.
In 1975, traffic was completely stopped on this section. Today there are many cozy cafes and restaurants, shops and art galleries. There are also several museums here: bicycles, photographs, etc. The street is decorated with numerous fountains and sculptural compositions. At the beginning of the 21st century, the pedestrian street became the tourist center of the city. No. 213 now houses the Tourist Information Center.
Museum of Radio and Television
Šiauliai in Lithuania, the photo of which you can see in this article, is a city that harmoniously combines ancient buildings and modern buildings. It is built in the same style, which undoubtedly adds to its special charm.
The Museum of Television and Radio appeared in this city not by chance. It was in Siauliai that the country's first radio laboratory appeared in 1925. It was founded by Stasys Braziskis, who assembled the first Lithuanian television and radio receiver. On the initiative of local radio engineers, a museum appeared in Siauliai (1982), which is completelydedicated to the development of radio and television.
Today it is part of the Aushra art project. Here are radios from different times and from different countries, televisions, old mechanical devices used to reproduce sound. Computer equipment and gramophones, as well as many other interesting equipment, coexist in the museum.
Museum staff create their own traditions. So, since 1995, competitions among young radio amateurs for the best invention have been held here every year. Schoolchildren can listen to a course of lectures on the history of radio, compare current equipment with the first devices.
Villa Chaim Frenkel
Magnificent architectural monument of the beginning of the 20th century is included in almost all sightseeing tours around the city of Siauliai in Lithuania. The building was built in 1908 in Art Nouveau style for the owner of the leather factory H. Frenkel. The first years the owner's family lived here, and in the twenties of the last century a Jewish gymnasium was located here, which worked for almost twenty years.
During the Second World War, a German hospital was located here, and after its completion - a Soviet hospital. Since 1994, a museum has been operating in this building, where you can see two expositions. In 2003, the exposition "Provincial Estate" was created, dedicated to provincial life at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. The second part of the museum contains documents and exhibits highlighting the cultural heritage of the Jewish people in Siauliai.
The complex consists of three exhibition halls,two living rooms and a library. The villa is a paired architectural composition: it seems that it consists of two identical houses. On the inside of the villa, you can take a walk in a beautiful park and admire the fountain with a pool.
