Auction of land plots lease for the restoration of fragments of historical Jewish ghetto in Vilnius

Implementing the program of restoration of Vilnius historical Jewish ghetto fragments, on October 24th an auction of lease of the state land plots situated at the intersection of the Ašmenos, Mėsinių and Dysnos streets was organized in the Municipality of Vilnius. The winner of the auction was a legal entity which offered a sum of 425 thousand Lt for the leased land plots. The initial price announced in the information bulletin was 45, 2 thousand Lt. There were 5 participants competing in the auction. The maximum lease price proposed by the auction participants, found in their envelopes, was 70 thousand Lt. According to the auction rules this sum was announced as the initial price of the auction. During the auction, the lease price was being increased many times. According to the auction conditions the winner pledges itself to rebuild the former buildings and to allot a part of restored premises to the needs of Jewish cultural heritage renewal. The land plots are leased for 99 years. The aim of the program Vilnius City Municipal Government launched is to foster multi-cultural heritage of Vilnius, to renew the Old Town and to restore its urban spaces. While restoring fragments of Jewish blocks, one of the main goals will be to reveal the image of Vilnius as a tolerant and open to different cultures city. In 2002 Vilnius City Municipality and Jewish Society Cultural Heritage Support Fund signed an agreement regarding restoration of fragments of Vilnius’ historical ghetto. The aim of this program is to safeguard and perpetuate Jewish cultural heritage which has been created throughout centuries. It is important to note that this project does no aim at restoration of former property rights to the land or buildings in the Old Town.