“Antakalnis meets all the characteristics of a western city district” – “It is densely populated, close to the city center, has a lot of open spaces, and a river flows nearby. For me, Antakalnis is associated with the districts of Berlin, which have a lot of fragmented green spaces and long boulevards and alleys,” – Urban planner Tadas Jonauskis shares his insights.
According to him, the main advantages of Antakalnis are a strong connection with nature, a rich history and a short distance from the city center. “Measuring on the scale of a European city, for example, Rotterdam or Amsterdam, even from the border of Antakalnis with Saulėtekis to the center is a relatively short distance to ride a bicycle. In addition, the area has extremely good public transport connections, which allows you to quickly reach the center and neighboring districts,” says T. Jonauskis.
The potential of Antakalnio Street – European boulevard
T. Jonauskis names the main transit street Antakalnio as one of the most noticeable shortcomings of the district. There are no alternatives to repair, change, or expand it. He predicts that traffic on the main street of the district will only increase, but in the future it may turn into a European boulevard with cafes, shops, and hairdressers on the ground floor – just like in Berlin.
“It can already be seen that in some sections of the district there are a number of service companies operating. Almost all houses along the street all the way to the Tverečius stop have a first commercial floor. And even in houses that were not adapted for commerce, stairs have been installed on the first floor, windows have been enlarged, and shops or other small businesses are operating,” notes the founder of the office “PUPA – strategic urbanism”. T. Jonauskis points out that the potential of the Antakalnis slopes has not yet been revealed – if they were effectively used, it would be possible to reach Saulėtekis from the cathedral, taking an interesting journey, perhaps even along mountain bike trails.
Low supply of new apartments
Real estate experts note that Antakalnis is one of the most expensive districts of Vilnius – average apartment prices are higher only in Senamiestis, Žvėrynas and Užupis. Even in the extremely popular Naujamiestis, average prices are about 10 percent lower. Finding a suitable apartment in Antakalnis is not easy, as one of the lowest new apartment offers in Vilnius is recorded. In the first quarter of 2019, only 189 apartments were sold in Antakalnis out of 5,000 offered in the entire city.
Justinas Šavelskis, Sales Project Manager at Eika, notes that the main segment of buyers of apartments in Antakalnis is people who have already raised children, usually over 50, with higher than average incomes, and who have feelings for this district. As statistics show, 8 out of 10 buyers who decide to purchase an apartment in Antakalnis have lived there before. Another segment is families with children who appreciate green spaces, and the third is couples without children but with various pets who like to walk or run along the river with them. Statistically, Antakalnis is called the greenest district of the capital.
People are buying more spacious apartments in Antakalnis
According to J. Šavelskis, the most popular apartments in the area are 2-room apartments of 50–55 sq m, preferably with a view of the river or the Antakalnis panorama. Families often choose 3-room apartments of 65–75 sq m. “In other districts, people more often choose smaller housing, while buyers of apartments in Antakalnis want a comfortable life and more spacious premises, so they usually purchase larger apartments,” says J. Šavelskis, describing the uniqueness of apartment buyers in Antakalnis. Real estate experts calculate that in order for a couple without children to purchase a standard 2-room apartment of about 50–55 sq m with full decoration, the total income of the partners must be 1,800 EUR. And if a family with two children plans to purchase a 3-room apartment of 65–75 sq m with full decoration, the total monthly family income must be about 2,500–3,000 EUR.
According to Eika’s calculations, average apartment prices in Antakalnis range from 2,400 to 2,800 thousand euros per sq m.
