A district of young families. Cozy, but dynamic. Quieter than the Old Town. This is how residents describe one of the fastest growing districts of Vilnius – Pilaitė, which was still called a village four or five decades ago. Perhaps the best way to capture the impressions of everyday life in Pilaitė is the photo exhibition “It’s Good to Live in Pilaitė”, which will be open to the public from September 1st, next to a building on Karaliaučius Street.
In one photo, a photo collage of several frames was created by Aušra Eidukonienė, who has lived in Pilaitė for 24 years. Every few months, she would record the house under construction through her window – from the dug hole to the finished house. “This photo of the house on Karaliaučius Street is like a mirror of the rapidly growing Pilaitė. It is constantly changing, expanding, but always attractive,” says the woman who works in the food industry.
Aušra, who initially lived in Pilaitė with her parents, brother and sister, later settled here with her husband. According to her, she cannot imagine living in another district. “It is a more remote, quieter district, there is no noise like in the Old Town, there is somewhere to walk. There are many lakes around, beautiful nature. True, the number of people is growing rapidly, so I would like more schools and kindergartens,” says A. Eidukonienė.
Milda Vilčinskaitė, who is studying journalism, also submitted a photo to the exhibition “It’s good to live in Pilaitė” organized by “Eika”. “The photo was taken late in the evening by Lake Salotė. The lakes are the uniqueness and pride of this district. And I like the dynamism of Pilaitė, especially the rapidly growing New Pilaitė, which has changed unprecedentedly over the past decade. If you were to travel back in time, you wouldn’t recognize this part of the district,” says the future journalist, who has lived in Pilaitė all her life.
According to her, Pilaitė is lively, there is no shortage of young families, active people, nature, and there is enough comfort and speed. “Here you can always take a walk not among apartment buildings, but by the lake or in the forest. Only perhaps there could be more cafes where you could meet friends in your free time, and I would also like better developed public transport,” says M. Vilčinskaitė.
According to statistics, the average age of people living in Pilaitė is 35–40 years. The district has the fewest people over 65 years old. In addition, it is one of the districts with the largest number of children under 14 years old. Real estate developers predict that Pilaitė will grow for another decade. Currently, the district has about 30 thousand residents.
You can see more photos of the competition here.