The importance of geology for the green spaces of Vilnius: Vilnius as the greenest city in Europe

Vilnius is the European Green Capital 2025. Remember that it was already on 4 January 2021 that Vilnius was declared the greenest city in Europe. Have we ever considered who created this privilege – the Duke Gediminas, who founded Vilnius, or later clever rulers of the city? Geologists answer that the last glacier was the most important “territorial planner” of Vilnius. It was this particular glacier that caused the creation of the Neris River valley and the confluence with the Vilnia River, formed the Šeškinė esker and enabled thermoerosion – the thawing of permafrost, which led to the formation of the erosive hills of Vilnius. The Neris valley was convenient for the city to appear, the steep slopes of the hills and the deep ravines prevented the city from expanding eastwards, and it was the hills that remained unurbanised green spaces.
According to the geological map of Vilnius, the erosive hill lands and ravine lands, namely, Sapieginė, Ribiškės, Rokantiškės, Pavilnys, Žemieji Paneriai and Karoliniškės, cover more than half of the city’s area. These are the green spaces of Vilnius.

Dr. Jonas Satkūnas, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Climate and Water Research

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