Protesters Demand Restoration of Vilnius Sports Center on Historic Jewish Cemetery Site

Around 100 people gathered in Vilnius on Monday to urge the Lithuanian government to revive plans to convert the abandoned Concert and Sports Palace into a conference center. The demonstration, organized by the National Forum movement, reignited controversy over the building's location on the grounds of the historic Jewish cemetery in Šnipiškės. Organizer Vitautas Radžvilas claimed that pressure from Jewish organizations, including the Lithuanian Jewish community and the American Jewish Committee, led the government to freeze the project. He argued there is no professional obstacle to restoring the complex and opposed what he described as coercion against national interests.

Jewish community opponents want the site, established in 1971, to become a memorial honoring Lithuanian Jews. Original plans envisioned combining a conference center with historical memorial spaces. Due to deep public dispute, the parliamentary Culture Committee postponed a decision until autumn and plans to form a working group to develop an updated plan. They are also considering granting the building national protection status, as it currently only has regional protection.

The Šnipiškės Jewish cemetery is the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in Vilnius, dating back over 500 years. It was largely destroyed during Soviet rule. The cemetery was the burial place of generations of prominent Jewish figures, including the Vilna Gaon, whose remains were moved before Soviet demolition. Thousands of graves remain. In 1971, the Soviets built the large Concert and Sports Palace on the cemetery grounds, which has since fallen into disuse and neglect.

Last summer, then-Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas announced plans to transform the building into an international conference center, promising to maintain and commemorate the surrounding cemetery area. However, various groups now demand the site be revitalized as a memorial on the Jewish cemetery remains. The ongoing dispute highlights tensions over developing the Soviet-era structure, which could involve excavations disturbing the cemetery remains. Under Soviet rule, between 1949 and 1950, much of the cemetery was destroyed to build the Žalgiris Stadium, with tombstones repurposed for parks and public buildings, and much of the land left flattened and empty beside the stadium.