Ada traveling through endangered Lithuania: future generations will be able to see in my photos what we will soon have

In an account that brings together a strong community, followers are happy to broaden their horizons by enjoying exceptional photos and carefully crafted informational texts that diversify their travel experiences. Ada is revealed here not only as an exceptional traveler, but also as a talented chronicler. Lithuanians, admired for their texts, urge the traveler to write a book that captures the disappearing architectural diversity of Lithuania and the story of its exceptional life. Therefore, it is not surprising that visiting remote and forgotten objects and educational activities that introduce readers to their history in the elections organized by the magazine “Travel and Entertainment” won the title of Traveler of the Year.

Interview with A. Alejūnaitė Delphi He told how the desire to travel through Lithuania in search of unpolished, endangered objects that visited the places left the biggest impression and if readers can expect a book about the most interesting discoveries of our country.

– Tell us how the trips arose in your life and which ones you like the most.

– The desire to travel is probably encoded somewhere in my subconscious. In my youth, my mother traveled a lot. His picturesque memories of gray mountain tops, wildlife, people from other nations, and peculiar traditions have made me want to travel.

The world still seems so interesting and unknown to me, and we have so little time to get to know it, and I want to use it in the most meaningful way possible.

I think traveling is one of the most enriching things, but I started actively traveling about 8 years ago. I am especially fascinated by the sad sense of discovery that permeates my travels.

I travel in Lithuania almost every weekend (except during the last quarantine period), I have visited several different places abroad. I usually look for little-known, abandoned, but historically valuable objects in my homeland. This is also relevant when I travel to foreign countries, however I give priority to sightseeing in the mountains.

– Most travelers look for well-kept and attractive attractions for tourists, and you do the opposite: visit abandoned and forgotten sites. What sparked your interest in what happens frequently without even stopping?

Abandoned places, but of great historical architectural value, seem to me much more eloquent than well-kept facades. Here is more room for reflection.

Visiting remote and forgotten objects reminds me a bit of reading books: one can only imagine what the ruins of a manor house looked like before, what pictures hung on the walls, what stories and images time has forgotten.

In my texts I try to reveal the most interesting details of the little-known history of abandoned architectural heritage.

By the way, as curious as it is to walk through a place rarely visited by people, I am sincerely sad because some of the very interesting buildings with a very deep history are disappearing from view and every time I visit they are seen every time worst.

Perhaps future generations can see what we will soon have in my photos. It can be said that it is a personal tribute to the possible disappearance of a condemned or undervalued heritage.

– What criteria must an object meet to be on your “must-see” list?

– As I mentioned, I usually visit remote and abandoned places with a historically interesting past. These are the main criteria for traveling in Lithuania.

It is common to see abandoned manor houses, houses of prayer (old believers, Jews, Protestants, Catholics, etc.), villages of ethnographic value, mills, bridges, chapels, significant places for archaeological or even geological sciences, or the places of birth of people who once deserved art, literature, science.
I think we really have a lot of interesting places in the country. That is what I try to show in my stories and photos.

– How did you come up with the idea of ​​sharing your discoveries on your Facebook account “The Lord of the Rings”?

– About 5 years ago, I realized that I had accumulated many photos of Lithuanian places that I had taken. I was wondering what would happen if everything just fell into my personal archive, so I decided that I should create a blog of travel stories and photo reports around Lithuania, especially since I was always interested in the past of our country. Therefore, the blog “Vieškeliu dundant” appeared on Facebook, it already has more than 21 thousand. permanent followers.

– Do you see what interests people the most, intrigues them and motivates them to travel not only to polished areas?

– I think that people’s desire to see abandoned historical sites is mainly influenced by their rich past and understanding of the possible remaining “life” of such objects. It can also be a matter of taste: there are probably people who, like me, can find some of the artistically dreamy ruins.

– It has gathered more than 20 thousand. a community of people who, like you, are interested in the history and architecture of the Lithuanian region. Do you get offers, invitations to come to places you’ve never heard of? What unexpected offers have you received?

– Yes, sometimes I receive invitations, suggestions to visit a place. Still, it happens very rarely, and even if it happens, people often write to me about some little-known abandoned homeland. I happen to have been there before. It is not always enough time to write about everything right away. I still have a lot of unreleased material. It is true that it was the case that neighboring Latvians also invited to come.

Most people ask for a specific location, just ask for the coordinates.

– Last year we all had the opportunity to get to know our country better and travel more in Lithuania. What places do you remember the most in 2020? What makes them special?

– In 2020, we were lucky enough to see many impressive corners of Lithuania, but the most memorable are the following:

• Senoji Katinautiškė (Ignalina district) is the only surviving coupe village in eastern Lithuania. A visit here is an archaic and very interesting journey through time.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• The former farmhouse of the Panemunis mansion (Rokiškis district) is impressive for its pompous size and extraordinary architectural solutions. This is one of the most luxurious mansions in the country, now drowning in the density of Sosnowski’s borscht …

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• Pelyšai I manor house (Anykščiai district). I think this is the most extravagant manor building in Lithuania, the risalita wall intertwines ancient, Persian and other architectural elements.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• Klaišiai old mansion bravoras (Akmenė District), more precisely: the walls of special beauty in a very remote village. This three-story building even looks like a medieval castle. Probably bigger brave not available in our country.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• Former estate of the Gedučiai mansion (Pakruojis district). This abandoned place is the homeland of one of the most prominent personalities in the history of Lithuania. Theodor Grotus (1785-1822), the world’s first creator of the theory of electrolysis, lived and died here. (This scientist’s story has reached more than several hundred thousand Facebook users.)

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• Perelose Old Believers Church (Jonava district). It is hard to believe that there is a house of prayer of marvelous beauty in the old town of the Old Believers. The Perelose Church is probably the most impressive monument of ancient wooden architecture in Lithuania.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• The ruins of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Deltuva (Ukmergė district) are a rare monument of the architectural style of transition from Gothic to Renaissance in our country. The church tower was blown up during World War II.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

• Former chapel of the Nevėžninkai mausoleum (Panevėžys district). In the past, this chapel served as a house of prayer: the locals held worship services. For more than a few decades, it has seemed cut off from the rest of the world … In Lithuania, this dilapidated building of astonishing beauty has no analogues.

  

  © Hay Alejūnaitė

– What are your future plans to travel in Lithuania? Have you ever thought about the career of a guide with so much knowledge?

– I hope to continue traveling, describing and photographing the most interesting places. I don’t think that desire can go away.

By the way, I am getting more and more questions about whether I do not intend to publish a book about my travels in Lithuania. I started to think about that. People even ask to be personally informed if such a post comes up. Fans of “Lord of the Rumble” really don’t skimp on words and are always motivated to keep going. I would never consider a career as a guide.

– Travel and Entertainment magazine named him Traveler of the Year 2020 at the annual awards. What does this title mean to you? Is it a nice thank you or an even bigger commitment for readers interested in your work?

– The title of Traveler of the Year is a very pleasant and somewhat unexpected assessment of my non-profit work. I always felt committed to my readers. I select only the best photos. I talk to local people. I verify information in a variety of sources, including foreign languages. I try to present my impressions, observations and essential historical facts in the most interesting and high-quality way possible.

At the end of the conversation, the traveler shared a wish. Delphi for readers:
I want to understand the temporality of man and even the largest palace and appreciate every day dedicated to us …