Reflections

We had a trip down memory lane this afternoon. Lunch at the TV tower, in a reprise of my first visit in 1993. It was wonderful. 

In those days it was a compulsory part of any visitor’s agenda, partly for the views from the top - certainly not for the food or service back then - and its recent history.  

The tower was completed in December 1980. The construction was funded by the 11th Five Year Plan of the Soviet Union, which had earmarked funds for strategic investment in the then Lithuanian SSR. The 19th floor observation deck 165 m (541 ft) from the ground houses the cafe Paukščių takas (“Milky Way”) with a rotating platform which revolves once every 45 minutes.

The tower played a major role in the events of 13 January 1991 soon after independence, when 14 unarmed civilians lost their lives and 700 were injured opposing the OMON (KGB paramilitaries) seizure of the tower.

The Blip is the view at dusk. The Extra is inside.