Park of Europe, The Center of Europe Museum
Joneikiškių Village (Vilnius area)
The museum is 19 km north of Vilnius center. In 55 hectares of space the park displays non-traditional sculptors and their work from 27 nations. The history of the park began in 1991 when 23 year old student Gintaras Karosas decided to take a neglected forest and create a modern art museum. That’s how he wanted to mark the spot, the geographical center of Europe.
Every year international sculpture symposiums are arranged where artists from 22 countries have participated. At this time the Park of Europe is displaying more than 100 sculptures, among them the most famous art creators’ D. Oppenheim, Sol LeWitt, M. Abakanowicz works.
The expressive relief of the park, hills and a reservoir compose a wonderful backdrop for the sculptures. The Park of Europe is the only international contemporary sculpture museum in Lithuania. The sculpture LNK Infomedis in 2001 was officially registered in the Guinness record agency as the largest art creation in the world made up of old, used TV sets. From the superabundance of old TVs brought to the Park of Europe, G. Karosas created a labyrinth in tree form taking up more than 3,135 sq m of space.

The center of Europe
26 kilometers from Vilnius, on the left side of the road going to Molėtai, is the geographic center of Europe. It was established in 1989 by scientists from the French

National Geographic Institute.
The geographic center is an irregular quadrangle about 2 square kilometers in area (the coordinates are 54.54 degrees north longitude and 25.19 degrees east latitude). This is the only geographical center in Europe determined by current scientific methods, carried out within the boundaries of Europe by conceptual analysis, spanning almost 200 years and using a comprehensive geoinformational database. This center of Europe is the only one accepted by the Guinness Records Agency.
Meanwhile, the area of the geographical center of Europe is not yet suitably arranged. but there is an information center and visitors can get certificates. And don’t get fooled – the Park of Europe is about 14 kilometers from the geographical center of Europe.

Ensemble of the Verkiai Estate
This is one of the most valuable complexes of Classism in Lithuania. Various objects with different purposes belong to it: the basements of the central mansion, two
servants’ houses, a pavilion, an ice house, a mill, a water raising station, a villa, residence for farm hands, a cowshed, the old post office, the house of the mill keeper, a maintenance building, gates, park reservoirs and more.
The Verkiai estate is first mentioned in 1387. Until the end of the XVII century, there were no brick buildings. The current estate ensemble was created in the second half of the XVIII century by Lithuania’s most famous architects - Martynas Knakfusas and Laurynas Stuoka – Gucevičius (the author of the cathedral and the town hall). The construction was ordered and financed by Bishop Ignotas Masalskis. The mansion was built on a high hill, from which opened up a wonderful panorama of the surroundings. The core of the composition was made up of the main mansion and two servants’ houses facing each other. Judging from descriptions, the central mansion was very imposing. It was a two story elongated rectangular shaped building with 6 Ionic column porticos and a triangular pediment. An elliptical cupola rising high above the pediment crowned the mansion.
Unfortunately, until our day remain only the eastern servants’ quarters. In the second half of the 19 century the interior was recreated, as well as the 19 century gas lighting in the park.
The pavilion of the Verkiai estate is interesting, which is now occupied by the Pavilniai and Verkiai regional park management. It is a two story square building with a spherical cupola. The inside of the cupola is painted with imitation panels with repetitious rosette ornaments. By the road to the Green Lakes stands L.Gucevičius’ projected entrance house. The main façade is decorated by six columns.