Alytus Old Town Square: Fountain, Blossom, and Memory

Alytus Old Town Square: a small civic square where poetry by Jurgis Kunčinas, cherry blossom, and a Dainava partisan memorial now occupy a wartime void

Alytus Old Town Square is a compact public space between Bažnyčios Street and Alyvų Takas. Before the Second World War, homes and the premises of merchants and craftspeople stood here, until the first German air raid destroyed them. The unbuilt wartime gap became a square, received the May Day name, a fountain, and a monument to Soviet activist Juozas Vitas, then was reinterpreted after 1990. The 2012 redesign introduced the present fountain with texts by Jurgis Kunčinas and new cherry trees. A bronze squirrel and a memorial to Dainava District partisans followed in 2020. On 27 July 2026, the exact Google Maps entry showed 4.8/5 from 105 reviews.

Circular fountain in Alytus Old Town Square among flowering cherry trees, benches, and leafy city trees

Place: Alytus City Municipality
Region: Dzūkija
Type: 0.43-hectare public space formed after the Second World War and redesigned in 2012 with a fountain and memorial
Address: Junction of Bažnyčios Street and Alyvų Takas, Alytus
Coordinates: 54.39914, 24.04892
Visit duration: 30-60 minutes for the fountain, Jurgis Kunčinas inscriptions, squirrel sculpture, and Dainava partisan memorial
Best time: late April or early May for cherry blossom, or a warm-season evening when the operating fountain is illuminated

Names and variants

Senamiesčio skveras, Alytus Old Town Garden, Alytus Senamiesčio Square

A wartime loss created today's square

Before the Second World War, homes and the premises of merchants and craftspeople occupied this site. The first German air raid destroyed them. The buildings were not reconstructed, and the gap in the urban fabric gradually became a public square.

The space was named May Day Square in 1956. It was redesigned in 1977 with a fountain and a monument to Soviet activist Juozas Vitas. He should not be confused with Juozas Vitkus-Kazimieraitis, the Dainava partisan organiser whose similar-sounding name belongs to an entirely different history.

The Juozas Vitas monument was removed in 1990. The present square is therefore neither a surviving old market place nor a restored pre-war block. It is a post-war public space in which successive periods have repeatedly replaced and reframed one another.

The 2012 redesign placed a fountain and Jurgis Kunčinas's words at the centre

The square was comprehensively redesigned in 2012. Paving, paths, benches, lighting, and planting were renewed, and a circular fountain became the focal point. City documents put the green space at about 0.43 hectares, so it takes only a few minutes to walk around.

Texts by Alytus-born writer Jurgis Kunčinas are carved into the fountain's stone finish. Read them while circling the basin because the literary layer is part of the water feature rather than a separate information panel. Water, stone, and sentence operate as one work.

The fountain uses coloured light in the warmer season, but the municipality does not publish a permanent daily operating timetable. It may remain off in winter or during maintenance. If an evening water-and-light display is the purpose of your journey, check the latest city notices before travelling.

Cherry trees and a bronze squirrel bring the square down to an everyday scale

Cherry trees planted after the redesign have become one of Alytus's earliest spring attractions. Blossom is brief and depends on temperature, wind, and rain, so no exact week can be promised in advance.

In 2020, a bronze squirrel by Marius Zavadskis appeared on one of the benches, holding a book. The inscription around it recalls citizen-led Alytus initiatives, while the book continues the reading theme begun by Kunčinas's words at the fountain.

The squirrel is small and easily missed, so look on a bench rather than in the centre. Do not attach decorations, scratch the bronze, or try to move it, including when photographing children.

The Dainava memorial redirected the square's public memory

A 4.5-metre monument to Dainava District partisans was erected on 24 September 2020. Sculptor Gintautas Jonkus conceived it as a bud of memory emerging from the earth and crowned by a stylised Jagiellonian cross. Petras Grecevičius and Jonas Abromas designed its setting.

The plinth carries a dedication to the Dainava partisans and the values Faith, Freedom, Independence, and Concord. An LGGRTC panel beside it explains the district's territory, organisation, and commanders, so the sculpture should be read alongside the documentary account.

The monument was consecrated in 2022 during Partisan Honour, Army and Society Unity Day. It deliberately redirects the memory of a former Soviet square but does not restore the homes lost in the air raid. Both histories remain relevant here.

The map point marks a pedestrian square, not parking

Coordinates 54.3991437, 24.0489189 mark the middle of the square between Bažnyčios Street and Alyvų Takas. Park only in lawful spaces on surrounding streets. Driving across the pedestrian paving toward the fountain or memorial is not permitted.

The square is public and free. Main surfaces are level, benches are provided, and the official tourism listing marks the site as accessible to disabled visitors. No detailed audit of kerbs, gradients, accessible toilets, or reserved parking was found.

Allow 30-60 minutes for an unhurried visit. The space can become busy during events, blossom season, and memorial ceremonies. On 27 July 2026, the exact Google Maps entry with Place ID ChIJHxxwBHax4EYR7RpdQw5XFKQ showed 4.8/5 from 105 reviews.

Alytus Old Town Square: frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Alytus Old Town Square?

It lies in central Alytus between Bažnyčios Street and Alyvų Takas. Coordinates 54.3991437, 24.0489189 mark the pedestrian square, not a parking space.

Is this a surviving historic market square?

Not quite. Homes and merchants' and craftspeople's buildings occupied the site before the war. After an air raid destroyed them, the buildings were not reconstructed and a post-war square took their place.

What makes the fountain distinctive?

Texts by Alytus-born writer Jurgis Kunčinas are carved into the stone finish of the fountain installed during the 2012 redesign. The operating fountain is illuminated after dusk.

When does the fountain operate?

It is seasonal, and no reliable permanent daily timetable is officially published. Check current Alytus City information before making a special journey.

When do the cherry trees flower?

They most often bloom in late April or early May, but the exact date and duration vary each year with the weather.

Where is the bronze squirrel?

Marius Zavadskis's 2020 squirrel sculpture sits with a book on one of the square's benches, so look around the edges rather than beside the fountain centre.

What is the tall monument in the square?

It is Gintautas Jonkus's 4.5-metre memorial to Dainava District partisans, erected in 2020. A detailed LGGRTC information panel stands nearby.

Is the square free and wheelchair-accessible?

It is a free public space with mostly level surfaces, and the official tourism listing marks it as accessible. No complete audit of kerbs, toilets, and reserved parking was found.

How was the exact Alytus Old Town Square map entry rated?

When checked on 27 July 2026, Alytus Old Town Square held a 4.8/5 average based on 105 reviews. Place ID ChIJHxxwBHax4EYR7RpdQw5XFKQ distinguishes this square from similarly named city spaces; the rating is not permanent.