Lithuanian authorities have earmarked about 1.8 million euros to demolish the unfinished structure known as the Moscow House in Vilnius, a move confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Environment. A public tender has been issued to dismantle the building and clear the construction site, with the total cost projected at 1.84 million euros before tax. Bids are due by November 17, and the winner is slated to be announced on December 16.
Environment Minister Simon Gentvilas described the building as a propaganda symbol, saying its removal would bring an end to nearly a decade of disputed history surrounding the project.
The Moscow House project began in 2008 at the intersection of Rinktinės and Juozapavičiaus streets and was intended to serve as a hub for cultural and commercial collaboration between Moscow and Vilnius. Construction halted in 2014, and in 2016 a Vilnius court ruled that the initial construction permit had been issued illegally. The Moscow Center for Culture and Business, the public institution involved in the initiative, concluded that the Moscow House in Vilnius must either obtain permission to complete construction within three years or demolish what had already been built. That deadline was extended until September 2021, when the court rejected the institution’s appeal, upholding the capital municipality’s stance not to proceed with the project. By the end of 2022, the court allowed the demolition to proceed.
Earlier in Riga, a related action saw Russia remove its Moscow House, a reflection of regional debates over symbols tied to the Soviet era and their place in public life.