The earliest document with the ruler mentioning Paplauja dates to 1524, when Grand Duke Sigismund I The Old granted the privilege to establish a paper mill in Paplauja.

During the 16th century, water from the Žiuproniai springs at the end of Subačiaus Street flowed into Vilnius through wooden pipes used for public wells, baths, and the homes of the wealthier townspeople. Later, the springs also supplied water to the factories and manufactories in Paupys.

Water was the lifeblood of what is now the Paupys district in every sense of the word. From the beginning of the 16th century, mills employed the watery Vilnius suburbs. Most of them were used for grinding flour, but at least four made paper from old clothes and blown textile waste.

The magnificent Renaissance palace was completed in 1650. Today, it survives as part of the ensemble of buildings of the Vilnius Missionary Monastery.

After the death of Jeronimas Sanguška, his representative palace and its park were inherited by the Bernardine order of Vilnius, which passed them on to the Radvila family, and in 1686 Katarzyna Sobieska Radvilienė gave the palace and its park to the missionary monks.

Missionary monks opened an orphanage, a hospital, and a primary school for poor children. The monks subsisted on their gardens, which contained three hundred fruit trees, fish in the ponds, and two vegetable gardens.

After the dismantling of the Vilnius defensive wall in the 18th century, Paplauja began to thrive. Artisans, merchants, and craftsmen who were forbidden to stay in the city began to settle here. Research shows that in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was home to a wide range of workers and industrialists. Archaeologists have found simple clay pipes, silver tobacco holders, leather shoes, and silver brooches.

The factory was very successful, expanded rapidly, and within a decade, fourteen factory buildings spread along the canal.

Holstein was just one of the dozens of industrialists who settled in Paplauja in the 19th century. Here, paper was produced, metal was wrought into necessary shapes, and various products were made: locks, tools, and turned wood. Along with the industry, residential houses, small taverns, shops, and bakeries rose in Paplauja.

One of the most significant objects in Paupys was a brewery and distillery opened by Efraimas and Dovydas Lipskis in 1870, operating until 1935. Alongside the spirits and beer manufactories, they created a Swiss garden with fountains, a restaurant, a bowling alley, and theatre and concert pavilions in summer. Another Paplauja brewery, owned by Florensas produced wine, its taste formed by the water from the Žiupronios springs.

In the inter-war period, the city’s development plans envisaged the eviction of industrial buildings and the final integration of the Paplauja suburb into the landscape of Vilnius Old Town. Industrial buildings were to be converted into residential areas creating a new type of modern residential district of Vilnius – one surrounded by greenery and canals. However, the outbreak of the Second World War left these plans on the drawing board.

Between the wars, Tymo Street was abandoned by artisans and became the red-light district of Vilnius, especially popular with military men and students. The oldest brothel in Vilnius, owned by Chaja Feigelson, used to operate in the Tymo quarter.

Although Paplauja had already officially become Paupys and almost all its architectural heritage had been wiped off the land, parts of the district were indirectly incorporated into the Soviet industrial district. In 1948, the premises of Lipskis’ brewery were occupied by the Vilnius electricity meter factory “Skaiteks”, and parts of Samuel Holstein’s factory housed the “Jonas Vitas fur Dressing Factory”. A spinning and weaving factory, “Audėjas”, a reinforced concrete construction plant, furniture factories, and workshops were opened nearby.

The longest surviving factory was “Skaiteks”, a Vilnius electricity meter factory that operated for six decades and was forced to close its doors during the 2008 crisis. After this, public transport routes were closed and changed, and Paupys, located a stone’s throw from the Old Town, became a district challenging to reach.

For some time, artists and small entrepreneurs rented a small part of the premises of “Skaiteks” and other factories, setting up their studios, workshops, or car repair shops. Still, most of the buildings and their blocks remained empty and abandoned. The cold and damp began to erode both Soviet factories and the heritage of previous centuries.

A quiet and abandoned industrial area has gradually transformed into a lively and buzzing district: small artisans and manufacturers have returned, and the Tymo quarter has become the harbinger of the district’s revival.

Paupys is part of one of the largest conversion projects of non-functional spaces called “Architecture Park”. A total investment of 170 million EUR was earmarked to recreate the Paupys district. The new Paupys holds a solid link to its past: from the lively market to the spaces reminiscent of Ilja Lipski in the 19th century, from intriguing legends to the vibrancy that the new residents have brought.

Today, the neighborhood is alive and inspiring, with more and more residents illuminating its windows. No longer confined to its past, Paupys is eager for new, exciting stories.

Paupys offers a wide range of services and everything you need for everyday life. The stylish Food Hall “Paupio turgus” invites you to gourmet gustatory journeys, and regular events ensure an exciting pace of life. Today, Paupys is open to all those who look for new experiences and appreciate quality leisure time in a tight-knit community.