The authorities of Vilnius are starting a 1.54-million-euro effort to clean unsanctioned graffiti. The city plans to remove 220,000 square metres of drawings from buildings, walls, and infrastructure.
On Friday, at an event to mark the start of the clean-up campaign, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said that after a long period of preparation, “the city is beginning the fight against graffiti vandals”.
“The volumes that will be cleaned are at least six times bigger than before. According to the plan, in the coming year we will clean 220,000 square metres of graffiti-stained walls, buildings and infrastructure objects in the city’s territory,” said the mayor.
According to the municipality, by 2026, the area of graffiti to be cleaned will be enough to cover a two-metre high wall stretching 110 kilometres.
The plan is to clean the graffiti not only in the city centre, but also in more remote neighbourhoods. Immediate action is promised if graffiti is found to be censorious, offensive or depicting prohibited symbols.
People can report such incidents on the Tvarkau Miestą (I’m Cleaning up the City) app or website.
Additional surveillance cameras will also be installed to identify and stop public order offenders, and there will be closer cooperation with the police, the city authorities say.
According to the municipality, CCTV cameras will be used to monitor frequently vandalised areas of the city, with a particular focus on the Old Town. If a violation is detected by the cameras, a security service will immediately be dispatched to the scene at any time of the day or night.
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