Vilnius shelter map raises questions as listed area exceeds reality

A map of civil defence shelters in Vilnius has sparked confusion after residents noticed discrepancies between the listed shelter sizes and reality, LRT.lt reports.

According to the city’s “Kovas” app, a basement shelter in one Vilnius apartment building is recorded as 1,900 square metres, capable of holding 1,264 people. However, residents say the actual space is nearly three times smaller—around 600 square metres.

Renata, a resident of the building (name changed), told LRT.lt she was surprised by the figures. “The app shows 1,900 square metres and capacity for 1,264 people. I don’t know how they calculated the space per person, but the blueprints clearly show our basement is about 600 square metres. There’s no way it’s 1,900,” she said.

She also questioned the criteria for classifying spaces as shelters, noting that not all basements in nearby buildings are marked, and no official signs indicate shelter status.

The Vilnius municipality acknowledged possible errors in the data, attributing them to the former building administrator who provided the information. Officials stated that the data was collected earlier from housing administrators and is now being verified for accuracy, including real shelter area, layout, and other details.

The municipality explained that building managers or administrators voluntarily submit requests to include spaces in the shelter list, providing owner consent and cadastral plans for preliminary assessment. On-site evaluations then confirm details such as the shelter’s manager, address, type, and structural features.