Forest of glowing mushrooms near Vilnius

A new attraction has opened near Vilnius - a forest of glowing mushrooms at the Gervius Lizdas (Crane's Nest) camp for children and young people.

The park and its exhibits - more than 200 different mushrooms - have been almost a year in the making, reports "Madeinvilnius.lt". "The Mushroom Park is fun for the whole family - you can photograph, film and touch the exhibits, according to the park's creators.

"In recent years, I have become very fond of mushrooms - I go to the forest not to pick them, but to take pictures. Both philosophically and scientifically, mushrooms are very magical, they know a lot. They are the beginning and the end of everything. 

I started creating mystical mushrooms at the same time as my other goal - to live in the forest and to welcome people, bringing them into my world of stories. I want to create a mushroom forest where people feel like ants - that's why mushrooms are bigger than people. 

My goal is to make people feel passionate about mushrooms and to show that mushrooms are a miracle, that it is not a story about squirrels and porcupines," explains the creator of the forest, Lithuanian actor Saulius Baltrūnas.

The forest of magical, glittering mushrooms is open to visitors from 16 September to 22 October, every day except Mondays, from 5 to 10 p.m. The entrance fee is EUR 10.

"Some mushrooms glow, some mushrooms shimmer, some mushrooms sound or even smoke! Some exhibits are up to four metres high. We invite you on a spectacular journey - when you enter through the gate, you will be greeted by Mr Baravika's fat shank, which we have been moulding out of clay for several months. Next, you can observe the strange, luminescent mushroom compositions and follow the educational trail to the giant toadstool. If it gets too chilly, you can watch a film about the world of mushrooms in front of the fireplace. If you're hungry, stop by the outdoor restaurant for pizza, fresh juice or honey mushrooms. There will also be a souvenir market. "The Crane's Nest will have a real festive atmosphere in the evenings of September and October," says Birute Jukučionīte, owner of the Crane's Nest.