The first bridge dated from 1536. It stood closer to the present-day
Mindaugas Bridge. It was a wooden covered bridge with brick and stone piers. It had a second floor with apartments for toll collectors. Because its builder
Ulrich Hosius wanted to recoup the cost by collecting tolls,
Grand Duke Sigismund the Old granted him a privilege prohibiting others from building any other bridges across Neris between
Kernavė and (now in Belarus) or to offer other crossing services between
Verkiai and
Paneriai. A new project was planned in 1673, which envisioned a span of between piers – the longest known span at the time. Vilnia, Vialla, Zialony most. Вільня, Вяльля, Зялёны мост (J. Pieška, 1808).jpg|Bridge in the early 19th century Green bridge in Vilnius before 1900.jpg|Bridge at the end of 19th century Green Bridge in Vilnius before 1890.jpg|Bridge before 1890 Vilnia,_Vialla,_Zialony_most._Вільня,_Вяльля,_Зялёны_мост_(1929).jpg|Bridge in 1929
Old sculptures During the
Soviet occupation, in 1952, the bridge was decorated with four sets of cast iron sculptures of
Soviet realism ("Mokslo jaunimas" ("Student Youth"), "Taikos sargyboje" ("On the Guard of Peace"), "Žemės ūkis" ("Agricultrure), "Pramonė ir statyba" ("Industry and Construction)). After the
restoration of independence, the sculptures were a subject of heated public debate whether they represent a form of art or
Soviet propaganda which should be removed. The sculptures were deteriorating and often vandalized. In 2013,
Artūras Zuokas, then mayor of Vilnius, announced a plan to refurbish the statues without removing them from the bridge, and to add a commemorative plaque about
Soviet repressions below the sculptures as a compromise. However, in July 2015 the statues were removed, citing health and safety reasons. Vilnius Mayor
Remigijus Šimašius claimed: "The statues represent a lie. Their heroic portrayal of the Soviet people – that is all a lie ... The statues are a mockery of the real people who had to live during the Soviet period." Later, Šimašius announced that the decision to remove the sculptures is permanent. Various art installations have been placed on the bridge since. In March 2016, the First Council of the Assessment of Immovable Cultural Heritage stripped the bridge and the statues of legal protection they enjoyed as artifacts of cultural value, making the restoration and return of the statues to the bridge unlikely. Members of the council expressed hope, however, that the statues would end up in a museum where they can be preserved and presented in the appropriate context. In August 2016, a Lithuanian official sharply criticized a newly issued Russian commemorative coin depicting one of the banished statues – "Guarding Peace" – in connection with the Soviet liberation of Vilnius in 1944. Rolandas Kacinskas, director of the Foreign Ministry's Political Department, said: "We have no doubts about the role and place of the Red Army in the history of Lithuania. ... The issue of the coins proves once again that Russia is not ready for the historic truth about the Soviet occupation." On 4 August 2023 renewal works started to repair stairways link with the bridge and remove
graffiti from the sides of the bridge. ==References==