Anykščiai, which is becoming more and more beautiful every year, has gained another splendid accent – a sakura garden, which will delight the city with its pink petals in the coming spring. On Friday, the Anykščių Vynas team planted two dozen Japanese cherry trees in the heart of the city, thus creating a beautiful and meaningful tradition of giving a gift to the city on the occasion of the company’s birthday.

Last year, to celebrate the 95th anniversary of Anykščių Vynas, the company’s employees planted young apple trees on Obelų Street. This year, on the eve of the Apple Festival, dozens of team members were at work in the centre of the city, on Dariaus ir Girėno Street.

“Hundreds of citizens pass by this street every day, so we are always looking for ways to renovate the Anykščių Vynas territory. For some time now, the walls of our factory have been adorned with a gallery – photographs of the most beautiful places in Anykščiai hang on the building, which have been included in the famous “Neregėta Lietuva” album. The newly planted cherry blossom ‘Sakura’ trees near the fence will help to create an even more cosy space, which we believe will also become an attractive place for walks,” says Liubovė Rebiatnikova, the manager of the Anykščių Vynas Factory.

This year, the choice of sakura trees to landscape the city is no coincidence. Until now, Anykščiai residents have had to travel to other cities to admire the magic of Japanese cherry blossoms in spring, but next year, these spring beauties, which are beloved in Lithuania, will bloom and spread their fragrance in the centre of Anykščiai.

“This is our gratitude to the city, because the knowledge, enthusiasm and sincere work of the Anykščiai people create the conditions to produce such products that make Anykščiai famous not only in Lithuania, but also in other countries. This includes far-away Japan, where Anykščių Vynas products also travel to that country. Sakura is one of the most recognisable symbols of Japan in the world, so the newly planted trees will both delight the eyes and beautifully symbolise the established trade relations between Anykščiai and the country of the ‘rising sun’,” notes the company’s plant manager.

Rebiatnikova believes that planting trees is a particularly meaningful gift, as it contributes to a more beautiful environment for everyone to enjoy. Fruit trees in Anykščiai take on an additional symbolic meaning.

“The old winemaking traditions in Lithuania, which Anykščių Vynas is now continuing, are linked to fruit and berry orchards, not to vineyards. Balys Karazija, the tenacious and inventive founder of the factory, almost a century ago, came up with an idea of how to use the hitherto undervalued resources of gardens, lake and forests, and thanks to him, orchards have become an integral part of the Anykščiai region,” says Rebiatnikova.

Nowadays, the harvest from the Anykščiai region alone is no longer sufficient for the operation of the factory, as Anykščių Vynas, managed by MV GROUP Production, buys huge quantities of fruit and berries from farms all over Lithuania every year.

The cherry blossom ‘Sakura’ tree, although a fruit tree, does not usually produce fruit in Lithuania – the trees are grown as ornamental trees, as they bloom in April-May with a profusion of bunches of bright pink, full-bodied flowers. Japanese cherry trees are planted all over the world, and it has become a spring tradition in Lithuania to take pictures of them in front of their bright blossoms.