Portal ‘Connects’ Citizens Between Two European Cities

An unusual landmark was recently installed in the cities of Vilnius in Lithuania and Lublin in Poland: a round, dish-shaped “portal” that shows you a vision of a far away place.

However, the science fiction aspect is outdone by simple reality: both “doors” are actually large screens that allow real-time contact between the two European cities – which are 606 kilometres apart – via cameras that stream live images.

The project was cooked up by the brains at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania, as a means to put emphasis on unity and cooperation.

Benediktas Gylys, president of the eponymous foundation behind the idea, said: “Humanity is facing many potential challenges … that’s why we’ve decided to bring the PORTAL [sic] idea to life – it’s a bridge that unifies, and an invitation to rise above prejudices and disagreements that belong to the past.”

He concluded: “It’s an invitation to rise above the ‘us and them’ illusion.”

Unfortunately, the portals cannot stream sound, but citizens from both cities have found inventive ways to communicate, such as by waving, blowing kisses, doing push-ups and more – simple gestures that can mean a world of difference to the person standing on the other side.

Image Credit: Source