Kaunas of 1919-1939: a temporary capital built by its citizens
ENUpon embarking on exploration of Lithuanian modernism, it is important to take a short glimpse at the political environment. Just after the end of World War I, Lithuania, along with the other Baltic countries, became independent. However, soon after this, in 1919, the historical capital, Vilnius was lost, and the government of the Republic of Lithuania had to move to Kaunas – the second largest city in the country. This previously military town of Tsarist Russia became the temporary capital of the country until 1939. During a short but very intense period, Kaunas lived through one of the most important phases in its historical development. Its status as a capital city provoked a huge construction boom, aiming to create the entire neces-sary infrastructure: government institutions, museums, educational institutions (a university, academies and schools), business offices, hotels, industrial facilities, housing, and general infrastructure of the city (pipe-lines, sewerage, a new transportation system, roads and parks). During a few decades of independence, Kaunas produced an entire architectural layer and experienced a large-scale modernization of the city. Unique spirit of that period has largely contributed to sustaining the aura of freedom and strong identity during the Soviet period. As a consequence, the process of acceptance of this legacy as a cultural heritage has a surprisingly long history.Some of the buildings were recognised as architectural monuments of local significance as early as in 1972 and thus are examples of one of the earliest inscriptions of modern architecture into a cultural heritage list. Recent decade continues to appreciate this layer of the city as an important aspect of the city’s identity and representation. On 15 April 2015, Brussels conferred the European Heritage Label on “1919–1940 Kaunas” as a testament to the importance of the temporary Lithuanian’s capital’s phenomenon. That same year Kaunas was awarded the title of UNESCO Creative City of Design, with the interwar heritage acknowledged as a principal criterion for the designation. The architectural legacy was also mentioned in Kaunas’ successful bid to be named the European Capital of Culture for 2022. The cultural agenda for that year will include a programme entitled “Modernism for the Future”, interpreting the interwar heritage within a broader artistic, social and cultural context. In 2017, Kaunas’ modernist architecture was included in the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites. [Extract, p. 38-39]
