Elena Staskute Analysis

from memory to dream analysis

from memory to dream elena staĹĄkutÄ—

Student Elena StaĹĄkutÄ— Mentor Rob Hootsmans Commission member Kamiel Klaasse Commission member Anastassia Smirnova

2

CONTENT

BUILDING

Goals and methods 9 Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre 13 Cinema Grsas 41 Hotel ‘Panevėžys’ 59 Domestic Services Centre 81

1/4 km Apartment Building 97 Musical Theatre 115 Residential Tower 131 Music School 145 Multi-functional Cultural Centre 161 Court House 183 Wedding Palace 199 Conclusions 225

CITY Goals and methods 229 Timeline 231 The beginnings 233

Landmarks | Layer 1 239

Landmarks | Layer 2 243

Landmarks | Layer 3 247

Landmarks | Years of Indepence 251 Demographics 255 The voice 259 Conclusions 285 CONTEXT 5 types 289 Type study: cinema 295

Type study: domestic service centre 317

Type study: hotel 337

Type study: wedding palace 355

Type study: apartment building 373

3

Espen Dietrichson

INTRODUCTION

It would not be possible to develop usable strategies for transformation proposals without a solid foundation of background information to build upon. I set out to research the individual buildings as well as the wider context of the building types involved. This eventually grew into a report covering various topics including: historic development, type and (perceived) value.

In this booklet I have compiled the results of my research & analysis in three chapters named ‘Building’, ‘City’ and ‘Context’. Each volume explores the issues of the central theme on a different level.

The ‘City’ chapter focuses on the historic development of Panevėžys. To better position its modernist buildings it was important to understand how these buildings found their place in the city.

The ‘Context’ chapter looks at the larger context of Soviet era modernist buildings within the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. Five common types are investagted: hotel, wedding palace, domestic service centre, cinema & residential building. Here it was important to show the relevance of each type in a bigger context but also to find what problems they share and what solutions could benefit multiple projects.

The ‘Building’ chapter contains the analysis of my initial selection of modernist buildings in Panevėžys.

The goal was to collect basic background information on each building and determine their defining features.

5

building

11 modernist buildings

GOALS AND METHODS

I started the research phase of this project by determining a scope for my analysis. I made an initial selection of eleven Soviet era modernist buildings in PanevÄ—Ĺžys that could be considered for possible transformation scenarios. Five of these were eventually used in a series of design proposals.

I chose these specific buildings because of their importance as landmarks for the city. The goal of the first analysis was to collect enough data for each building to determine their value and potential for redevelopment. This included general information like the date of construction, the name of the architects, the size and the current (and previous) program.

I tried to find as much historical information as I could to better understand the historic significance of each building.

I went about this in several ways. I arranged multiple visits to each building to see them in person and document their current state with photographs. For many of the buildings it proved difficult to find the original drawing sets. I searched the local archives and, where possible, met with the building owners and managers.

To get more insights in their historical significance I read textbooks, searched newspaper articles and interviewed local architects.

9

10

11

juozas miltinis drama theatre

J. MILTINIS DRAMA THEATRE -1968-

14

DATA

Name Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre Address

Laisvės a. 5, Panevėžys 35183

Year built 1967-1968 Architect Algimantas Mikenas Original function

Theatre (Cultural centre)

Current function Theatre Size 6.643,47 m2 Activities Theatre, cafe, costume workshop, wood workshop, actors hotel, gallery.

Ownership National property Type of construction

Foundation & floor: reinforced concrete

Walls: brick Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand

Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frame & doors: wood

15

DESCRIPTION

The drama theatre was built on an empty plot on the central square of Panevėžys’ city centre. The main volume of the building does not follow the building line. A large setback extends the main square towards the building forming a spacious entrance zone that can be used for special events and activities.

The pure modernistic design is strengthened by its use of materials: large glass vitrines and a custom type of concrete that uses a rough mixture of broken glass, cement and sand. The north side of the building, alongside the public steps, is covered in natural stone. These choices help to emphasise the ground floor but also add a richness to the materialisation that works on a human scale.

Development of the theatre building started in the mid 1960’s. In this time period the central government mandated the use of a standard design for a theatre on this location. The city authorities were able to circumvent this by using a trick that was commonly used at the time: the permit application for the building designated it as a ‘cultural centre’ which had no such restrictions.

In this way the architects were free to develop their own design. What they came up with was carefully kept in tune with theatre director Juozas Miltinis’ aesthetic vision: there are no bright colours or distracting details.

The theatre building is well equipped. Its main hall features a revolving stage and there are various workshops for the creation of decors and costumes. The original capacity accommodated for 550 spectators in the main hall. Because the main stage is currently being renovated, a temporary block box type hall has been created in place of one of the workshop areas.

Juozas Miltinis was an acclaimed theatre director.

His theatre was famous across the Soviet Union, and many well-known Lithuanian actors were pupils of his studio. This legacy makes the drama theatre, as a building and as an institution, a cultural icon of Panevėžys.

19

Theatre actors were participating in construction works to speed up the completion of the theatre building.

21

Juozas Miltinis with Leonas Bledis, son of famous actor of the theatre.

Between 2015-2019 Leonas Bledis was director of the theather himself.

23

24

26

28

30

31

32

Basement

Ground floor

33

34

1st floor plan

The theatre features a set of additional spaces, such as workshops, lounge rooms and a tiny ‘hotel’ for actors.

37

38

FIRST THOUGHTS

Even though the theatre remains popular among a loyal group of residents, the art form of theatre itself is not as accessible to a wide audience as other types of performances. Because of this the attendance of the theatre is relatively low in relation to its capacity. This makes it hard for the management to create enough revenue to maintain the building.

A possible strategy to remedy this could be to generate alternative revenue streams. By using the large foyers and courtyard for extra programme, like a cafĂŠ, the building could be opened up to a larger part of the public.

39

cinema garsas

CINEMA ‘GARSAS’ 1968

42

DATA

Name Cinema ‘Garsas’ Address

Respublikos g. 40, Panevėžys 35173

Year built 1968 Architect Vykis Juršys Original function Cinema Current function Cinema Size 2 072.4m2 Activities

Cinema, after school activities, parties.

Ownership Municipality of Panevėžys Type of construction Foundation: reinforced concrete Floor: reinforced concrete Columns: reinforced concrete Walls: brick Roof: steel girders Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand Curtain wall: aluminum frame Window frame & door: wood

43

Gediminas Balinas

Gediminas Balinas

DESCRIPTION

The current Garsas theatre was built in 1968 as a copy of the Aidas Cinema in Druskininkai designed by Vykis Jursys. Another copy of the same type was built in Klaipeda. It is the only instance of the design that is still in use as a cinema.

The history of the cinema theatre as an institution, under various names and ownership, goes even further back. It claims to be the first cinema in Lithuania when it opened its doors in 1928, and the first to show films with a soundtrack in 1930.

Hence the name ‘Garsas’ which means ‘Sound’ in Lithuanian. The building was last renovated in 1999. Its technical equipment was renewed and changes were made to the interior, the seating and the façade.

The building is positioned with a sizable setback from the nearest street, creating a square in front

of the entrance with the neighbouring buildings.

Its most eye-catching exterior elements are the sculptural staircase punching through the top of the entrance volume and the large emphasized curtain wall on the first floor. The impact of the latter has been diminished by the 1999 alterations. In the original design the curtain wall wrapped all the way around the first floor of the entrance volume.

The imagery of a continuous transparent plane framed by a thick concrete rim was lost when the open corners were closed off with panels.

Like other Soviet era buildings in Panevėžys the original capacity of Garsas is no longer appropriate for the shrinking population and changing demographics of the city. Even though Garsas still shows the most recent Hollywood blockbusters and is part of the Europa Cinemas network it struggles with low attendance and financial difficulties.

47

48

49

Materialisation

51

GSEducationalVersion

52

Open - closed spaces

54

Main 600 seat hall

56

FIRST THOUGHTS

Recently the survival of the theatre has come under threat by plans of the municipality, who funds the organisation behind Garsas, to demolish the building and built a museum for S. Eidrigevicius art in its place.

This would be very unfortunate since Garsas is the last remaining cinema located in the city centre.

Like many other commercial programmes, cinemas in Lithuania have been steadily migrating from the city centres to the strip malls in the periphery.

As part of a 4 year strategic plan, Garsas aims to broaden its activities. It wants to promote film culture in the city and cater to a demand for cinema education and the screening of noncommercial films The presence of a cinema can be an asset for the development of a new lively city centre. With its rich heritage and international connections Garsas is in a unique position to reinvent itself as an arthouse film centre.

By placing smaller theatre halls inside the main hall the theatre will be able to screen more films simultaneously with a better suited capacity. In the space that can be created in between the desired cultural and educational programme can finds its place.

57

hotel ‘panevėžys’

60

DATA

Name Hotel ‘Panevėžys’ Address

Laisvės a. 26, Panevėžys 35200

Year built 1972 Architect Alfredas Paulauskas Original function Hotel Current function

Offices, retail, commercial

Size 9 335 m2 Activities Office space, meeting rooms, cafes, shops, bars, restaurants. Mainly unused; Ownership PST construction company Type of construction Foundation, floors and walls up to 6th level: monolith reinforced concrete

Walls up from the 7th level: brick Floors: prefabricated concrete Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frame & door: wood

61

DESCRIPTION

The Nevezis Hotel (later renamed ‘Panevėžys’) was built in 1972 on the city’s central square across the Juozas Miltinis drama theatre. This was a prestigious project because the presence of a grand hotel signalled the importance of Panevėžys to the region. The building stands out as one of the few tall buildings in the city centre. It was once one of the tallest hotels in Lithuania.

The building is built for the most part with a monolithic concrete load-bearing structure; an exotic construction method at the time. This is another testament to the building’s importance because less prominent hotel projects were often directed to be built with inexpensive materials, standard designs and standardised construction methods.

The hotel was designed in a functionalist manner with clear shapes and characteristic long horizontal bands in the facade. It consists of two main volumes: a tall, gently bent slab that contained the hotel rooms and a lower appendix for the additional hotel programme that articulates the corner of the square with the nearby Elektros street.

The plinth used to house the administration of the hotel, a spacious restaurant, and various services for hotel guests. On the rooftop the characteristic sky bar offered a panoramic view of the city.

The hotel could fit up to 300 people in 68 single, 98 double and 12 luxury rooms.

65

GSEducationalVersion

66

GSEducationalVersion

68

71

72

73

76

77

78

FIRST THOUGHTS

In its prime the hotel was full of city visitors and specialists from all over the Soviet Union. Today the upper floors are mostly empty. The building is simply too large to function as a hotel for a city like PanevÄ—Ĺžys.

There were some failed attempts in the past to renovate the building, including a partial restoration of the hotel function on a single floor.

Currently none of the floors in the slab are in use.

In contrast, the plinth now functions as a separate building and is filled with fragmented, small-scale commercial activities. The plinth no longer provides public access to the upper floors.

The slab was designed to accommodate a large number of similar, relatively small, rooms. This makes it difficult to adapt to a new programme without altering the load-bearing structure.

By selectively removing floors and walls the repetitiveness of the monolithic structure can become an architectural statement.

79

domestic service centre

82

DATA

Name Domestic service center Address

Respublikos g. 28, Panevėžys 35174

Year built 1973 Architect Nijole Garbaliauskiene Original function

Domestic services center

Current function Mix- use. Commercial, retail, educational.

Size 5.350 m² Activities Shops, cafes, gym, dance club, services.

Ownership Multiple owners Type of construction Foundation: reinforced concrete Walls: brick Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand

Curtain wall: aluminum, closed parts cardboard and glass Window frame & door: wood

83

84

85

86

DESCRIPTION

Domestic service centres were a widespread building type unique to the Soviet Union and the Socialist countries of the Eastern Bloc. In short a domestic service centre offered all sorts of household services: a place where, under one roof, you could get a haircut, dry clean your clothes or have your watch fixed.

The Domestic service centre in Panevėžys is located on the slow traffic Respublikos street. The building does not follow the building line of the street but has a setback that creates a spacious pedestrian area.

The extra space in front of the building gives more importance to the building and emphasises its public function. The niches in the block slow down pedestrians and make the building feel more inviting.

The building has a clear geometric shape. A threestorey rectangular volume sits on a plinth with large vitrines and decorated walls. The building is designed with elements of the International style.

It features strict geometries, use of glass and the repetition of elements. It seems the architects took inspiration from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero

Saarinen’s or Arne Jacobsen’s architecture. Even though they probably could not have traveled abroad to personally visit these buildings.

The walls on the ground floor are decorated with mosaics and sculptural reliefs. This emphasises the entrance area and introduces elements on the human scale. The architects did their best to recreate the look of a modern curtain wall with modest means. A shadow box is simulated by placing cardboard panels directly behind the lower glass panes. Vertical louvres give a rhythm to the long facade. Its appearance changes when approaching the building from different angles and distances.

Designing a domestic service centre was a complicated task. A single building had to house a diverse programme, but at the same time appear as one homogeneous complex. To facilitate this the Panevėžys domestic services centre was designed with a column grid to facilitate an open plan. For programmes that required extra space an appendix was attached to the back of the main volume.

87

88

90

91

92

93

94

FIRST THOUGHTS

In its current state, what was intended as a fluid space between different functions, has become more like a maze. Spaces are divided in a chaotic way, not always following the grid of the columns or the facade.

This chaos is the result of the way the ownership of the building has evolved through the years. Today the relatively small building has no less than 15 owners who rent out their spaces individually. Due to lack of proper maintenance the building is in a sorry state. It seems that the fragmented ownership makes it difficult to formulate unified plans for the building’s exploitation.

The most uncomplicated way for the preservation of the building would be for one investor to come forward and bring the building back to life.

An alternative way would be to motivate the owners of the building to work for one goal; to invite them to talk to each other. A new collaboration between the users of the building is needed.

95

1/4 km apartment building

98

DATA

Name Apartment building Address

J. Basanavičiaus g. 3, Panevėžys 35182

Year built 1979 Architect Nijole Garbaliauskiene Original function

Mix use apartment building

Current function

Mix use apartment building

Size 14.100 m2 Activities Apartments, commercial function on the ground level Ownership Multiple owners Type of construction Foundation: reinforced concrete Walls: brick Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand Curtain wall: aluminum Window frame & door: wood

99

DESCRIPTION

A 300 meter strip of apartments makes this building the longest house in the city. Nicknamed “Sasyska” (sausage) by the locals, the building sits on the intersection of the two main streets of the city centre. Its nickname originates from its extraordinary length and its winding ‘S’ shape.

The building consists of four levels of apartments placed on top of a commercial plinth. According to the original plans, the project was supposed to have spacious 4-5 room apartments. Even though construction of the building was already started, the Moscow building commission ordered to change the design to standard 1-2 room apartments.

The building has been properly maintained but its plinth has lost its liveliness.

Lithuania’s infatuation with the car as the primary means of transportation has left its mark on Sasyska’s surroundings: parking bays and parking lots have claimed most of the space that once was reserved for pedestrians.

103

104

108

109

112

FIRST THOUGHTS

The popularity of strip malls and hypermarchés has steadily pulled retail out of the city centre and into the periphery. In downtown Panevėžys there is a notable absence of attractive, successful shopping destinations: Sasyska’s plinth is partially empty and the remaining shops draw only moderate crowds.

By removing the underused retail spaces and opening up the plinth to its surroundings a public space can be created that is once again welcoming to pedestrians.

113

musical theatre

MUSICAL THEATRE -1979-

116

DATA

Name

Musical Theatre [Originally cinema ‘Versme’]

Address

Nepriklausomybės a. 8, Panevėžys 35227

Year built 1979 Architect Viktoras Skokauskas Original function Cinema Current function Musical theatre Size 1.248 m2 Activities Theatre activities, rehearsal spaces.

Ownership Panevėžys municipality Type of construction Foundation: monolith reinforced concrete; Floors Prefabricated reinforced concrete; Walls: brick; Original exterior materials Facade finish: combination of stucco & concrete tiles Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frames & doors: wood

117

120

DESCRIPTION

The building that now functions as Panevėžys’ musical theatre actually started its life as a cinema called ‘Versme’ (Source). When it was completed in the late seventies it was the fourth cinema building to open its doors in the city centre, alongside ‘Menas’ (Art), ‘Raketa’ (Rocket) and ‘Garsas’ (Sound). The development of the cinema was coordinated with the reconstruction of what is now Nepriklausomybės square and was intended as its central element.

The exterior of the building is made to look like a composition of smaller, stepped volumes to camouflage the size of the main hall.

Originally a no. 264-13 standard type 400 seat cinema was selected as the base for the design but the city authorities managed to negotiate permission to use an individual design created by Viktoras Skokauskas instead.

An interesting detail that has been preserved is the ornamental drainage solution that is used for the roof above the entrance. Rainwater is guided into a basin down large chains hanging from the canopy.

When the building was transformed into a musical theatre in 1993 a few alterations were made.

The foyer was enlarged outwards and a public passageway that passed through the building, connecting the square with the streets behind it, was closed off.

121

123

124

126

127

128

FIRST THOUGHTS

Even though the performances are usually well attended, the theatre’s agenda is only filled with a few events a month. This makes it hard for the small organisation behind the theatre to sustain itself. In between performances the building is used very little.

Adapting the building so it could be used for other activities at hours it currently is closed could be considered as a means to generate additional revenue.

129

residential tower

132

DATA

Name Residential tower Address

Vilniaus g. 8, PanevÄ—Ĺžys 35208

Year built 1980 Architect Viktoras Skokauskas Original function Residential tower with commercial plinth Current function Residential tower with commercial plinth Size 7.600 m2 Activities Residential, commercial; Ownership Multiple owners Type of construction Reinforced concrete foundation & floor, brick walls Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass,

cement, sand stucco, red brick, glass blocks Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frame: wood

133

136

DESCRIPTION

In the 1970s the city authorities decided that the central part of Panevėžys should have a vertical accent. A 13 storey apartment building was suggested at the crossing of J. Basanavičiaus street and Vilniaus street. A standard design was used as a base. However, some architectural tweaks were made specifically for the Panevėžys project.

Because it was not possible to change the project’s internal layout, changes were executed in the

facade. The local architects experimented with new façade configurations including trapezoidal balconies with profiled glass partitions. Each floor featured separate vent stacks that are still visible in the facade.

During the city’s boom prominent residents like artists and actors lived here. Today the building looks dated to most passers-by but its attention to detail can still be discovered by a trained eye.

137

139

140

142

FIRST THOUGHTS

Apart from the hotel and the hospital there are not that many tall buildings in the city centre.

By placing a publicly accessible function on top (for instance a micro hotel as a rooftop parasite) the panoramic view could be shared with the public, possibly altering its opinion of the building.

143

music school

146

DATA

Name Music School Address

Vilniaus g. 2, Panevėžys 35208

Year built 1985 Architect Elvyra Klimaviciene Original function Music school Current function Music school Size 3.900 m2 Activities After school classes: instrument classes, dances, ballet, choir, weekend preschool.

Ownership Municipality of Panevėžys Type of construction Foundation & floor: Reinforced concrete; Walls: brick; Original exterior materials Facade: Yellow brick; Curtain wall frame: aluminum; Window frame: wood;

147

150

DESCRIPTION

For the development of the music school the local authorities again had to find creative ways to navigate the bureaucratic obstacles of the Soviet system. It was officially referred to as an extension of the adjoining high school. A music school however required much smaller class rooms than commonly used in high schools. So two projects were secretly executed simultaneously : one that was officially displayed and coordinated, and another that was actually under construction.

The building consists of massive volumes with bright and large interior spaces. Because of utility lines passing through the plot, the building had to be detached from the street. The architect decided to emphasize the corner of the building with a wide terrace and a staircase the lead up to the recessed entrance to the building. Above the terrace a skylit auditorium completes the corner articulation.

Most of the building is occupied by rehearsal rooms for various instruments. Additionally, there are two main performance halls and two halls for dancing. The music school has a connection to the visual arts school and serves as its main entrance.

The separate building of the visual arts school functions as an appendix to the musical school and is built with similar aesthetics.

The music school is an important institution for the cultural education of PanevėŞys’ youth.

Its courses are not limited to learning to play an instrument. Various dance classes (traditional dance, sports dance, ballet) and singing classes are also offered.

151

152

155

158

FIRST THOUGHTS

Possible improvements to the building would mostly be concerned with optimizing the use of its interior.

Because it was not purpose built to be a music school some spaces are oversized and acoustic insulation is lacking.

159

cultural center

162

DATA

Name Cultural center Address

Kranto g. 28, LT-35172 Panevėžys

Year built 1987 Architect Henrikas A. Balciunas Original function

Multifunctional cultural center

Current function

Multifunctional cultural center

Size 7 509 m2 Activities Concerts, performances, rehearsals, events, parties, after school activities.

Ownership Municipality of Panevėžys Type of construction Foundation & floor: reinforced concrete Walls: brick Original exterior materials Facade finish: natural stone?, red stucco Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frame: wood Window glass: stained glass works, tinted mirror bronze glass

163

166

DESCRIPTION

The Ekranas Palace of Culture is one of the largest multifunctional cultural centres in Lithuania.

The Palace has three halls for various events: a main hall with a large stage for theatrical performances, concerts and other events, a small hall and a so-called ‘Disco’ Hall. All have separate entrances.

The expression of the building has elements of postmodernism. It is composed of shredded volumes and placed on a slope to make the building appear less massive.

The main hall and lobby are decorated with stained glass windows. The tinted mirror glass for the vitrines, rare for Lithuania at the time of construction, was specially imported from East Germany.

167

169

170

173

174

177

178

180

FIRST THOUGHTS

Like many public buildings built during the industrial boom, the cultural centre is too large for the current population of PanevÄ—Ĺžys. Smart downsizing and a rebranding to address its outdated image could reinvent it for a contemporary audience.

181

court house

184

DATA

Name Court house Address Laisvės a. 17, Panevėžys 35200 Year built 1987 Architect Viktoras Skokauskas Original function Court house Current function Court house Size 2 411.5 ma Activities reception, 6 meeting rooms, juvenile

hearing room, offices of administrative

checks, civil and civil cases office,

offices for judges, assistant judges,

court secretaries and other employees, archive.

Ownership Municipality of Panevėžys Type of construction Foundation & floor: prefabricated reinforced concrete; Walls: brick Original exterior materials Facade finish: granite plaster Curtain wall frame: aluminum Window frame: wood

185

188

INFO

The Court House is situated at the southern end of the city’s central square. Its position deviates from the building line of the surrounding buildings because it was designed to align with plans for a future annex to the City Hall. The annex was supposed to close of the end of the square but was never built.

The Court House was built to house civil law institutions for the city and the district as well as state notary offices. It is still in use as a Court House today but is slightly too small for its current programme.

A shed roof, rounded corners and windows framed by thick bulging concrete elements give the building a sculptural character. The emphasized corner entrance mirrors that of the opposing block.

189

190

193

194

FIRST THOUGHTS

Partially because of its function, the general public has a low opinion of the court house. Its closed off plinth and setback stop it from making a connection with the square.

The plinth could be made more inviting by extending and opening it up towards the square, creating an intermediate space between the institution and the public.

197

wedding palace

200

DATA

Name Wedding palace Address Respublikos g. 25, Panevėžys Year built 1989 Architect Juozas Skublickas Interior design Vladas Vizgirda Stained-glass artwork

Kazimieras Morkūnas

Original function Wedding ceremonies Current function Wedding ceremonies Size 1.500 m2 Activities Wedding ceremonies Ownership Municipality of Panevėžys Type of construction

Brick

Original exterior materials Facade finish: mixture of broken glass, cement, sand; Curtain wall frame: aluminum; Window frame: wood; Stained glass windows;

201

204

DESCRIPTION

Like the domestic service centre the wedding palace is a Soviet invention. It can best be described as an atheist church. A place were the registration of a marriage could by accompanied by a wedding ceremony divorced from religious context.

Panevėžys’ wedding palace is located in a park-like setting on Respublikos street. Like the drama theatre and the music school it was officially designated with a different function so that permission to use a unique design could be obtained from the government.

a venue for ceremonial events.

Inside most of its original interior is preserved, including a mahogany cassette ceiling, copper lamps and glass chandeliers.

Like most wedding palaces special attention is given to the procession of the wedding guests during the ceremony. A monumental staircase leads from the foyer to the ceremonial halls past an impressive stained-glass art-piece.

The wedding palace has a strong individualistic character. Its curved walls, strict symmetry and stained-glass façade elements signal its function as

205

206

207

209

South Elevation

210

Ground floor

212

West Elevation

South Elevation

ionalVersion

1st floor

215

216

218

219

220

221

222

FIRST THOUGHTS

Outside the palace the surroundings are bland.

There is no clear urban fabric that anchors the building to the site. This is made worse by a recently constructed bank building that is placed awkwardly close to the palace, denying it space to breathe.

When there are no ceremonies the palace is open for administrative functions. Ceremonies usually take place on Saturdays which leaves the building quiet and mostly empty for the rest of the week.

The wedding palace needs to reinvent itself so that its iconic design can be preserved for the city.

This process could be started by redefining both its relationship to its surroundings and the place a wedding palace could have in modern society.

223

building

224

CONCLUSIONS

In Panevėžys a noticeably large amount of Soviet era modernist buildings has survived in a mostly unaltered state.

When determining what issues they face the following recurring problems can be observed: •The large public buildings were designed with capacities in mind that are no longer suited to the size of the current population and the demand it generates. They are too large to function efficiently.

As a consequence the organisations behind them often struggle financially.

It’s interesting to discover how in many cases the local architects manipulated and cheated the bureaucratic system to be able to build these buildings. This goes against the common assumption that these are soulless buildings copy/ pasted by an uncaring higher authority. Their designers fought for them to be the best they could be within the modest means at their disposal.

•The buildings open to the public are usually focussed on performing a single function. When this function is tied to limited timeslots, like the theatres and the wedding palace, this leads to buildings that are used ineffectively (or not at all) for large durations.

•Most buildings have lost their connection with their surroundings. Either by poor urban planning from to start or by being generally uninviting and closed off in the way that they are operated.

225

city

228

GOALS AND METHODS

The goal for this analysis was to understand what place the Soviet modernist buildings of Panevėžys have within the context of the city’s development.

The analysis investigates the state of Panevėžys in multiple time periods: before the modernist buildings were built, when they just appeared, and the years after.

The analysis includes: •A global timeline of the city from its beginning to the present. It shows the external influences that were important for the city development.

•A look into the history of the city’s development and, more precisely, what were the defining events in the development of the public buildings and city landmarks that form the face of the city.

•A look into the changing demographics of the city and how it is related to the city development and the state of the soviet modernist buildings today. This is accompanied by the results of a questionnaire, illustrating the opinions of the residents on the city landmarks.

229

city development

1881 City fire

1831, 1843 City fire

1654-1667 Russo-Polish War

2000

1900

1800

1700

1600

1700-1721 The Great Northern War

1500

1300

Panevėžys was first mentioned in 1503, in documents signed by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander I, who granted the town building rights to construct a church and other structures.

1507 church was built.

population line 1850 - 2019

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Russian Empire

Germany x2

USSR

Time line

231

THE BEGINNING

232

From the very beginning Panevėžys’ development has been rather chaotic. The city was first mentioned in 1503, in documents signed by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander I, who granted the town building rights to construct a church and other structures.

The market square was situated on the connection to the neighbouring cities. This resulted in a radial structure. Only in 1850 the two parts of the city were finally connected by the so called ‘Nicolaviev town’, consisting mainly of low freestanding family houses.

In 1507 the church was completed and around it the city started to develop. From then on development proceeded simultaneously around two locations. Old Panevėžys was developing around the Church in a grid structure with a square in front of the church. On the other side of the river new Panevėžys had been developing around the market square.

This chaotic urban structure became a background for the city and is still recognisable today.

233

234

The beginning 1503

city development in 1812 & 1850

235

236

237

LANDMARKS | LAYER 1

All the way to the 20th century the city’s architecture was quite monotonous. It consisted of 1 to 3 layers of buildings, mainly wooden or masonry structures.

Apart from the churches, the only landmarks in the city were the factories and the windmills on the outskirts of the city. The large amounts of flour produced there helped Panevėžys establish itself as a strong regional industrial centre.

238

City landmarks | XIX

240

Cathedral of Christ the King 1908

Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul 1885

Christ’s Resurrection Orthodox Church 1825, 1845

Holy Trinity Church 1825, 1919

S. Montvila distillery and yeast factory 1891

Windmills

241

LANDMARKS | LAYER 2

During the interwar period the modernisation of the city took off. Streets and sidewalks were paved and the city’s infrastructure saw comprehensive improvements to the sewers and the electrical grid.

The landmarks of this period started to appear from the early 1930s. They mostly consisted of schools, administrative buildings for the municipality and the region, and a few notable bank buildings. These buildings were mostly built with 2-4 storeys and in an architectural style typical of the period: featuring narrow vertical windows, pilasters and sometimes emphasised rounded corners.

The buildings were not concentrated in one location but spread out evenly over the city centre.

242

In between the wars | 1940

244

Girls school | Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. 1932

Jewish school | Pinchusas Sobolis, Adolfas Tylius 1928

Polish school | Jonas Saleneko 1930

Elementary school | Antanas Gargasas 1940

Elementary school | Antanas Gargasas 1935

Elementary school | Antanas Gargasas 1939

Barracks | Algirdas Šidlauskis 1932

City hall | Kazys Germanas 1933

Hospital | Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. 1936

Bank & pharmacy Antanas Gargasas 1937

Central bank | Mykolas Songaila 1930

Health care | Kazys Germanas 1933

245

LANDMARKS | LAYER 3

The Soviet era saw a rapid acceleration of the development of the region. The industrial activities broadened from food-processing to include the production of technical products like cathode ray tubes.

With the expansion of the industrial centre new residential neighbourhoods were constructed. A large amount of public and institutional buildings were built in the city centre to provide services for the growing population.

These buildings were built according to the Soviet norms and ideals of modernist architecture and central planning. They contrast with the older buildings both in size and architectural expression.

246

Soviet times

248

Wedding Palace 1987 arch. Juozas Skublickas

Musical theatre 1979 arch. Viktoras Skokauskas

Panevėžys Community House 1987 arch. Henrikas A. Balciunas

Court house 1986 arch. Viktoras Skokauskas

16 story residential tower 1980 arch. Viktoras Skokauskas

Hotel ‘Panevėžys’ 1972 arch. Alfredas Paulauskas

Sports Palace 1966 arch. Jonas Putna

Juozas Miltinis Drama theatre 1967-1968 arch. Algimantas Mikenas,

Domestic services center 1973 arch. Nijole Garbaliauskiene

Panevėžys collage 1979 arch. Julius Jankauskas

Cinema ‘Garsas’ 1968 arch. Vykis Juršys

Residential building 1975 arch. Nijole Garbaliauskiene

Music school 1985 arch. Elvyra Klimaviciene

Panevėžys Art Gallery 1990 arch. A. Korizina 249

YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

In the period directly following Lithuania’s regained independence not many landmarks were added to the city centre. Perhaps because the city already had enough facilities built during the Soviet era.

Besides a couple of institutional buildings, most of the new developments were shopping centres.

This phenomena can be seen across all of Lithuania. Like new monuments, malls were built in the centres and the peripheries of cities soaking up all the shops, facilities and entertainment in their surroundings in the process.

250

Strip malls and a single family house for every household sounded like a step towards the western world and the American dream.

Unfortunately those developments also brought in the side effects of urban sprawl. Their impact can be felt in how the city centre of Panevėžys functions today.

Independence years

252

Shopping mall | G. Stankevičius, G. Navickas 2005

Bank | Valdas Klimavičius 1998

Arena | Saulius Mikštas 2008

Social security | Elvyra Klimaviciene 1993

253

city demographics

DEMOGRAPHICS

It can clearly be seen how the effects of the Soviet ‘Seven-Year plan’, as well as the collapse of the Soviet Union, have had an impact on the population numbers of Panevėžys.

Its population grew from 41.000 to 101.500 inhabitants between 1959 and 1979. After reaching a peak of 130.000 inhabitants in 1990 its population has seen a steady decline postindependence.

Today it’s population of 95.000 makes it the fifth largest city in Lithuania.

255

256

95.000

140000 112000 84000 56000

2019

2015

2010

2000

1990

1980

1960

1945

1940

1920

0 1850

1900

28000

257

the voice

Egidijus Kriksciunas

QUESTIONNAIRE

To see how the residents of Panevėžys feel about the modernist buildings of their city I composed a questionnaire.

It consisted of 10 questions about the participants themselves, the activities in the city, and an evaluation of the selected modernist buildings.

Participants were asked to rank each building from their most favourite to their least favourite.

The aim was to collect information from different age groups. To broaden its reach the forms were distributed in various places that attract different age and income groups.

I included a few examples of returned forms in this booklet. A summary of the responses can be seen in the accompanied graphs and illustrations.

By filling in a so-called ‘mental map’ they could share their feelings and memories of the central part of Panevėžys in a structured way.

261

Esu architektūros studentė Amsterdamo akademijoje. Magistro baigiamojo analizei pasirinkau Panevėžio sovietinius modernistinius pastatus. Man labai įdomu, ką Jūs manote apie juos, kokią reikšmę jie turi Jums?

1. How long have you been living in Panevezys?

6. What activities are missing in the city?

0-5 years 6-20 years >30 I don‘t live in Panevezys 2. If youl lived somewhere else than Panevezys? Why?

7. What is your opinion on Soviet modernist buildings in Panevezys?

Studied Work related Other (explain)

Possitive Negative I have no opinion Mixed feelings (explain)

3. If you do not live in Panevezys: Visiting family/friends Working Turist Other (explain) 4. How old are you?

ing family/friends

king

st

er

0-12 13-19 20-29 30-49 50-69 70-80 <80

Ki

8. Place the buildings buildings on the right in the order of the most favorite (1) to the least favorite (12).

9. Explain your 1st choice.

5. What do you like to do in Panevezys in your free time?

10. Explain your last choice.

262

Spor

sirinkau uos,

g in the

oviet vezys?

Sporto rūmai ‘Aukštaitija’

Muzikinis tetras

Santuokų rūmai

Kino teatras ‘Garsas’

Teismo rūmai

Panevėžio viešbutis

Buitinis

Muzikos mokykla

Trylikaaukštis Vilniaus g. 8

J. Miltinio dramos teatras

ngs on the st favorite

Daugiabutis ‘Sasiska’

Bendruomenių rūmai

from.memory.to.dream from.memory.to.dream@gmail.com

263

A. Ja k

što

g.

Mari

Kokius prisiminimus ar asociacijas kelia pažymėti pastatai, vietos aplink juos. Kuo jums šios vietos svarbios, įsimintinos, mielos, o galbūt atvirkščiai- nejaukios?

jonų g.

MENTAL MAP

Stoties g.

A. Ja

kšto

g.

Marij

onų

g.

Bendruomenių rūmai

Stoties g.

Sporto rūmai

264

blikos

Respu

g.

Kino tea

Vilniaus

U to g.

os g.

Elektr

A. Jakš

Susitikimų

Senvagė

EXAMPLE

Laisvės a.

Kranto g.

Pirmas pasimatymas

Mėgiamiausia baldų parduotuvė Respublikos

Smagiausi mokyklos vakarėliai

Nejau

kus tu nelis

g.

bli

Respu

da n

g.

e

pastat

Klaipėdo s

g.

Vas ar

Nieka

ios g.

e u šiam ebuva io 1 6-o s

blikos

Ramygalos g.

. kos g

J. Urbšio g.

Respu

vieta

atras ‘Garsas’

J. Miltinio Dramos teatras Daugiabutis ‘Sasiska’ Trylikaaukštis Vilniaus g.8

J. B a

san

avič i

g.

Vilniaus

g.

Ukmergės g.

aus

to g. os g.

Elektr

A. Jakš

Senvagė Laisvės a.

Ramygalos g.

Kranto g.

Respublikos

blikos

Respu

g.

g.

Klaipėdos

g.

Vas a

rio

16 -os

ios

g.

J. Urbšio g.

Buitinis Santuokų rūmai

Teismo rūmai Panevėžio viešbutis

Muzikos mokykla Muzikinis teatras 265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

NAME Juozas Miltinis Drama theatre Cinema â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cultural center Musical Theatre Sports Palace Music school Marriage palace Court house 1/4 km residential building Hotel â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Panevezysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Domestic services center 13 storey residential tower

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 1 4 6 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 1 2 1 2 6 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 5 6 1 1 9 3 2 4 2 3 3 2 8 6 5 5 2 2 3 2 1 4 3 2 3 4 1 12 11 1 6 3 3 2 2 2 1 3 2 2 8 12 5 11 5 5 4 6 6 5 3 8 7 5 1 5 3 7 4 3 8 5 7 12 2 11 4 2 7 9 4 3 4 1 3 12 7 4 1 9 4 6 2 4 7 3 2 9 5 4 4 7 4 3 2 5 2 3 8 12 8 3 1 4 2 11 7 5 7 2 7 12 6 6 3 1 1 7 5 3 4 2 7 1 9 7 9 4 8 8 6 6 10 5 11 2 10 6 7 5 10 3 5 8 3 5 10 12 10 2 9 10 10 10 8 5 2 4 4 2 4 8 5 10 7 2 9 7 4 5 3 12 4 4 2 8 9 5 8 4 9 4 8 12 5 6 11 5 7 2 10 9 3 9 8 10 8 6 10 3 5 1 7 11 11 2 5 12 9 7 5 6 5 4 3 7 2 8 6 12 12 6 12 12 11 4 9 12 5 11 10 3 6 3 11 8 10 9 8 8 12 5 12 12 7 5 9 7 12 12 6 6 12 9 5 12 11 6 8 3 8 12 12 11 10 7 11 11 11 12 8 11 11 11 11 9 6 5 10 12 3 9 10 11 6 7 11 11 8 7 9 12 2 6 7 8 9 8 3 8 11 12 12 7 1 11 12 9 6 12 12 4 7 5 6 12 6 12 8 12 8 6 9 9 6 10 4 12 4 6 6 7 6 11 11 10 12 10 9 6 10 9 6 6 9 5 10 10 5 5 9 12 12 8 12 9 4 8 12 10 11 11 11 12 3 6 10 2 12 9 7 7 9 8 6 12 12 10 7 12 12 10 5 12 9 5 2 12 5 10 11 10 11 10 10 12 10 12 12 12 1

NAME Juozas Miltinis Drama theatre Cinema â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cultural center Sports Palace Musical Theatre Music school Marriage palace Court house 1/4 km residential building Hotel â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Panevezysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Domestic services center 13 storey residential tower

274

Outcome

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 3 12 9 7 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 9 10 12 11 12 11 7 12 12 12 12 9 12 12 11 10 12 12 12 12 12 8 7 12 12 4 1 10 11 9 11 10 10 11 5 7 8 8 11 11 10 11 12 9 10 11 10 9 12 1 2 12 7 10 10 11 11 11 12 10 11 11 5 1 8 2 8 8 9 7 7 8 10 5 6 8 12 8 10 6 9 10 5 8 6 1 11 2 9 11 6 4 9 10 9 12 10 1 6 9 12 4 9 7 11 9 6 10 11 4 8 9 9 6 9 10 11 8 11 10 5 1 5 10 12 9 11 2 6 8 6 11 6 1 7 7 10 12 12 6 8 10 9 11 6 12 4 6 4 9 5 5 7 7 3 8 2 11 3 7 6 8 3 10 8 5 10 8 3 1 3 11 4 3 3 3 5 8 11 9 9 11 9 5 8 3 6 11 4 6 9 8 10 1 9 9 11 5 4 8 5 9 4 9 5 1 8 7 2 8 6 11 3 4 10 4 5 3 5 7 3 10 8 12 6 2 2 11 8 1 4 6 8 7 8 9 10 6 11 5 7 1 1 7 1 1 2 9 4 1 8 2 3 10 7 10 2 5 3 4 5 5 1 8 1 1 6 8 4 6 1 1 7 7 1 4 8 1 2 7 5 10 5 1 1 2 3 6 2 2 2 1 5 2 2 2 2 4 7 8 3 1 10 4 3 2 7 6 2 2 5 6 4 1 11 1 7 6 5 4 5 10 5 2 1 1 6 12 2 1 4 7 1 1 9 6 8 7 1 7 1 5 1 5 7 4 4 7 3 9 1 9 1 7 7 6 7 2 2 3 1 3 4 7 3 4 7 7 4 8 3 3 8 8 4 1 1 5 1 4 9 5 1 3 2 2 2 1 10 7 3 11 1 4 6 6 4 5 7 1 1 3 6 1 1 3 8 1 4 8 11 1 8 3 2 3 2 3 3 1 3 1 1 1 12

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 2 4 1 2 1 1 1 8 1 5 3 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 3 11 2 7 7 2 1 3 9 4 2 11 1 7 8 3 4 4 4 7 4 3 10 6 1 11 7 2 2 4 2 4 4 1 9 9 1 2 3 3 1 4 4 3 2 7 6 10 8 4 2 2 10 2 6 4 7 3 2 2 2 1 2 1 3 1 1 12 6 4 4 5 3 1 7 3 2 9 2 1 2 3 4 2 8 2 3 6 1 10 1 8 10 1 3 6 8 8 3 2 2 6 7 4 1 3 5 8 2 4 11 1 3 1 10 6 4 5 4 2 5 11 3 2 8 7 9 7 7 5 5 4 7 5 10 2 9 7 4 8 6 3 8 7 11 5 6 6 3 5 8 4 7 6 2 10 8 3 12 1 7 3 11 5 10 10 6 7 7 8 2 8 11 7 6 7 8 6 4 1 1 5 6 1 1 6 1 3 10 1 1 5 7 2 1 5 1 5 3 11 7 2 6 10 10 7 9 7 8 7 7 4 10 6 5 4 2 11 10 9 9 1 7 11 3 3 5 7 5 7 3 5 4 4 3 1 8 6 12 2 5 3 4 4 11 6 9 3 9 11 12 6 6 2 4 3 4 9 8 9 9 6 7 2 6 4 9 3 5 10 8 5 2 11 9 12 9 9 4 7 6 8 9 6 8 7 7 9 9 8 11 8 12 12 8 11 3 3 5 6 5 11 11 10 12 8 8 5 5 2 5 4 2 11 7 4 4 9 7 8 5 2 5 10 9 9 10 3 6 11 5 3 2 10 1 7 5 6 6 9 11 6 10 8 11 5 7 6 4 3 1 8 11 9 8 6 4 6 10 11 7 1 12 1 3 12 12 8 11 10 6 10 10 3 12 7 12 9 3 9 8 9 5 8 7 12 8 12 12 4 6 5 5 9 9 11 4 3 11 5 11 8 12 10 12 12 8 6 8 10 10 11 5 7 11 9 12 3 6 8 10 7 8 12 6 8 3 12 9 4 12 10 6 10 12 11 6 10 12 10 10 8 12 9 12 9 9 9 11 10 4 9 6 8 9 9 10 11 7 11 9 2 8 2 5 5 5 11 11 10 10 10 12 5 11 11 9 12 10 12 10 12 11 12 12 12 3 12 6 12 11 12 3 11 11 10 12 11 11 12 12 12 3 12 11 12 9 5 4 12

Average 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Total 11 9 12 11 12 12 12 5 12 8 10 12 12 12 10 12 11 12 10 2 11 6 6 11 12 10 4 9 11 2 12 6 5 10 9 9 9 6 9 10 3 7 12 2 785 9,8 6 11 11 9 11 9 9 12 4 4 12 11 10 10 12 9 9 10 11 6 7 3 5 9 11 11 3 11 7 9 6 10 11 11 11 12 11 12 10 12 12 1 7 9 737 9,2 9 8 10 12 6 10 11 4 11 12 11 10 9 11 5 11 10 7 12 3 12 5 3 12 10 7 5 5 10 11 11 7 6 9 12 10 8 5 11 9 2 12 10 12 648 8,1 3 7 9 8 9 11 8 2 10 11 5 6 4 6 6 8 8 9 6 8 3 11 4 6 9 5 7 10 5 6 2 8 7 7 10 8 5 9 6 7 11 3 5 10 591 7,4 1 12 6 10 2 8 3 3 7 6 6 5 11 5 2 6 7 6 5 7 9 12 12 8 7 12 12 7 12 10 3 12 12 8 6 11 12 8 12 8 10 2 6 11 589 7,4 7 3 3 6 4 6 5 6 6 9 3 7 8 9 11 2 3 4 4 12 6 2 10 10 8 6 8 6 10 8 9 9 10 12 5 7 1 11 8 10 9 9 2 7 545 6,8 4 10 4 2 1 7 7 11 9 10 9 4 5 4 4 7 6 11 7 9 4 10 8 3 5 8 11 2 4 1 4 4 9 6 7 5 4 7 5 6 6 4 4 5 484 6,1 2 5 1 1 5 2 10 10 8 7 8 2 2 3 1 5 5 8 8 11 8 9 11 2 6 9 9 4 6 5 8 11 8 3 4 4 3 10 7 2 8 10 11 3 421 5,3 12 6 8 7 7 4 2 7 3 5 2 8 6 7 9 10 12 5 2 4 5 7 9 7 3 2 6 12 1 12 10 1 1 5 2 3 7 3 3 10 1 6 1 4 393 4,9 10 4 5 4 8 5 6 1 5 1 1 9 7 8 8 4 4 2 9 10 2 8 2 5 1 3 1 1 5 7 5 3 3 2 8 6 2 4 1 10 7 5 3 6 385 4,8 5 1 7 5 10 1 4 9 1 3 7 3 1 2 7 3 1 3 3 5 1 4 1 4 4 4 2 3 9 4 7 5 4 4 3 2 6 2 4 11 5 11 8 8 352 4,4 8 2 2 3 3 3 1 8 2 2 4 1 3 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 10 1 7 1 2 1 10 2 2 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 10 1 2 1 4 8 9 1 281 3,5

275

Things we like to do in our free time...

276

Missing activities

The least favorite buildings

Favorite building

277

Juozas JuozasMiltinis Miltinis Drama Dramatheatre theatre

Cinema Culturalcenter center Cinemaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garsasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cultural

Sports SportsPalace Palace Musical MusicalTheatre Theatre

Juozas Miltinis Drama theatre

Cinema â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garsasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Cultural center

Sports Palace

From the most favorite to the least favorite

Musical Theatre

278

Music Musicschool school

Music school

Marriage Marriage palace palace

Hotel 13 storey Domestic Hotel Domestic services service ‘Panevezys’ residential center ‘Panevezys’ residential tower center

Marriage palace

Court Court house house 1/4 1/4 km km residential residential building building

Court house

1/4 km residential building

Hotel ‘Panevezys’

Domestic service center

13 storey residential tower

279

­

280

­

­

281

Egidijus Kriksciunas

city

CONCLUSIONS

During the course of its history Panevėžys was destroyed and rebuilt several times. This has resulted in a fragmented urban structure without a clear plan. Its city centre was densified and rebuilt during the Soviet era. Most of the buildings that were constructed in this time period have survived.

Because of that they still form a large part of the identity of Panevėžys today.

When asked about the state of their city the residents of Panevėžys show mixed feelings about its Soviet heritage. Its seems that the modernist architecture in itself is not the most decisive factor.

When a building offers an activity they enjoy they also think favourably of the building. Those that have mainstream cultural functions come out on top in the rankings (everybody likes the cinema and the drama theatre because they have fond memories there).

However, when a building is not one of their usual destinations they tend to think a lot more negatively about modernist architecture (nobody likes the domestic service centre and the residential tower because they are Soviet relics).

The answers also vary by age group. The youth that has not experienced the Soviet era first hand doesn’t have a strong opinion on the modernist buildings.

When asked about what activities and facilities Panevėžys is missing most resident respond with a desire for more cultural events and recreational facilities. This shows that a lively city centre could have a positive impact on the quality of life in the city.

285

context

5 types

290

5 TYPES

Out of the initial collection of eleven buildings, five were chosen for further analysis and the development of design proposals.

I chose these specific buildings so that I could showcase a diverse series of concepts across different scale levels.

Each building represents a type that is characteristic of Soviet modernist architecture.

The types involved are: •Cinema •Domestic Service Centre •Hotel •Wedding Palace •Apartment Building

For each type I researched what its significance was during the Soviet era. After this I set out to gather relevant surviving examples. My search was not limited to other Lithuanian cities but spanned across all former Soviet Republics.

I analysed the current state of the examples I found to see if there were any shared problems or common themes to be discovered. This information was used to develop my transformation proposals so they could address more than just the specific circumstances of the buildings I found in Panevėžys.

In that way each design proposal could become a prototype; an example of how the core idea of a strategy could be implemented and possibly reused in other projects.

291

292

293

cinema

CINEMA

In the Soviet Union Cinema was very popular.

It was a form of entertainment accessible to everyone.

The government was quick to adopt the art of filmmaking to promote the socialist ideology by nationalizing the Soviet film industry. During the Soviet era a large amount of modernist Cinema theatres was constructed across the republics.

Cinemas were built as expressive one-of-a-kind projects, as mass produced standard designs and local designs that were copied in smaller numbers.

In the first 20 years of the Soviet era in Lithuania venues capable of showing film grew from fewer than a 100 to over 1000.

296

During the 1960s the introduction of the widescreen format caused the need to modernize the cinema buildings resulting in a further boom of cinema construction.

Cinemas were built according to functional types based on capacities ranging from 300 to 1600 seats. The type and capacity prescribed by the government was directly related to the size of the community the cinema was supposed to service.

297

298

Item

Original function

Capacity

Country

City

Year

State

Program today

Architect

Rossiya Cinema former Pushkinsky Cinema

CINEMA

(Was 2056 as cinema)1750

Russia

Moscow

1961

Good

55°45'58.9"N 37°36'27.7"E

Aragats

CINEMA

-

Armenia

Yerevan

ca. 1965

Good

Rossiya Cinema

CINEMA

2500

Armenia

Yerevan

1975

Bad

Kino Kijow Centrum

CINEMA

Was 960, now 826

Poland

Krakow

1967

Good

monument of architecture Yuri largest musical Sheverdyaev , Dmitr y Solopov and theatre in Moscow Elmira Gadzhinskaya Car dealer Artur Tarkhanyan, Spartak Khachikyan, Hrachik Poghosyan Partly shops center/ Spartak Khachikyan, partly abandoned Hrachik Poghosyan, Artur Tarkhanyan Renovated interior Witold Cęckiewicz cinema

Planeta

CINEMA

800

Lithuania

Kaunas

1964

Bad

Supermarket

Jonas Navakas (standard design)

54°53'15.7"N 23°55'50.0"E

Silelis

CINEMA

-

Lithuania

Anyksciai

1965

Good

Shopping Mall

Unknown (standard design)

55°31'33.6"N 25°06'32.6"E

Draugyste

CINEMA

320

Lithuania

Naujoji Vilnia 1956

Good

Supermarket

Tevyne

Unknown (standard design)

54°41'33.2"N 25°24'36.7"E

CINEMA

320

Lithuania

VIlnius

1954

Poor

Musical Theatre Club

Dainava

Unknown (standard design)

54°42'17.3"N 25°17'04.3"E

CINEMA

-

Lithuania

Kaunas

After 1965 Good

Shopping Centre

Unknown

Dainava

CINEMA

170 (today)

Lithuania

Alytus

1960

Good (renovated)

Cinema

R. Dičius (adapted standard design)

Širvėna

CINEMA

-

Lithuania

Biržai

ca 1964

Supermarket

Unkown

56°12'04.0"N 24°45'26.0"E

Saulė

CINEMA

Lithuania

Siauliai

ca. 1960

Concert Hall

Albertas Ratnikas

55°55'47.5"N 23°18'48.8"E

Minija

CINEMA

715 +150 (today; 2 halls) 300 (original) 167 (today)

demolished (destroyed during demolition of nearby watertower) Reasonable (renovated)

Lithuania

Gargzdai

1962

Good (renovated)

Cinema

55.710668, 21.400015

Jaunystė

CINEMA

-

Lithuania

Jonava

1967

Good

Supermarket

J.Peras, I Sinkunaite (standard design) Unknown

Jūra

CINEMA

400

Lithuania

Tauragė

1959

Good (transformed)

Bank

Neringa

Unknown (standard design)

CINEMA

400

Lithuania

Kaunas

1960

Bad

Various commercial activities

Eiguliai

CINEMA

Unknown

Lithuania

Kaunas

Unknown

Bad

Various commercial activities / shops

R. Dičius, J. Putna no. 2-06-30 54°54'33.8"N (adapted standard (Giproteatr, 1956) 23°52'39.0"E design) Unkown 54°55'29.4"N 23°56'29.9"E

Venta

CINEMA

400

Lithuania

Kuršėnai

Unknown

Poor

Not in use

Spindulys / Pergalė

Unknown (typical project)

CINEMA

384 + 53 (today)

Lithuania

Marijampole

1971

Reasonable (renovated)

Cinema

Unknown

Naglis

CINEMA

400

Lithuania

Palanga

1959

Poor

Cinema

Kosmosas / Lituanika

Albertas Ratnikas (adapted standard design) Unknow (standard design)

Type

Coordinates

40°11'50.8"N 44°28'47.7"E 40°10'18.9"N 44°30'48.0"E 50°03'29.8"N 19°55'30.3"E

54°54'19.1"N 23°58'42.6"E no. 2-06-30 54°23'46.7"N (Giproteatr, 1956) 24°03'03.7"E

55°04'23.6"N 24°16'33.2"E no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr 1956)

no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr 1956)

55°15'00.9"N 22°17'13.5"E

56°00'14.5"N 22°56'06.1"E 54°33'39.5"N 23°21'02.8"E

no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr 1956)

55°54'56.3"N 21°03'58.2"E

no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr 1956)

55°48'37.7"N 23°32'12.3"E

CINEMA

400

Lithuania

Radviliskis

1961

Good (transformed)

Ziburys

Various commercial activities / shops

CINEMA

-

Lithuania

Joniskis

1950

Poor

Not in use

Unknow (standard design)

56°14'19.4"N 23°36'39.4"E

Taurapilis

CINEMA

600

Lithuania

Utena

1981

Good (transformed)

Unkown

55°30'20.8"N 25°36'05.5"E

Mituva

CINEMA

300

Lithuania

Jurbarkas

ca. 1960

Poor (transformed)

Centre for Creative Industries (includes cinema) Various commercial activities / shops

55°04'40.3"N 22°46'06.8"E

Vaiva

CINEMA

800

Lithuania

Klaipeda

1962

Good (transformed)

Shopping Centre

J.Peras, I Sinkunaite (standard design) Unkown

Aidas

CINEMA

600

Lithuania

Druskininkai

1965

Good (transformed)

Shopping Centre

Vaidila

CINEMA

600

Lithuania

Klaipeda

ca.1965

Bad (transformed)

Garsas

CINEMA

1968

CINEMA

600 (original)/ Lithuania 80+672 (today) 1250 Russia

Panevezys

Современник

Reasonable (renovated) Transformed

Kino International

CINEMA

600

Germany

Berlin

1963

Various commercial Vykis Jursys activities / shops (sold (standard type) for redevelopment) Cinema Vykis Jursys (standard type) Supermarket (Дикси / V.F. Belov, O. V. Vasilenko, N. N. Dixy) Tregubov, V. M. Fromzel & L. I. Shimakovsky Cinema Josef Kaiser & Heinz Aust

Tiglina

CINEMA

800

Romania

Galați

1962

Cinema / Restaurant / Bar / Retail

Mariana Bucur

Moskva

45°25'38.6"N 28°01'50.9"E

CINEMA

700

Belarus

Minsk

1980

Good

Cinema

53°54'35.2"N 27°32'51.6"E

Oktyabr

CINEMA

1181

Belarus

Minsk

1975

Cinema

Октябрь

Good: Renovated to original condition

Viktor Kramarenko, Vladimir Shcherbina & Mikhail Vinogradov Valentin Malyshev

CINEMA

Russia

Moscow

1969

Good: Renovated & restructured

Cinema

M. Posokhin , A. Mndoyants , Yu. Popov, A. Zhbakov, V. Turchinovich, G. Unkown

55°45'11.3"N 37°35'15.1"E

G. I. Kotovsky / Patria

2450+442 (original)/ >3000 today

St. Petersburg 1969

Very good: Renovated to original condition Bad: partially transformed

Vykis Jursys (standard type)

55°42'52.5"N 21°07'45.1"E Aidas

54°00'57.1"N 23°58'41.7"E

Aidas

55°41'57.3"N 21°09'01.8"E

Aidas

55°43'54.7"N 24°21'36.8"E 60°00'35.4"N 30°24'22.7"E

52°31'13.6"N 13°25'22.0"E

53°55'19.7"N 27°35'48.6"E

CINEMA

650

Moldova

Bălți

ca. 1975

Partial use. Cinema Restaurants / Retail closed

Șipca

CINEMA

-

Moldova

Chișinău

ca. 1975

Demolished?

Church

Unkown

47°45'35.3"N 27°55'30.9"E

Iskra

47°02'18.9"N 28°51'44.0"E

CINEMA

-

Moldova

Chișinău

1970

Partially demolished

t.b.d.

R. Bechesevici

Tiraspol

46°59'54.0"N 28°51'31.0"E

CINEMA

438 + 164 + 60

Moldova / Tiraspol Transnistri a

1970

Cinema

V. Sumishevsky & G. Varavva

46°50'12.5"N 29°36'51.9"E

299

300

Russia, Moscow

Armenia, Yerevan

Poland, Krakow

Russia, St. Petersburg

Rossiya Theatre former Pushkinsky Cinema Seats Was 2056 seats as cinema, now 1750 seats Year 1961 Status Good. Renovated.Monument of architecture.

Current program Musical theatre Architects Yuri Sheverdyaev , Dmitry Solopov and Elmira Gadzhinskaya

Rossiya Cinema Seats 2500 Year 975 Status Poor, partly renovated Current program Partly shopping center center/ partly abandoned Architects Spartak Khachikyan, Hrachik Poghosyan, Artur Tarkhanyan

Kino Kijow Centrum Seats Was 960, now 826 Year 1967 Status Good, renovated interior Current program Cinema Architect Witold Cęckiewicz

Cinema Sovremennik Seats 1250 Year 1969 Status Transformed Current program Supermarket (Дикси / Dixy) Architects | V.F. Belov, O. V. Vasilenko, N. N. Tregubov, V. M. Fromzel & L. I. Shimakovsky

Germany, East Berlin

Romania, Galati

Belarus, Belarus, Minsk Minsk

Belarus, Minsk

Kino International Seats 600 Year 1963 Status Very good: Renovated to original condition Current program Cinema Architects Josef Kaiser & Heinz Aust

Cinema Tiglina Seats 800 Year 1962 Status Poor: partially transformed Current program Cinema, Restaurant, Bar, Retail Architect Mariana Bucur

Cinema Moskva Seats 700 Year 1980 Status Good Current program Cinema Architect Viktor Kramarenko, Vladimir Shcherbina & Mikhail Vinogradov

Cinema Oktyabr Seats 1181 Year 1975 Status Good: Renovated to original condition Current program Cinema Architect Valentin Malyshev

301

302

Cinema Oktyabrya in Minsk

303

Lithuania, Panevėžys

Cinema Garsas Seats 850 original; 672 + 80 today Year 1968 Status Reasonable (renovated) Current program Cinema Architect Vykis Jursys (building type ‘Aidas’, built in 3 cities in Lithuania: Panevėžys, Druskininkai & Klaipeda)

304

Lithuania, Druskininkai

Lithuania, Klaipeda

Russia, Moscow

Cinema Aidas Seats 850 Year 1965 Status Good (transformed) Current program | Supermarket Architect Vykis Jursys (building type ‘Aidas’, built in 3 cities in Lithuania: Panevėžys, Druskininkai & Klaipeda)

Cinema Vaidila Seats 850 Year ca. 1965 Status Bad Current program Not in use, sold for redevelopment Architect Vykis Jursys (building type ‘Aidas’, built in 3 cities in Lithuania: Panevėžys, Druskininkai & Klaipeda)

Cinema Oktyabr Seats 3000 Year 1969 Status Good: Renovated & restructured Current program Cinema Architects M. Posokhin , A. Mndoyants , Yu. Popov, A. Zhbakov, V. Turchinovich, G. Umnov, ingenieurs S. Shkolnikov & V. Nikolaev

Moldova, Balti

Cinema G. I. Kotovsky / Patria Seats 650 Year ca. 1975 Status Partial use. Cinema closed Current program Restaurants / Retail Architects Unkown

Moldova, Chisinau

Lithuania, Birzai

Lithuania, Kaunas

Cinema Č&#x2DC;ipca Seats Year ca. 1975 Status Demolished Architects Unkown

Cinema Sirvena Seats Year ca. 1964 Status demolished (destroyed during demolition of nearby watertower) Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown

Cinema Dainava Seats Year ca. 1965 Status Good. Renovated Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown (standard design)

305

Lithuania, Radviliskis

Cinema Kosmosas / Lituanika Seats 400 Year 1961 Status Good. Transformed Current program Various commercial activities / shops Architect Unknown (standard design no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956))

306

Lithuania, Kursenai

Lithuania, Palanga

Lithuania, Taurage

Cinema Venta Seats 400 Year Status Poor Current program Not in use Architect Unknown (standard design no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956))

Cinema Naglis Seats 400 Year 1959 Status Poor Current program Cinema Architect Albertas Ratnikas (adopted standard design no.

20-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956))

Cinema Jura Seats 400 Year 1959 Status Good. Renovated Current program Bank Architect Unknown (standard design no. 20-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956))

Lithuania, Naujoji Vilnia

Lithuania, Vilnius

Lithuania, Alytus

Lithuania, Kaunas

Cinema Draugyste Seats 320 Year 1956 Status Good. Renovated Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown (standard design)

Cinema Tevyne Seats 320 Year 1954 Status Poor Current program Musical theatre club Architect Unknown (standard design)

Cinema Dainava Seats today 170 Year 1960 Status Good. Renovated Current program Cinema Architect R. DiÄ?ius (adapted standard design no. 2-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956)

Cinema Neringa Seats 400 Year 1960 Status Bad Current program Various commercial activities Architect R. DiÄ?ius, J. Putna (adapted standard design no.

2-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956)

307

Lithuania, Kaunas

Cinema Eiguliai Seats Year ca. 1985 Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unknown

308

Lithuania, Siauliai

Lithuania, Utena

Lithuania, Birstonas

Cinema Saule Seats 715 +150 Year ca.1960 Status Reasonable (renovated) Current program Concert Hall Architect Albertas Ratnikas

Cinema Taurapilis Seats 600 Year 1981 Status Good (transformed) Current program Centre for Creative Industries (includes cinema) Architect Unknown

Cinema Pusynas Seats 400 Year ca. 1970 Status Poor Current program Not in use Architect Unknown

Ukraine, Rivne

Lithuania, Jurbarkas

Lithuania, Gargzdai

Lithuania, Joniskis

Ukraine Kinopalace Seats 700 Year ca. 1967 Status Poor Current program Cinema Architect Unknown

Cinema Mituva Seats 300 Year ca. 1960 Status Poor (transformed) Current program Various commercial activities / shops Architect Albertas Ratnikas (adopted standard design no.

20-06-30 (Giproteatr, 1956))

Cinema Minija Seats was 300, now 167 Year 1962 Status Good renovated Current program Cinema Architect J.Peras, I Sinkunaite (standard design)

Cinema Ziburys Seats Year 1950 Status Poor Current program Not in use Architect Unknown (standard design)

309

310

Former Cinema Cinema Iskra in Moldova Tiraspol

311

312

Lithuania, Anyksciai

Lithuania, Jonava

Armenia, Yerevan

Lithuania, Klaipeda

Cinema Silelis Seats Year 1965 Status Good. Renovated Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown (standard design)

Cinema Jaunyste Seats Year 1967 Status Reasonable Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown

Cinema Aragats Year ca. 1965 Status Renovated Current program Car dealership Architects Artur Tarkhanyan, Spartak Khachikyan and Hrachik Poghosyan

Cinema Vaiva Seats 800 Year 1962 Status Good (transformed) Current program Supermarket Architect Unkown

Lithuania, Kaunas

Moldova, Chisinau

Moldova, Tiraspol

Lithuania, Marijampole

Cinema Planeta Seats 800 Year 1964 Status Poor Current program Supermarket Architect Jonas Navakas (standard design)

Cinema Iskra Seats Year1970 Status Partially demolished Current program Architect R. Bechesevici

Cinema Tiraspol Seats 600 Year 1970 Status Poor Current program Cinema Architect V. Sumishevsky & G. VaravvaÂ

Cinema Spindulys / Pergale Seats now 384 + 53 Year 1971 Status Reasonable (renovated) Current program Supermarket Architect Unknown

313

CONCLUSIONS

After the fall of the Soviet Union cinemas ran into financial difficulties. Many of the standard types, but even some of the unique designs like the Rossiya by Spartak Khachikyan (Yerevan, 1975) fell into disrepair. Of the surviving buildings only a few were renovated to keep their original function.

Most were converted to shopping centres and office buildings or left (partially) empty.

One of the reasons this happened could be the difficulty to adapt these buildings to the standards of modern cinemas. Most of the theatre from this time period were designed with a single main hall with a large number of seats. Contrast this with contemporary cinemas that usually feature multiple halls with a much smaller seat count.

314

In Lithuania, along with retail, entertainment like cinemas has steadily migrated towards the strip malls situated in the periphery of the cities. This can also be seen in PanevÄ&#x2014;Ĺžys. Of the four cinemas that were once operating simultaneously in the city centre only Garsas remains.

It is interesting that, when researching the fate of these buildings, many articles from local news agencies can be found detailing controversial redevelopments of abandoned or struggling properties. Most articles show a nostalgic fondness for Soviet era cinema buildings. This usually is not tied to their architectural value but more to the memories of the movie-going experience held by those that grew up with them.

315

316

domestic service center

317

DOMESTIC SERVICE CENTRE

The domestic service centre was a type introduced in the early 1960’s. Its development was part of the Communist party’s endeavours to imitate material wealth and consumption by providing the citizens of the USSR with modern consumer services and opportunities for leisure and recreation.

The goal of the domestic service centre was to fulfil daily needs and free households of bothersome domestic chores. The centres provided a wide range of standard and ‘luxury’ services including: dry cleaning, haircuts, repair services for appliances, photography, cooking classes and housekeeping services. Combining these services in one building made them more accessible to a large group of people and encouraged the service providers to work together as a collective.

Domestic service centres were widespread. They were constructed both in existing towns and city centres as well as part of the centre complexes of

318

the newly built mikrorayons.

Initially domestic service centres were built according to mandatory standard designs. In later years the use of individual designs became more commonplace which allowed domestic service centres and mikrorayon centres to become landmarks in otherwise uniform surroundings.

DSC in Kaluga, Russia

319

Item

Алмаз

Izumrud

Topaz

Country

DOMESTIC SC

City

Year

State

Program today

Architect

Turkmenistan Ashgabat

Unknown

Reasonable

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Yekaterinburg

1964

Medium

bar, service, Unknown cleaning service, photography shop, consumer services Office center/ Unknown commercial

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Krasnodar

1970

Demolished

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Kaluga

1972

Renovated

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Ivanova

1970

DOMESTIC SC

Belarus

Vitebsk

DOMESTIC SC

Belarus

DOMESTIC SC

Type

Coordinates 37°56'45"N 58°22'47"E 56°50'01.3"N 60°36'01.9"E

Unknown

45°02'31.2"N 38°58'42.6"E

Same

Unknown

54°30'50.9"N 36°15'43.3"E

Reasonable

shopping centre

Unknown

1972

To be transformed

shopping centre

Unknown

55°11'44.8"N 30°11'16.4"E

Minsk

ca 1970

Reasonable

shopping centre

Unknown

53°53'12.8"N 27°32'12.2"E

Russia

Perm

ca 1970

DOMESTIC SC

Belarus

Grodno

1971

Demolished; replaced by shopping centre To be demolished

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Perm

1987

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Naberezhnye Chelny

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

DOMESTIC SC

282-1-10

57°00'30.8"N 40°59'20.3"E

Unknown

282-1-10

58°00'26.9"N 56°14'07.7"E

Office center/ commercial

Unknown

282-1-10

53°40'39.0"N 23°49'38.8"E

Bad

Same

Unknown

ca 1970

Transformed

Office building

Unknown

282-1-9

55°44'41.2"N 52°25'11.7"E

Tomsk

1973

Poor

Office building

Unknown

282-1-9

56°27'51.4"N 84°57'57.6"E

Russia

Petrozavodsk

1966 (type)

Poor

Unknown

408-14-5

61°47'18.9"N 34°20'09.5"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Perm

1977 (type)

Reasonable

Various commercial activities shopping centre

Unknown

282-1-108

58°06'37.9"N 56°22'22.3"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Taganrog

1966 (type)

Poor

shopping centre

Unknown

282-1-9

47°13'19.3"N 38°55'24.2"E

58°00'08.5"N 56°15'53.5"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

Irkutsk

1974

To be renovated

consumer services Unknown

Нарвский (Narvsky) DOMESTIC SC

52°17'01.9"N 104°17'25.4"E

Russia

St. Petersberg

1968-1970

Poor

Кристалл (Kristall)

consumer services O.V. Vasilenko, Ya.D. Bolotin

59°54'12.7"N 30°16'29.1"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

St. Petersberg

1968-1976

Reasonable

offices for startups

O.B. Golynkin, Ya.D. Bolotin

59°53'14.0"N 30°25'18.3"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

St. Petersberg

1969

Reasonable

R.A. Bregman, O.V. Vasilenko

59°55'29.5"N 30°20'46.0"E

DOMESTIC SC

Russia

St. Petersberg

1969

Poor

Kazachstan

ca 1970

Transformed (in poor taste)

Онерпаз

DOMESTIC SC

Kazachstan

Nur-Sultan (Astana / Tselinograd) Atyrau

O.B. Golynkin, L.A. Keller, B.P. Brovchin Unknown

59°55'29.3"N 30°17'25.6"E

DOMESTIC SC

Various commercial activities Various commercial activities offices

ca 1970

47°06'15.3"N 51°53'46.6"E

DOMESTIC SC

Serbia

Arandjelovac

ca 1970

To be demolished

Unknown

44°18'27.1"N 20°33'29.8"E

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Siauliai

1981

Poor

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Klaipeda

Various commercial activities Various commercial activities Online store for baby supplies

Unknown

Робне куће “Колектив“

Renovated (in poor taste)

Algimantas Alekna Unknown

55°54'41.3"N 23°16'12.2"E

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Kaunas

1969

Renovated

Business center

Vytautas Dičius

54°53'24.2"N 23°55'35.6"E

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Panevezys

1973

Poor

Nijolė Garbaliauskienė

55°43'49.0"N 24°21'35.8"E

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Marijampole

Various commercial activities

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Pasvalys

1982

Poor

Unknown

56°03'42.6"N 24°24'02.0"E

DOMESTIC SC

Lithuania

Kaisiadorys

Unknown

Demolished

Unknown

54°51'43.2"N 24°27'20.6"E

DOMESTIC SC

Ukraine

Charkov

1973

Poor

Ukraine

Kryvy Rih

ca 1965 (type)

Poor

E.V. Lebedeva, V.L. Antonov, B.G. Klein Unknown

49°59'14.7"N 36°12'31.7"E

DOMESTIC SC

Various commercial activities Various commercial activities Various commercial activities Various commercial activities

Торговый комплекс «Меридиан»

320

Original function

51°10'06.9"N 71°25'31.7"E

Unknown

2-438У-3-1

47°40'57.9"N 33°09'40.4"E

321

322

Serbia, Andrajelovac

Lithuania, Siauliai

Lithuania,Kaunas

Lithuania, Panevėžys

Year ca 1970 Status To be demolished Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown

Year 1981 Status Poor Current program Online store for baby supplies (www. babycare.lt) Architect Algimantas Alekna

Year 1969 Status Renovated Current program Business center Architect Vytautas Dičius

Year 1973 Status Poor Various commercial activities Architect Nijolė Garbaliauskienė

Lithuania, Pasvalys

Lithuania, Kaisiadorys

Kazachstan, Nur-Sultan (Astana / Tselinograd)

Kazachstan, Atyrau

Year 1982 Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown

Year Status Demolished Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown

Year ca 1970 Status Transformed (in poor taste) Current program Offices Architect Unkown

Year ca 1970 Status Renovated (in poor taste) Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown

323

324

DSC in Kaluga, Russia

325

326

Russia, Yekaterinburg

Russia, Krasnodar

Russia, Kaluga

Russia, Ivanovo

Year 1964 Status Medium Current program Office center/ commercial Architect Unkown

Year 1970 Status Demolished Current program Architect Unkown

Year 1972 Status Renovated Current program Same Architect Unkown

Year 1970 Status Reasonable Current program Shopping centre Architect Unkown Standard Type 282-1-10

Belarus, Viciebsk

Belarus, Minsk

Russia, Perm

Russia, Naberezhnye Chelny

Year 1972 Status To be transformed Current program Shopping centre Architect Unkown

Year ca 1970 Status Reasonable Current program Shopping centre Architect Unkown

Year 1977 (type) Status Reasonable Current program Shopping centre Architect Unkown Standard Type 282-1-10

Year ca 1970 Status Transformed Current program Office building Architect Unkown Standard Type 282-1-9

327

328

DSC in Kazachstan, Nur-Sultan

After transformation

329

330

Russia, Tomsk

Russia, Petrozavodsk

Russia, Taganrog

Belarus, Grodno

Year 1973 Status Poor Current program Office building Architect Unkown Standard Type 282-1-9

Year 1966 (type) Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown Standard Type 408-14-5

Year 1966 (type) Status Poor Current program Shopping centre Architect Unkown Standard Type 282-1-9

Year 1971 Status To be demolished Current program Office center/ commercial Architect Unkown Standard Type 2-438ĐŁ-3-1

Russia, Irkutsk

Russia, St. Petersburg

Russia, St. Petersburg

Year 1974 Status To be renovated Current program Consumer services Architect Unkown

Year 1969 Status Reasonable Current program Various commercial activities Architect R.A. Bregman, O.V. Vasilenko Standard Type 282-1-9

Year 1969 Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect O.B. Golynkin, L.A. Keller, B.P. Brovchin Standard Type 282-1-9

331

332

Ukraine, Charkov

Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

Russia, St. Petersberg

Year 1973 Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect E.V. Lebedeva, V.L. Antonov, B.G. Klein

Year ca 1965 (type) Status Poor Current program Various commercial activities Architect Unkown Standard Type 2-438У-3-1

Year Unkown Status Reasonable Current program Bar, service, cleaning service, photography shop, photographic studio, consumer services Architect Unkown

Year 1968-1976 Status Reasonable Current program Offices for startups Architect O.B. Golynkin, Ya.D. Bolotin

Russia, St. Petersberg

Kazachstan, Tselinograd

Year 1968-1970 Status Poor Current program Consumer services Architect O.V. Vasilenko, Ya.D. Bolotin

Year ca 1970 Status Transformed (in poor taste) Current program Offices Architect Unkown

333

CONCLUSIONS

The hybrid nature of domestic service centres can still be observed today. With their service providers commonly replaced by shops and offices most surviving buildings still house an eclectic mix of programmes. When their ownership is fragmented this often results in poorly maintained buildings.

In a lot of examples uncoordinated exterior signage and improvised interior partitions cloud the original design intentions. During their development both the standard and the later individual designs were often encouraged to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;as modernist as possibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; using clear shapes and large glass surfaces.

334

335

336

hotel

HOTEL

Hotels in the Soviet Union were part of an elaborate government-regulated system for mass tourism. In this system tourism was segregated into domestic tourism and foreign tourism.

Foreign tourism was used as a vehicle for propaganda while regulated domestic tourism offered the possibility to control the way the public spent their leisure time. In the industrial centres hotels were also frequently used by engineers and specialists who carried out assignments across multiple Soviet states.

Foreign tourism was organised exclusively by tour operator Intourist (Интурист) in all Soviet States.

In 1960 Intourist started hosting foreign visitors in Vilnius in small numbers.

Special attention was given to visitors belonging to Lithuanian communities living abroad. Organising trips to Soviet Lithuania was used as a way to strengthen cultural ties with emigrated Lithuanians and their descendants hoping to influence them with propaganda.

338

As part of this propaganda effort hotels were meant to impress foreign visitors with their contemporary modernist architecture.

High-rise hotels intended to prove that Soviet architecture and engineering were no worse than their western counterparts.

Hotels meant to host foreigners were often decorated with contemporary furniture and finished with specially imported materials to imitate a western lifestyle. This made them popular destinations for the Soviet cultural elite as well.

In contrast, hotels meant exclusively for domestic tourism often were constructed with cheap standardised construction methods and used simple standard designs.

Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent

339

340

Item

Original function

Capacity

Country

City

Year

State

Program today

Typology

Coordinates

Hotel Skampa

Hotel

99 rooms

Albania

Elbasan

1975

In use, medium bad

Hotel

Slab

41.112127, 20.080763

Tirana International (Hotels Tirana)

Hotel

168 rooms

Albania

Tirana

1979

In use, renovated, good

Hotel

Square

41°19′47″N 19°49′7″E

Tourist Hotel

Hotel

215 rooms

Belarus

Minsk

1986

In use, renovated, medium

3* Hotel

Slab

53.876216, 27.627925

Belarus Hotel

Hotel

444 rooms

Belarus

Minsk

1987

In use, renovated, good

Hotel

Slab shaped 53.915361, 27.550194

Olympic Hotel (Holiday)

Hotel

-

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sarajevo

1984

In use, good state

Hotel

Square

43.856595, 18.403843

Hotel Grand Riga

Hotel

-

Bulgaria

Ruse

1975

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

43.853454, 25.951685

Hotel Olympik

Hotel

-

Czech Republic

Praha

1974

In use, medium

Hotel

Slab

50.098544, 14.468394

Thermal Hotel

Hotel

-

Czech Republic

Karlovy Vary

1976

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

50°13'43"N 12°52'38"E

Viru Hotel (Sokos Hotel)

Hotel

516 rooms

Estonia

Tallinn

1972

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

59.436606, 24.755402

Hotel Stadt Berlin (Park Inn, Radisson)

Hotel

-

Germany

East Berlin

1970

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

52.522830, 13.413150

Hotel Budapest (Danubius Hotel Budapest)

Hotel

280 rooms

Hungary

Budapest

1965

In use, good state

Hotel

Circle

47.511985, 19.013607

Hotel Kazakhstan

Hotel

—

Kazachstan

Almaty

1977

In use, good state

4* Hotel

Slab blowed 43°14'42.4"N 76°57'27.7"E

Hotel Riga (Radisson Blu)

Hotel

—

Latvia

Riga

1979

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

56.954909, 24.117491

Hotel Baltija

Hotel

—

Lithuania

Kaunas

1967

In use

Students housing

Slab

54.894648, 23.925239

Hotel Nevezis

Hotel

—

Lithuania

Panevezys

1972

Not in use

-

Slab bended 55.729185, 24.361577

Hotel Siauliai

Hotel

—

Lithuania

Siauliai

1979

In use, medium

Hotel

Slab

55.928661, 23.320507

Hotel Lietuva (Radisson Blu Lietuva)

Hotel

—

Lithuania

Vilnius

1983

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab

54.695193, 25.274609

Cosmos Hotel

Hotel

—

Moldova

Chisinau

1983

Partly in use, bad state

Hotel

Slab

47.013816, 28.853869

Hotel Orbis Polonez

Hotel

—

Poland

Poznan

1974

In use

Student hostel

Slab bended 52.415047, 16.927093

Hotel Silezia

Hotel

—

Poland

Katowice

1971

Demolished 2019

-

Slab

Hotel Sudety

Hotel

—

Poland

Walbrych

1971

Not in use

-

Slab

Hotel Dorobanti (Sheraton Bucharest Hotel)

Hotel

—

Romania

Bucharest

1976

In use, good state

5* Hotel

Square

44.446473, 26.099250

Hotel Unirea

Hotel

—

Romania

Iaşi

1969

In use, good state

4* Hotel

Square

47.166749, 27.580545

Hotel Muntenia

Hotel

221 rooms

Romania

Pitesti

1976

In use, medium

Hotel

Circle

44.857020, 24.872456

Sovetskaya Hotel (Azimut)

Hotel

1047 rooms

Russia

St. Petersburg 1967

In use (Azimut Hotel) good state

Hotel

Slab

59.914697, 30.296508

Sputnik Hotel

Hotel

-

Russia

Moscow

Demolished

-

Slab

55°42'16"N 37°34'18"E

Leningrad Hotel (Saint Petersburg )

Hotel

399 rooms

Russia

St. Petersburg 1970

In use, good state

4* Hotel

Slab

59.956917, 30.341806

Leningrad Hotel

Hotel

80 rooms

Russia

Makhachkala

1970

In use, medium

Hotel

Slab

42°58'43"N 47°30'53"E

Cosmos Hotel

Hotel

1777 rooms

Russia

Moscow

1979

In use, good state

Hotel

Slab bended 55.822590, 37.646884

Hotel Slavutich

Hotel

400 rooms

Ukraine

Kiev

1972

In use, medium

3* Hotel

Slab bended 50°26'0"N 30°35'38"E

Hotel Uzbekistan

Hotel

-

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

1974

In use, good state

4* Hotel

Slab bended 41°18'41"N 69°16'58"E

Hotel Moskva

Hotel

-

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

1983

Not in use

-

-

1968

50 ° 15′41.5 ″ N 19 ° 01′12,9 ″ E 50.782881, 16.284869

41.322540, 69.234673

341

342

Estonia, Tallinn

Moldova, Chisinau

Viru Hotel (Sokos Hotel) Years 1972 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel 516 rooms

Cosmos Hotel Years 1983 Status Partly in use, bad state Current program Hotel

Lithuania, Siauliai

Germany, East Berlin

Hotel Siauliai Years 1979 Status In use, medium Current program Hotel

Hotel Stadt Berlin (Park Inn, Radisson) Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

Czech Rep, Praha

Lithuania, Vilnius

Belarus, Minsk

Latvia, Riga

Hotel Stadt Berlin (Park Inn, Radisson) Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

Hotel Lietuva (Radisson Blu Lietuva) Years 1983 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

Tourist Hotel Years 1986 Status In use, renovated, medium Current program 3* hotel (215 rooms)

Hotel Riga (Radisson Blu) Years 1979 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

343

Bulgaria, Ruse

Czech Republic,

Russia, Makhachkala

Poland, Katowice

Karlovy Vary

Hotel Grand Riga Years 1975 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

344

Thermal Hotel Years 1976 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

Leningrad Hotel Years 1970 Status In use, medium Current program Hotel (80 rooms)

Hotel Silezia Years 1971 Demolished 2019

Russia, St Petersburg

Poland, Walbrzych

Russia, Moscow

Russia, St Petersburg

Sovetskaya Hotel (Azimut) Years 1967 Status In use (Azimut hotel) good state Current program Hotel (1047 rooms)

Hotel Sudety Years 1971 Status Not in use Current program -

Sputnik Hotel Years 1968 Demolished

Leningrad Hotel (Saint Petersburg ) Years 1970 Status In use, good state Current program 4* hotel (399 rooms)

345

346

Lithuania, Kaunas

Lithuania, PanevÄ&#x2014;Ĺžys

Poland, Poznan

Ukraine, Kiev

Hotel Baltija Years 1967 Status In use Current program Students housing

Hotel Nevezis Years 1972 Status Not in use Current program -

Hotel Orbis Polonez Years 1974 Status In use Current program Student hostel

Hotel Slavutich Years 1972 Status In use, medium Current program 3* hotel (400 rooms)

Uzbekistan, Tashkent

Russia, Moscow

Uzbekistan, Tashkent

Kazachstan, Almaty

Hotel Uzbekistan Years 1974 Status In use, good state Current program 4* hotel

Cosmos Hotel Years 1979 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel (1777 rooms)

Hotel Moskva Years 1983 Status Not in use -

Hotel Kazakhstan Years 1977 Status In use, good state Current program 4* hotel

347

348

Bar of hotel Intourist in Moscow

349

350

Albania, Elbasvan

Albania, Tirana

Romania, Bucharest

Romania, IaĹ&#x;i

Hotel Skampa Years 1975 Status In use, medium bad Current program Hotel (99 rooms)

Tirana International (Hotel Tirana) Years 1979 Status In use, renovated, good Current program Hotel (168)

Hotel Dorobanti (Sheraton Bucharest Hotel) Years 1976 Status In use, good state Current program 5* hotel

Hotel Unirea Years 1969 Status In use, good state Current program 4* Hotel

Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sarajevo

Olympic Hotel (Holiday) Years 1984 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel

Hungary, Budapest

Romania, Pitesi

Belarus, Minsk

Hotel Budapest (Danubius Hotel Budapest) Years 1965 Status In use, good state Current program Hotel (280 rooms)

Hotel Skampa Years 1975 Status In use, medium bad Current program Hotel (99 rooms)

Belarus Hotel Years 1987 Status In use, renovated, good Current program Hotel (444 rooms)

351

CONCLUSIONS

The choice to adopt a high-rise concept for hotels was often made purely for symbolic reasons and had no basis in local needs or urban studies.

When the Soviet Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state-run tourism disappeared, large hotels outside of popular tourism destinations had trouble staying afloat because there was no local demand for their services.

Their large, repetitive structures, can however be adapted to house alternative programmes.

352

Hotel Cosmos in Moscow

353

354

wedding palace

355

WEDDING PALACE

The government of the Soviet Union followed an official policy of state atheism, aiming to gradually eliminate religious belief within its borders. Socialist rituals were to replace “old regime” events and create new holidays and celebrations. Ceremonies such as marriage and christening were lifted from sacral spaces and transformed into civil services handled at a specially created civil registry. This function was introduced during the early beginnings of the socialist regime but soon became bureaucratic and lost its ritual importance.

In the 1960’s a new type of ceremonial building started to appear: that of the wedding palace.

Specific attention was paid to make these venues, and the proceedings that took place there, special and festive. A public, atheist ‘church’ was born.

The first of such palaces were opened in Moscow and Saint Petersburg but there the ceremonies still took place in existing historic buildings. The first purpose-built wedding palace was constructed in Vilnius in 1968.

Since there were no predecessors to build upon, the type had to be developed from scratch.

The two most important assignments given to the architect were to find a fitting aesthetic appearance for the building and design a plan for the ceremony itself.

356

Gediminas Baravykas, the young architect that was given the commission in Vilnius, pioneered various elements that would be reused in the designs for wedding palaces that followed . Especially the concept of the bridal path was praised at the time of its introduction. As part of the ceremony the couple followed a pre-planned route through the palace’s various decorated spaces. This was meant to evoke a growing emotional tension that would reach its peak at the ceremonial table.

Although the concept of a wedding palace was new it was still somewhere in between a church and a city hall. A building that was created for rituals without naming them. As such it retained various symbols and traditional elements: large stained glass windows, symmetry, a table as a reference to an altar, flame motives and music to accompany ceremonies.

The architectural expression is noticeably inspired by modernist sacral designs such as the NotreDame du Haut by Le Corbusier (Ronchamp, 1955) or St Mary’s Cathedral by Kenzo Tange (Tokyo, 1964). Maybe because Lithuanian architects lost their opportunity to design a church, they still turned to modernist sacral architecture for inspiration.

Wedding palace in Bishkek

357

358

Original function Country

City

Year

State

Program today

Architect

Coordinates

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Chorzow

1963

Reasonable

Wedding palace

50°17'43.4"N 18°57'12.6"E

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Kotowice

1969

Demolished in 2011

Wedding palace

Henryk Buszko & Aleksander Franta Mieczysław Król

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Sosnowiec

1965

Poor

Night club

50°16'52.2"N 19°08'09.9"E

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Anyksciai

1984

Good (transformed)

Creative center

WEDDING PALACE

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

1987

Good

Wedding palace

Henryk Buszko & Aleksander Franta Gediminas Baravykas & E. Šatūras (lighting A. Logunov & A.

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Kiev

1980

Good

Wedding palace

50°26'55.3"N 30°28'42.5"E

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Visaginas

1995

Good

Wedding palace

V. Gopkalo, V. Grechina & N. Yurchenko Unknown

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Vilnius

1974

Good

Wedding palace

Gediminas Baravykas

54°40'59.4"N 25°16'11.3"E

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Kiev

Unknown

Poor

Wedding palace

Unknown

50°26'50.3"N 30°36'58.5"E

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Panevezys

1987

Reasonable

Wedding palace

Juozas Skublickas

55°43'50.6"N 24°21'31.4"E

WEDDING PALACE

Georgia

Tbilisi

1984

Good

Event space

Victor Djorbenadze

41°41'06.0"N 44°49'39.8"E

WEDDING PALACE

Kazachstan

Almaty

1971

Good

Wedding palace

43°14'28.3"N 76°55'12.6"E

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Częstochowa

1980

Reasonable

Wedding palace

M. Mendikulov, A. Leppik and N. Orazymbetov Włodzimierz Ściegienny

WEDDING PALACE

Russia

Belgorod

1981

Good

Wedding palace

WEDDING PALACE

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

Unknown

Reasonable

Wedding palace

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Chernihiv

1988

Poor

Wedding palace

Vyacheslav Pavlyukov

51°29'45.1"N 31°18'34.9"E

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Siauliai

1975

Reasonable

Wedding palace

55°55'53.7"N 23°18'44.8"E

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Lutsk

1985

Poor

Wedding palace

Apolonija Nistelienė & Ignas Laurušas Vladimir Moroz

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Lodz

Unknown

Reasonable

Closed

Unknown

51°47'31.8"N 19°26'57.7"E

WEDDING PALACE

Poland

Lodz

Unknown

Bad

Wedding palace

Unknown

51°45'49.9"N 19°30'00.4"E

WEDDING PALACE

Lithuania

Klaipeda

1978

Reasonable

Wedding palace

Ramunas Kraniauskas

55°42'47.0"N 21°07'42.2"E

WEDDING PALACE

Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar

1976

Good

Wedding palace

Unknown

47°54'51.9"N 106°55'12.9"E

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Vinnitsa

Unknown

Poor

Wedding palace

Unknown

49°14'24.6"N 28°29'34.7"E

WEDDING PALACE

Ukraine

Svyatoshinski

ca. 1973

Poor

Wedding palace

Unknown

50°26'02.3"N 30°22'38.7"E

WEDDING PALACE

Russia

Samara

1983

Reasonable

Wedding palace

Alexey 53°12'28.4"N Gerasimov, Vagan 50°07'19.6"E Karkaryan

WEDDING PALACE

Belarus

Brest

Unknown

Reasonable

Wedding palace

Unknown

52°05'05.3"N 23°42'55.7"E

WEDDING PALACE

Belarus

Minsk

1983

Reasonable

Wedding palace

Unknown

53°51'51.2"N 27°36'35.7"E

WEDDING PALACE

Belarus

Minsk

1977

Good

Wedding palace

Unknown

53°54'46.1"N 27°29'39.9"E

Klishevich

50°15'48.2"N 19°01'20.2"E

55°31'17.8"N 25°05'51.2"E 42°52'57.5"N 74°36'45.1"E

55°35'24.9"N 26°26'44.3"E

50°48'22.6"N 19°06'53.2"E

V. Vishnevsky, 50°35'39.0"N O. Vishnevskaya, 36°35'18.5"E S. Mikhalev Unknown 41°18'20.6"N 69°14'37.7"E

50°45'52.3"N 25°21'58.8"E

359

360

Poland, Chorzów

Poland, Katowice

Poland, Sosnowcu

Lithuania, Anyksciai

Wedding pavilion Year 1963 Status Poor. In use Current program Supermarket Architects Henryk Buszko & Aleksander Franta Type Free standing

Wedding pavilion Year 1969 Status Demolished in 2011 Current program Parking Architect Mieczysław Król Type Free standing

Wedding pavilion Year 1965 Status Poor Current program Night club Architects Henryk Buszko & Aleksander Franta Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1984 Status Good, transformed Current program Creative center, wedding ceremonies.

Architects G. Baravykas, šviestuvo dizain. E. Šatūras Type Free standing

Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Ukraine, Kiev

Lithuania, Visaginas

Russia, Belgorod

Wedding palace Year 1987 Status In use; reasonable Architects A. Logunov and A. Klishevich Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1980 Status In use; reasonable Architects V. Gopkalo and V. Grechina and the engineer N. Yurchenko Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1995 Status In use; reasonable Architects Unknown Type Part of the block

Wedding palace Year 1981 Status Good Current program original Architects V. Vishnevsky, O. Vishnevskaya, S. Mikhalev Type Part of the block

361

362

Wedding palace in Visaginas, Lithuania

363

vi icke

či

3

M

. sg

A.

iau Viln

ų yvas II

Bella dea

8

Odontologijos kabinetas

Camelia Vaistin ė

VIP Fleurs Boutique

ro

14

Kirpykla

166

Medicinos bankas Civilin ės metrikacijos skyriaus filijalas

Viln . sg iau

Brodv ėjaus kepykl ėlė Svetain ė Jums

Euro shop

Šiauli ų apskrities archyvas

51 Vizitas

Kubas

Grožio startas

154

po

g.

Auksas

Praba

213

22A

Paralel ė

Var

55

47

155

Vollit Nacionalini ų lėlių muziejus

64

NFQ

g.

us ia Viln

Game Over

Audiniai

Vizija . g

po

D

Šiauli ų turizmo informacijos centras

17 Gigabitas

lž

Ti

Karatas

Arkos

Remarka

Medicinos bankas

199

g.

151 Lietuvos draudimas

Var

193 11

A12

Ingena optika

NG Optika

g.

po

us ia Viln

Santuok ų Rūmai

50

g.

Salingas

Beržyn ėlis Camelia Vaistin ė

Elsis 43

Jes&7

ės

Centras

Fielmann

45 106

Vizija

Šiauli ų dramos teatras

Venue

49

Blank ų leidykla

Teatro bufetas

Blic bar

Var

213

43A

Prisik ėlimo aikšt ė

Swedbank Zuff y Boutique

g.

ro va

Prisik ėlimo aikšt ė

Camelia Vaistin ė

25C

73

69

Prisik ėlimo aikšt ės fontanas

g.

Dva 69A

53

g.

Kūno kult ūros ir sporto skyrius

Eurovaistin ė

217

57

Šiauli ų centro pradin ė mokykla

po

Var

168 Vizija

Garaž ų bendrija Nr. GSEB99-27

12

27

Optika

Efektas

170

B-Cafe & City Wok

3A

šr Au

5

10

164

Pelikanai

Zuff y Kids 54A

149 Šiauli ų bankas

g.

140

ės

Kiauli ė

Tilž 41

D

ro

g.

Skizze

9

Linkuvos m ėsa

Optika

Bottom Up

Vėžys

Dabija

Ca ff eine

189

49

GSM remontas

39 46

Vy

taut

o g.

Prieš plauk ą

Kapitonas Morganas

Presto 181

Šiauli ų Juliaus Janonio gimnazija

102 7

po

g.

137

ės

g.

Praba Užimtumo tarnyba - Šiauli ų miesto 1-asis skyrius

Prezo kepykl ėlė

41 Blankai Redonta Judenta

Saldaini ų fabrikas "Rūta"

A12

133

s Va

io

16

39 Casino

41

113

Lithuania, Siauliai Vy

tau

to

g.

ės

Saul ė koncert ų sal ė

Šokolado muziejus

Ukraine, Lutsk

144

g.

Admiral Club

37

37

Šaulys

Oberhaus

šin

Tilž

Gjensidige 33

P. Vi

Ukraine, Chernihiv

Wedding palace Year 1988 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Vyacheslav Pavlyukov Type Free standing

Valerijonas vaistažoli ų arbatin ė

Pekinas

Rūta

Šiauli ų Santarv ės gimnazija

Povilas Višinski

Valerijonas klinika

7 spalvos

A11

pšelis arželis gždutė

44

ar

Medicinos bankas

Avalyn ės taisykla Playbox

ia

o g.

Viln

taut

g.

g.

Vy

s sio

-o

39A

Audiniai

125

46

183A

T ilž

Var

Dvaro

364

134

. sg iau Viln

Verslo centras 154 Talša

skio

Dantuk ų fėja

138

Leja

va

Šaulys 40

Šiauli ų Universitetas Humanitarinis fakultetas

Poland, Lodz

Bikko.lt d i či i

Wedding palace Year 1975 Status Good Current program original Architects Apolonija Nistelienė & Ignas Laurušu Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1985 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Vladimir Moroz Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year Status Closed Current program Architects Unknown Type Free standing

Poland, Lodz

Lithuania, Klaipeda

Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

Wedding palace Year Status Poor Current program original Architects Unknown Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1978 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Ramunas Kraniauskas Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1976 Status Good Current program original Architects Unknown Type Free standing

365

366

Ukraine, Vinnitsa

Ukraine, Svyatoshinski

Russia, Samara

Belarusia, Brest

Wedding palace Year Status Poor Current program original Architects Unknown Type Appendix

Wedding palace Year ca. 1973 Status Poor Current program original Architects Unknown Type Appendix

Wedding palace Year 1983 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Alexey Gerasimov, Vagan Karkaryan Type Appendix

Wedding palace Year Status Reasonable Current program Original Architects Unknown Type Appendix

Belarus, Minsk

Belarus, Minsk

Ukraine, Kiev

Wedding palace Year 1983 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Unknownv Type Appendix

Wedding palace Year 1977 Status Good Current program original Architects Unknown Type Appendix

Wedding palace Year Status Poor Current program original Architects Unknown Type Appendix

367

368

Lithuania , Vilnius

Uzbekistan, Tashkent

Lithuania , PanevÄ&#x2014;Ĺžys

Wedding palace Year 1974 Status Good; partly renovared Current program original Architects Gediminas Baravykas Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year Unknown Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Unknown Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1987 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Juozas Skublickas Type Free standing

Georgia, Tbilisi

Wedding palace Year 1984 Status Good; partly renovated Current program Event space Architects Victor Djorbenadze Type Free standing

Kazachstan, Almaty

Poland, Częstochowa

Wedding palace Year 1971 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects M. Mendikulov, A. Leppik and N. Orazymbetov Type Free standing

Wedding palace Year 1980 Status Reasonable Current program original Architects Włodzimierz Ściegienny Type Free standing

369

CONCLUSIONS

Since the end of the Soviet era most wedding palaces have remained in use as ceremonial spaces. They however face the renewed competition of religious institutions. In many places the late modernist architecture of wedding palaces is considered dated making them an unpopular choices for wedding ceremonies. Because they were usually designed as monumental freestanding buildings most wedding palaces are sensitive to how their surroundings respond to their presence. A poorly located wedding palace is an unattractive wedding venue.

Changing opinions in society on the concept of marriage and its relationship to religion offer an unique opportunity to reinvent the wedding palace.

A type that was born from a policy of religious oppression could be inverted to become a place that promotes inclusion. A place where anyone could get married, regardless of faith, gender or cultural background.

370

371

372

apartment building

373

APARTMENT BUILDING

The Soviet era is notorious for its mass housing developments that were built according to standard plans all over the Soviet republics, regardless of their context, climate or landscape.

Starting from the mid 1950s the planning of mass residential projects was regulated by strict norms and directives. New districts were planned according to a zoning system of tiered public services while limitations were imposed on the dimensions, typology and construction methods of residential buildings. The planning requirements for apartments were expressed in m2 living space per resident and there was a hard limit on the maximum size of a unit.

To allow the use of prefabricated components standard plans for residential buildings were developed around planning units called ‘sections’.

Each section consisted of a stairwell that was surrounded by a configuration of apartments.

By combining sections a rectangular multiapartment complex could be composed. Because of economical reasons most planners quickly gravitated towards the most efficient solution within this system: repetitive buildings with five storeys that did not require an elevator.

The result of this focus on economy and efficiency was extreme uniformity across developments and floor plans that were more concerned with complying to regulations than with providing comfort.

This widespread standardisation however did not mean that standards of living were equal to all citizens. How comfortable you could live was dependant on what region you lived, what your

374

profession was and how well connected to the Communist Party you were.

Private, single-family houses still existed in the Soviet Union but their development was severely restricted and limited to rural areas. Mass housing developments were either state-owned or cooperative. State-owned housing was allocated by state agencies, local councils or industrial enterprises that provided lodging for their workforce.

Most citizens got their apartments appointed through local councils. These apartments were the least desirable and had long waiting lists. If you were fortunate enough to have acquired enough personal savings, or carried out a profession that had formed a special interest group, you could join a housing cooperative as an alternative.

By creating a housing cooperative citizens could pool funds to contribute to a real estate development scheme they could occupy themselves upon completion. This had the advantage of skipping the long waiting lists, but also provided more control over the quality of their living conditions and who their neighbours were going to be.

Especially privileged were the citizens that held key positions within the Communist Party or those that were close to them. For the so called ‘nomenklatura’ state-owned residences were provided in pre-war villa districts. These could also take the form of purpose-built apartment buildings that were noticeably more luxurious than those found in the mikrorayons.

Housing in Moldova, ChiČ&#x2122;inÄ&#x192;u

375

Item

Original function

16-storey residential building for Gosstroy Residential

Country

City

Year

State

Program today

Architect

Coordinates

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Azerbaijan

Baku

1975

Poor

Housing

Alexander Belokon, V. Sulimova

40°24'36.9"N 49°48'17.1"E

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Azerbaijan

Sumgait

1975

Poor

Housing

40°35'09.2"N 49°41'03.2"E

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Moldova

Chișinău

1978-1986

Poor

Housing

‘Sasyska’

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Lithuania

Panevezys

1975

Reasonable

13a. Daugiabutis

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Lithuania

Panevezys

1980

Reasonable

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Lithuania

Kaunas

1974

Good

Housing with commercial plinth Housing with commercial plinth Housing with commercial plinth

Mikail Üseynov, N. Akhundova, A. Oltetsyan Oleg Vronsky, A. Marian, O. Blogu, S. Krani, N. Rebenko, P. Feldman Nijole Garbaliauskiene

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Lithuania

Vilnius

1970

Reasonable

Housing

Elena Nijole Buciute

54°42'00.8"N 25°14'42.8"E

Birdhouse

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Belarus

Babruysk

1980

Reasonable

Housing

V. Galushenko

53°08'55.1"N 29°13'44.5"E

Honeycomb

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Belarus

Minsk

1986

Good

Housing

Alexander Belokon 53°55'05.5"N 27°33'46.5"E

Rashpil (The Rasp)

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Russia

Samara

1987

Poor

Alexander Belokon 53°12'28.0"N 50°08'13.2"E

The house of the atomists

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Russia

Moscow

1970-1986

Good

Housing with commercial plinth Housing

1000 melochey

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

1977

Poor

Housing with commercial plinth

42°52'32.8"N 74°37'17.9"E

Southern Gates

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

1977

Poor

Obolon

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Ukraine

Kiev

1981

Poor

Housing with commercial plinth Housing

Falowiec

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Poland

Gdansk

1966-1978 (multiple buildings)

Poor

Housing

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

1969

Reasonable

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Estonia

Pärnu

1972 (d) 1987

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Georgia

Tbilisi

ca 1980

building on Embankment Romanița

Golden Home / kuldne kodu (part of KEK) Aurora

376

Capacity

400 m / 14 storeys / 980 appartments

10 stories / avg. 110 app

46°59'26.9"N 28°50'16.0"E

55°43'37.7"N 24°22'04.5"E

Reigirdas Eiglis, 55°43'31.4"N 24°21'55.7"E Viktoras Skokauskas Ina Sprindienė 54°53'53.1"N 23°54'11.0"E

Vladimir D. Babad, V.L. Voskresensky, L.V. Smirnova, V.S. Baramidze e. Pisarskoi, V. Ivanov, S. Nurgaziev, A. Golovanev, Kurmanbek Tokochev R. Mukhamadiyev, V. Kuznetsov, Yu. Tagirov Budilovsky M., Kolomiets V., Katsin V., Morozov V., Ivanov I. Unknown

55°42'32.5"N 37°37'15.3"E

Housing with commercial plinth

A. Rochegov, V. Ginzburg

41°18'47.2"N 69°17'14.7"E

Poor

Housing with services plinth

Toomas Rein

58°24'05.2"N 24°30'26.0"E

Reasonable

Housing with commercial plinth

42°49'46.3"N 74°36'28.5"E 50°29'58.8"N 30°29'58.2"E

54°25'01.5"N 18°35'36.7"E

R. Bairamashvili 41°42'32.9"N 44°46'33.2"E

377

378

Azerbaijan, Baku

Azerbaijan, Sumgait

Moldova, Chișinău

Lithuania, Panevezys

16-storey residential building for Gosstroy Year 1975 Status Poor Current program housing Architects A. Belokon, V. Sulimova

Residential building on Embankment Year ca. 1975 Status Poor Current program housing Architects Mikail Üseynov, N. Akhundova, A. Oltetsyan

Romanița Year 1978-1986 Status Poor Current program housing Architects Oleg Vronsky, A. Marian, O. Blogu, S. Krani, N. Rebenko, P. Feldman

‘Sasyska’ Year 1975 Status Reasonable Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects Nijole Garbaliauskiene

Lithuania, Panevezys

13-storey residential building Year 1980 Status Reasonable Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects Reigirdas Eiglis, Viktoras Skokauskas

Lithuania, Kaunas

Lithuania, Vilnius

Year 1974 Status Good Current program housing Architects Ina SprindienÄ&#x2014;

Year 1970 Status Reasonable Current program housing Architects Elena Nijole Buciute

Belarus, Babruysk

Birdhouse Year 1980 Status Reasonable Current program housing Architects V. Galushenko

379

380

Belarus, Minsk

Russia, Samara

Russia, Moscow

Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Honeycomb Year 1986 Status Good Current program housing Architects Alexander Belokon

Rashpil (The Rasp) Year ca. 1987 Status Poor Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects Alexander Belokon

The house of the atomists Year 1970-1986 Status Good Current program housing Architects Vladimir D. Babad, V.L. Voskresensky, L.V. Smirnova, V.S. Baramidze

1000 melochey Year 1977 Status Poor Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects E. Pisarskoi, V. Ivanov, S. Nurgaziev, A. Golovanev, Kurmanbek Tokochev

Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Ukraine, Kiev

Poland, Gdansk

Southern Gates Year 1977 Status Poor Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects R. Mukhamadiyev, V. Kuznetsov, Yu. Tagirov

Obolon Year 1981 Status Poor Current program housing Architects Budilovsky M., Kolomiets V., Katsin V., Morozov V., Ivanov I

Falowiec Year 1966-1978 Status Poor Current program housing Architects Unknown

Uzbekistan, Tashkent

Year 1969 Status Reasonable Current program housing with commercial plinth Architects A. Rochegov, V. Ginzburg

381

CONCLUSIONS

Criticism on the bland uniformity of mass housing developments was not something that only emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Local architects tried to sidestep the draconian norms and regulations where possible and proposed innovations for the system by applying for experimental status for their designs.

As early as the 1960’s efforts were made to promote what little diversity was possible within the framework of the regulations. This started out with superficial cosmetic alterations and evolved into the development of more flexible sections that allowed circular, zig-zag and ‘S’ shaped buildings.

During the 1970s and 1980s regulations were altered to allow for more expressiveness in architecture and housing cooperatives were granted more exceptions to use individual designs and alternative construction methods.

382

Because of the speed of their construction, and because of how widespread their implementation was, Soviet era mass housing projects can still be found everywhere in the former republics.

Their problems are often quite similar: •Poorly operating plinths because of a lack of integration with their surroundings.

•A deteriorated physical state due to poor maintenance and the use of low quality construction materials.

•Outdated apartment sizes solved by tenants by constructing (illegal) extensions.

The most common example of this: balconies filled with improvised windows and curtain wall.

383

From memory to dream @from.memory.to.dream elena.staskute@gmail.com elenastaskute.com

384

385

Š 2020 from memory to dream