I S M O F K AU
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Architect
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Egle Januskiene
Fold modernism!
Mazasis architektas (Little architect) Kaunas / 2021
Written and created by architect Eglė Januškienė The text was edited by Ilona Petrovė Drawers Eglė Januškienė and Ieva Stulpinaitė Translated into English by Samanta Jonauskytė The publishing and creation of the book supported: Lithuanian Union of Architects Lithuanian Council for Culture
© Text, illustrations, layout, Eglė Januškienė, 2021 www.mazasisarchitektas.lt Architectural ideas for children
TURINYS
Modernism of Kaunas in 1919-1939 Architects of the modern period About models Buildings and their layouts 1) Firefighters` building 2) Central Post Office 3) Residential house of entrepreneurs M. and M. Chaimsonas 4) Dairy Center Palace 5) Former palace of the company “Pažanga” 6) Cinema “Romuva” 7) Officers’ Club 8) Kaunas County Chief Police Commissariat (former Kaunas County Municipality) 9) House of J. and A. Iljinai 10) Doma and Mykolas Šleževičius House 11) KTU Central Palace (former Land Bank) 12) Vytautas the Great War Museum and the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art 13) Vatican Diplomatic Mission (Nunciature) Building 14) Residential house of the artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius 15) Green Hill Funicular 16) Monumental Christ’s Resurrection Basilica 17) Jonas Jablonskis Gymnasium 18) KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology (former Research Laboratory) 19) Ceslovas Pacevičius villa 20) House of cultural figures Adele and Paulius Galauniai 21) Central Palace of the Lithuanian Sports University 22) Sports Hall 23) Villa of the architect Stasys Kudokas 24) Villa of the composer Juozas Gruodis APPENDIX: Map of Kaunas city
1 pav. Performance of primary school students on June 5 in Kaunas Sports Hall (Author unknown, June 5, 1940, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Modernism of Kaunas in 1919-1939 Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania. When Kaunas became the temporary capital in 1919, it changed beyond recognition - it grew from a small province to a modern city, leaving us with valuable modernist architecture. In that year, Kaunas became the temporary capital for twenty-one years. This has not happened in any European city! During that period, Kaunas changed significantly: Until 1918 Until 1918, Kaunas was a collapsed and impoverished town from war. Full of piles of household waste, dirt and horse manure. The sidewalks were made of planks, and the pavements were made of rustic stones. People rode “konkės” - trains pulled by horses. Pigs oinked and cows mooed on Laisves Alley. Poultry and cattle were herded. Open sewage ditches on the streets and no water supply. Residents used well or even river water for food. Many women washed their clothes in the Nemunas. Larger houses than two floors could not be built in the city. 1918 population - 18 thousand There were 1584 buildings in Kaunas.
2 pav. The last days of Kaunas „konke“. „Album to Commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Vytautas the Great‘s Death“. (Vytautas the Great‘s album K., 1933, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Kaunas in 1918-1939 The area of Kaunas city is 3940 ha: since 1918 it has increased 7 times. The pavement of streets and squares has been changed, the streets have been paved. About 6 thousand new buildings were built. More than 80 million bricks have been produced for construction in one year! 1939 population - 154 thousand Central heating, water supply and sewerage have been introduced. During that period 14 daily newspapers in 5 languages were published in Kaunas, and 14 cinemas, opera, coffee shops, restaurants and museums worked. “Konkė” was replaced by 61 buses and taxis. People started playing basketball, there were a total of 30 teams in Kaunas! In Laisvės Alley and Vytautas Avenue, it was ordered to build at least three-storey houses. At that time, about 6 thousand new buildings were built in Kaunas, which now symbolize the uniqueness of Kaunas. In 2015, in Brussels, Kaunas Architecture Heritage- 44 buildings- were awarded the European Heritage Label. In the same year, the city of Kaunas earned the status of a UNESCO city of design, and in 2017, the architecture of Kaunas modernism was included in the preliminary list of UNESCO. It is a unique example of both architectural and urban and historical development.
3 pav. Freedom avenue. Crew Church in Kaunas. (author not identified, June 29, 1937, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
4 pav. City of Kaunas. Policeman regulates car traffic (Photography of the Economic Soldiers‘ Company 3-4 decades, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
5 pav. A boy watering a street (B. Buračas, 1930, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Architects of the modern period During the interwar period, many architects, who also went abroad to learn, designed in Kaunas. When they returned, they brought many ideas that they used to design the buildings of our city. That is how modernist ideas spread in Kaunas! Some of the most famous architects of this time were:
Arnas Funkas (1898–1957) is one of the most mysterious architects! Studied in Berlin, which probably led to him becoming a representative of functionalism. The house of Pranas Gudavičius and Aleksandra Iljinienė designed by him with a large round window is one of the most interesting examples of Lithuanian modernism!
The architect of Latvian origin Karolis Reisonas (1894–1981) could not find a job in Latvia, so he came to work in Lithuania. And here he left his amazing projects like the Chamber of Agriculture and the Resurrection Church!
Architect Stasys Kudokas (1898–1988) graduated from St. Petersburg, Kaunas, and finally from the Royal School of Architecture in Rome. One of his most famous objects is the Officers‘ Club, into which the architect has woven ideas of the Renaissance style.
One of the most famous Lithuanian architects of the interwar period was Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis (1893–1993). He studied architecture in Riga, Lithuania and Italy, inspired by it, he created exceptional buildings: Research Laboratory, the Chamber of Physical Education and the Dairy Center (for which he even received an Honorary Diploma at an international exhibition in Paris!).
6 pav. House of J. and A. Iljinai in Kaunas. Photo album of works by Arnas Funkas (circa 1935) (KAVB)
7 pav. Dairy Center Palace (author A. Giedraitis, 4th decade of the 20th century, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Lithuanian architect and engineer Antanas Jokimas (1894–1964) graduated from the St. Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineers. After studies, he returned to Kaunas, designed J. Jablonskis Gymnasium and the Firefighters` building (together with architect E. A. Frykas)! In 1940 he went to Germany.
8 pav. Kaunas Fire Department Building with fire station by cars on the Nemunas embankment in Kaunas. (B-vė, economic soldiers, 4th decade of the 20th century, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Architect Edmundas Alfonsas Frykas (1876–1944, born in Kaunas). He worked in Georgia for a long time, when he returned to Lithuania he designed many different buildings - gymnasiums, railway stations. Together with Antanas Jokimas, he created the project of the Firefighters` building.
Vladimiras Dubeneckis (1888–1932) - architect, painter, professor, pioneer of modernist architecture in Lithuania. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy in Russia. He tried to create Lithuanian modern architecture. The most important work of him and the architect Karolis Reisonas is the Vytautas the Great War Museum.
9 pav. Edmund Fryk is a civil engineer. His designed and built buildings. 1. Stud. corp. Neo-Lithuania Palace. 2. Slapoberskis Palace on Daukano Street in Kaunas. „Album to Commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Vytautas the Great‘s Death“. (Vytautas the Great‘s album K., 1933, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
Lithuanian architect and engineer Feliksas Vizbaras (1880–1966) graduated in Riga and worked in Ukraine for some time. When Kaunas became the temporary capital, he returned to Lithuania. He prepared many residential projects, apartment buildings. He even built the manor of President Antanas Smetona! And the most famous modernist-style building he designed is Kaunas Central Post Office Palace. In the interwar period, the buildings were not designed solely by architects. Anatolijus Rozenbliumas (19021973), for example, was one of the most prominent engineers of the period, not only working alongside architects but also designing himself. The most famous building he has created is Kaunas Sports Hall!
10 pav. Felix Wizbar is a civil engineer. Kaunas Central Post Office. „Album to Commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Vytautas the Great‘s Death“. (Vytautas the Great‘s album K., 1933, Central State Archives of Lithuania)
About models
One of the parts of an architect’s job is the production of models. Models are reduced models of the building‘s exterior. When making them, architects experiment with shapes, looking at how the building will look in reality from different angles. Verify that they have taken appropriate design solutions. For example: The models will help you see how the building looks in the area, whether its size and shape fit the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is necessary to make models of houses next to it!
11 pav. Negatyvas. D. Kaunas. Naujamiestis. Keltuvo į Žaliakalnį projekto maketas. (Stanislovas Lukošius, 1962 m., Kauno miesto muziejus)
12 pav. Negatyvas. D. Kaunas. Naujamiestis. Keltuvo į Žaliakalnį projekto maketas. (Stanislovas Lukošius, 1962 m., Kauno miesto muziejus)
Do the projected skyscrapers block the church tower? Does the building fit in with the natural environment and if the volume doesn’t overshadow it? When designing buildings, it is extremely important to see the environment and the whole!
13 pav. Model of the monumental Church of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (author unknown, 4th decade of the 20th century, Kaunas City Museum)
14 pav. Model of the monumental Church of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (author unknown, 4th decade of the 20th century, Kaunas City Museum)
I invite you to make models of Kaunas modernist architecture buildings! Follow the instructions, cut, bend, glue, play and get to know Kaunas modernism! The buildings, their main features and layouts will be described below. Print the layouts in A4 or A3 format.
- this line indicates the location of the cut. - the dotted line indicates the bending line. - the circle indicates where to stick.
This is the main facade – the outer part of the building.
Firefighters` building (I. Kanto St. 1, Kaunas) Architect: Edmundas Alfonsas Frykas Year of construction: 1930
This is the Firefighters` building. In the past, horses used to help firefighters, and this building had already designed garages for cars that could hold as many as 15 here! The plan was complicated: the main building was curved, and in front of it was a huge parking lot for fire trucks. On the first floor - only garages, on the second floor there are designed rest and changing rooms for firefighters. Characteristics: towers designed on the sides of the main facade; oval square; stepped attics; convex facade.
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Characteristics: curved strip windows; space and light; a clear plan of the premises; little decor and decorations; curved stairs; facade side avant-corps; flat roof.
Central Post Office (Laisves alley 102, Kaunas) Architect: Feliksas Vizbaras Year: 1930–1932
This palace was one of the most modern in the interwar period: a five-story building connected by passenger and correspondence elevators, with a spacious operating room. Architect Feliksas Vizbaras won the competition for this object and it was one of his most significant works! The architect put a lot of effort into designing the post office, as he not only created an impressive exterior, but also took care of the post office staff: provided bright offices, showers, a canteen and even a hair salon! Employees could relax on the flat-roof terrace: „There are showers for the needs of employees - to wash after work. The flat roof allows you to take advantage of the sun and admire the wide Nemunas and the green banks of Aleksotas,” said F. Vizbaras. And in 1935, an electric clock was installed on the main facade. Interestingly, the architect used the features of the national style for this building, even now we can see that the main facade has window frames decorated according to folk architecture, and the floor tiles in the lobby and operating room are lined according to the pattern of a woven linen towel.
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Residential house of entrepreneurs M. and M. Chaimsonas (Maironio St. 13, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1930–1932
During the interwar period, it was the tallest residential house in Kaunas! The people of Kaunas called it a skyscraper. When creating this house, the architect abandoned the small details of the facades, introduced strict and clear forms. Luxury apartments with six rooms were designed on the first three floors. There was once an elevator in the main staircase that was dismantled in the postwar years. central stairwell avant-corps; mezzanine; minimalist architecture; bay window.
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Dairy Center Palace (Laisves alley 55, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, Karolis Reisonas Year: 1931–1934
The Dairy Center palace is one of the most striking buildings of modernist architecture in the heart of the city. This company collected milk, produced and sold its products. This building housed a shop, a canteen, a dairy bar, and a hair salon. Characteristics: rounded corner with hooded windows; one of the tallest buildings on Laisves alley; symmetry and verticality. Interesting: The building of the Dairy Center Palace housed the most famous hair salon of that period of Muralis, which operated over two floors. In 1937, at the exposition „Exposition Internationale des Arts et des Techniques“ in Paris, the architect was awarded an honorary diploma and a bronze medal for the architecture of the Dairy Center.
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Former palace of the company “Pažanga” (Laisvės alley 53, Kaunas) Architect: Feliksas Vizbaras Year: 1933–1934
When designing this building, the architect combined modernity with Lithuanian motifs. The roof of this building is also flat and has a terrace on it! On the metal balcony fence strips, cornice - stylized plant motifs, partition imitations of wood chips.; balconies with metal openwork geometric pattern fences; Textured facade partition strips plaster decor imitating wood carving; the central part of the textured plaster cornice of spruce and tulip plant motif.
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Cinema „Romuva“ (Laisvės alley 54, Kaunas) Architect: Nikolajus Mačiulskis Year: 1938–1940
It is the largest and most modern interwar Lithuanian cinema, which is still working in Kaunas. Characteristics: public space left in front of the cinema - the building is retracted to the depth of the lot; curved shapes; tinted glass tower with metal frames.
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Officers‘ Club (A. Mickevičiaus St. 19, Kaunas)
Architects: Stasys Kudokas, Elmar Lohk, Herbert Johanson, Vladimiras Dubeneckis, Jonas Kriščiukaitis, Mykolas Songaila, Kazys Kriščiukaitis Year: 1931–1937 The client of this building is an officers club established in 1919, later named the Lithuanian Officers‘ Club. The building is reminiscent of a modernized Renaissance-style palace. Both the interior and the planning are exceptional: on the first floor there was the most modern restaurant of that time, on the second floor there were representative rooms - Vytautas the Great Hall and the President‘s Room, the Great and Small Halls and the orangery. The third floor was for officers, and there was a reading room, a chess room, a dining room, and lounges. And designed on the fourth floor - hotel premises. Interesting: in the basement, the architect initially planned a bowling alley, but later designed a gym and shooting range! The main facade is decorated with three main Lithuanian cities: Coats of arms of Kaunas, Vilnius and Klaipėda and the sculpture “Three Giants” created by the sculptor Bronius Pundzius. It depicts the ancient Lithuanian warriors - a symbol of the officers‘ club.
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Kaunas County Chief Police Commissariat (former Kaunas County Municipality) (Laisvės alley 14 / Vytauto avenue 91, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1932–1934
The architect of this palace, Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, came up with the idea to design it in a strict form so that the building would fit in with the institutions located in it: Kaunas County Municipality, Police and Security Department. In 1940-1941 and 1944-1991, this building belonged to the security structures of the Soviet state. Participants in the resistance to the occupation were imprisoned, interrogated, tortured and killed, and genocide of the Lithuanian population was planned and carried out. dark gray granite plinth and stairs; dark pilasters; light granite facade.
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House of J. and A. Iljinai (K. Donelaičio St. 19, Kaunas) Architect: Arnas Funkas Year: 1933
In 1933, Mrs. Aleksandra Iljinienė bought an empty plot of land and asked the architect Arnas Funkas to build a house. Probably wanted to move in as soon as possible, because this two-storey house with a basement was built extremely fast - in seven months! It has three apartments. The most beautiful and luxurious - on the second floor. A small orangery on the roof was visible through the glass ceiling of the hall. It is very unfortunate, but it has not survived to this day. But there is another very interesting feature that is still here - a bay window with a round window! Until now, everyone admires this architect‘s idea, calling the house one of the brightest and most interesting examples of Lithuanian modernism in Lithuania! Rounded bay window; striped door sill.
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Doma and Mykolas Šleževičius House (K. Donelaičio St. 13, Kaunas) Architect: Leonas Ritas Year: 1932
A very important person for Lithuania lived in this house - Prime Minister Mykolas Šleževičius, who invited Lithuanians to defend their independence! The Children‘s Literature Museum is currently located here. rectangular, plastered brick avant-corp with embossed decor; Embossed and plastered brick entrance portal with a flat roof.
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KTU Central Palace (former Land Bank) (K. Donelaičio St. 73, Kaunas) Architect: Karolis Reisonas Year: 1935
It was the largest Lithuanian Land Bank during the interwar. Customers asked the architect to design spacious, bright and clean premises. As a result, Karolis Reisonas created this bank in a different way from most classical-looking banks, modern-looking, without “gypsum embellishments and ornaments,” which “only collect dust.” Characteristics: narrow windows; vertical splitting; high avant-corps; a building with a sloping roof, covered by a high parapet. Interesting: an authentic bank safe has survived in this building to this day! It currently houses university archives. Bas-reliefs along the avant-corps, depicting the heads of peasants.
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Vytautas the Great War Museum and the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art (K. Donelaičio St. 64 / V. Putvinskio St. 55, Kaunas) Architects: Vladimiras Dubeneckis, Karolis Reisonas, Kazimieras Kriščiukaitis Year: 1929–1936
This museum is very interesting because it consists of two parts. The premises of the Military Museum have been designed in the southern part of the building, and the M. K. Čiurlionis Gallery in the northern part. Čiurlionis is another very important Lithuanian personality who created professional music and the most famous artist of our country. During the interwar period, people made great efforts to preserve his paintings in Lithuania, so he was assigned a part of this museum. As a result, these are now two museums in one building! The most interesting thing is that the facade of every museum is just right for it! Characteristics: a staircase raised to the second floor level, also used as a stand; central avant-corp, reproducing the shapes of the tower. The bell complex - carillon - is installed in the tower. It consists of 35 bells, including the Bell of Freedom, which has Vytis on one side and the inscription on the other: “Ring through the ages, for the children of Lithuania, that unworthy of freedom is he who fails to defend it.”; the tower is connected to the museum building by an arcade containing cannons; one of the most important highlights of the museum is lions! They were brought to the museum from Biržai district by Count Jonas Julius Tiškevičius; Rays are designed in the semicircular avant-corp of the facade of the M. K. Čiurlionis Museum. They are thought to reflect the crowns depicted in the artist’s paintings!
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Vatican Diplomatic Mission (Nunciature) Building (V. Putvinskio St. 56, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1930–1931
It is a former Vatican Diplomatic Mission building with a slightly similar appearance to the classic Italian villas. This house was designed by architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. Since he had just returned from Italy, where he studied architecture, it is not surprising that he used the ideas brought from there for this building. Interior premises are the most interestingly planned. On the ground floor - study, lounge, dining room and orangery. These rooms are separated from each other by sliding partitions. And when they were pulled away, a huge space opened up! Interesting: although designed for the Vatican Mission, it never settled in this house.
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Residential house of the artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (V. Putvinskio St. 64, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1928
It‘s a building with wavy windows that once had no curtains hanging on it! The owners of the house Žmuidzinavičiai believed: “you need to live in such a way so that you don‘t need to hide anything.” Antanas Žmuidzinavičius was a famous artist who loved flowers and plants. The artist and his family lived on the second floor, and on the third floor was a workshop with a green floor. The ground floor was rented.
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Green Hill Funicular (Aušros St. 6, Kaunas) Year: 1931
This is the Green Hill Funicular. In the past, people called it a rope tram. It consists of two wagons, one going up and the other going down. The journey takes 1 minute and 38 seconds. Characteristics: German specialists were consulted during the installation of the lift; the wagons were designed by engineer Napoleonas Dobkevičius; In 1935, a pavilion with modern forms, that hasn’t changed until now, was built; The Žaliakalnis funicular consists of an upper station, a lower pavilion and a 142 m long railway connecting them.
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Monumental Christ’s Resurrection Basilica (Žemaičių St. 31, Kaunas) Architect: Karolis Reisonas Year: 1933–1940
This is the Church of the Resurrection, one of the most significant symbols of Kaunas modernist architecture. The church should have looked quite different at first. The architect designed it as an 82-meter spiral tower. Such a solution turned out to be too expensive, so another project - the current one - was created. The height of the big tower is 70 meters. Characteristics: flat roof with a 45 × 13 m terrace; not overloaded with details; simple geometric shapes; rhythm of vertical lines; for the first time in Lithuania, reinforced concrete piles were used on a large scale for foundations, a total of 900; walls - reinforced concrete frame with brick masonry; flat ceilings from reinforced concrete beams; The church is the dominant of Kaunas City.
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Jonas Jablonskis Gymnasium (Aušros St. 3, Kaunas) Architect: Antanas Jokimas Year: 1931
During the interwar period, more than 20 schools were built in Kaunas - primary, secondary and gymnasiums. This is how the exclusive Jonas Jablonskis Elementary School in Lithuania appeared. The architect Antanas Jokimas, who created it, came up with really interesting solutions that have never been seen before. The auditoriums and gyms are separated from the teaching classes so that children are not disturbed by noise. A huge canteen and four handcrafting classes have been designed. The most unique is the indoor swimming pool! Not very large, only 4.5 x 3 m, but rather deep.
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KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology (former Research Laboratory) (Radvilėnai highway 19, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1933–1935
During the interwar period, military research and testing was carried out in this laboratory. The state-of-theart equipment came directly from France. It was because of that that the Research Laboratory was the most expensive building in Lithuania during the interwar. Interesting: Laboratory equipment (tables, fans) embedded in the walls of the building during construction. During the war, the occupiers wanted to take them out, but this required the demolition of a part of the building. They couldn‘t, so the lab‘s equipment has survived to our day. If there was an explosion inside, the building would be protected by strip windows! The shock wave would only push out the windows, not the walls. In 2019, the Research Laboratory was ranked among the ten most outstanding examples of modernist world architecture. Characteristics: authentic stair railings, elevators, lamps, laboratory equipment have been preserved; green towers on the roof - chimneys for fume cupboards; striped and corner windows; a flat roof on which laboratory tests were performed; white color; reinforced concrete frame; symmetry.
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Česlovas Pacevičius villa (Vydūnas alley 59, Kaunas) Architect: Vladimiras Kopylovas Year: 1934
It is the “most beautiful and comfortable brick house” in Kaunas in 1937. Its size stands out from other buildings. This is a small three-room house, due to its restrained and ascetic form it is considered one of the most interesting buildings in Kaunas. Characteristics: rectangular plan and volume; restraint, the facade is not loaded with details; symmetry; recessed entrance with curved walls; simple geometric shapes.
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House of cultural figures Adelė and Paulius Galauniai (Vydūnas alley 2, Kaunas) Architect: Arnas Funkas Year: 1932
Almost the entire art world was concentrated in Kaunas during the interwar period. It is no coincidence that Paulius Galaunė, who loved Lithuania very much, cherished its culture and art, and together with his wife, opera singer Adelė, decided to build a house in Kaunas. Their house is a great example of modernism architecture. There is currently a museum there. Characteristics: horizontal lines; rectangular shapes; corner windows.
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Central Palace of the Lithuanian Sports University (Sporto St. 6, Kaunas) Architect: Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Year: 1932–1934
According to the first project, the architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis intended to install a swimming pool with lights shining through the water from below, and a glass roof that would be opened in summer. But there was a shortage of money and the idea was abandoned for a while. The addition with the swimming pool was introduced only in 1959. The architect designed the palace to blend harmoniously with the environment: low, close to the ground, harmonious. Characteristics: the composition of the building is symmetrical, tapering to the sides; correct rhythm of windows; the ceiling of the main hall - reinforced concrete glazed.
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Sports Hall (Perkūno alley 5, Kaunas) Engineer: Anatolijus Rozenbliumas Year: 1938–1939
This is the Sports Hall, the first basketball hall in Europe. Lithuanians became champions for the second time at the European Men‘s Basketball Championship held here in 1939. The building was truly impressive at the time. However, its construction took place under particularly difficult conditions: the hall had to be built in half a year, and work began in December, when the temperature was -20 °C. Characteristics: building size: 62.8 m wide, 61 m long and 15.2 m high; 11 thousand seats (3500 of them are seated); structural base - four steel arches; metal walls, wooden stands.
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Villa of the architect Stasys Kudokas (V. Mykolaičio – Putino St. 11, Kaunas) Architect: Stasys Kudokas Year: 1937
Designed by architect Stasys Kudokas, this villa is set on a high hillside with stunning city views. It is a building with a strong Italian spirit. The architect lived on the second floor of the villa and set up his own work room and apartment on the first floor, which he rented. The house also had a garage for his own car. Characteristics: free arrangement of windows; flat roof with terrace; large balcony; arch galleries - arcades; tidy surroundings with terraces and a round fountain. Interesting: When the architect‘s son Jurgis was born, Kudokas commissioned the sculptor Bronius Pundzius to create a sculpture called “Motherhood”, which depicts a mother with a baby on her arms.
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Villa of the composer Juozas Gruodis (Salako St. 18, Kaunas) Architect: Feliksas Vizbaras Year: 1932
After moving to Kaunas, Lithuanian composer, conductor, pedagogue and professor Juozas Gruodis and his wife lived in a small apartment and dreamed of living closer to nature. After finally discovering the place of their dreams, from which the forests, the Neris and the Nemunas, can be seen, they asked the architect Feliksas Vizbaris to create a house where it would be good to live and play. This is how the manor-like villa with a large balcony, spacious and bright rooms and corner windows has grown. five wooden columns; window decoration with wood carvings.
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This book is an invitation to an architectural journey to get acquainted with one of the most famous buildings of the interwar period in Kaunas and the profession of an architect. When Kaunas became the temporary capital in 1919, it changed beyond recognition - it grew from a small province to a modern city, leaving us with valuable modernist architecture. In that year, Kaunas became the temporary capital for twenty-one years. This has not happened in any European city! In 2015 Kaunas, 44 buildings were awarded the European Heritage Label for Kaunas’ architectural heritage. In the same year, the city of Kaunas earned the status of a UNESCO city of design. The architecture of Kaunas modernism is included in the preliminary list of UNESCO. It is a unique example of both architectural and urban and historical development. Therefore, it is necessary to know it for everyone - both small and large! After getting acquainted with modernity, children will be able to fold the tiles of buildings and build a reduced city of Kaunas modernism! Beautiful architectural adventure for you!