Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939, Lithuania

The state of mind which embraces a belief and hope that one’s efforts will produce positive and desirable results is called optimism. Such a conviction prevailed in interwar Europe, particularly in countries whose independence had been restored or newly won after World War I.

The two-storey residential building owned by Aleksandra and Jurgis Iljinas is one of the most impressive examples of Kaunas modernism. Crafted by architect Arnas Funkas, the house’s interior designs and furnishings all incorporate modern solutions.

The idea of constructing a memorial church in Kaunas to symbolise the rebirth of the Lithuanian nation and to serve as a national expression of gratitude to God was conceived in 1922. In 1941, the Soviet regime nationalized the unfinished church.

This pedestrianised 1.6 km long street was envisioned as being the city’s main avenue as early as 1847. Along with the adjacent blocks and nearby squares, it is the centre of public life, continuing to serve its original function to this day.

With its bold symmetrical façade and flat roof, this became another of the city’s iconic landmarks in 1930, and a popular meeting place for the residents of Naujamiestis. Standing out from the surrounding buildings, it altered the face of Laisvės Alėja.

The construction of the Bank of Lithuania in Kaunas can be viewed as the hallmark of the effective transfer of Lithuania’s capital to the city. The building has retained its function and interior to the present day.

The design of the building was entrusted to the young Italian-trained architect, Stasys Kudokas. The club was officially opened in 1937 and immediately became one of the most lavish buildings in interwar Kaunas.

The fluid form of this four-storey residential building incorporates styles seen in foreign architectural journals. The building’s façade and its ornamentation bring to mind Dutch and German expressionist designs.

In search of the modern national style, the architect Vizbaras simulated Lithuanian folk-art wood carvings and national symbols on the façade and in the interior, in an art-deco manner. It was built between 1933 and 1934.

The style of this home reflects the contemporaneous search for a Lithuanian national style of architecture, serving as a good example of a variation on historical styles in search of this national style.

An imposing 100m long and 4m wide set of steps connect upper Žaliakalnis to lower Naujamiestis. Originally, the site of the stairway was a natural gully which drained water from the city’s gunpowder magazine.

Now the Kaunas State Philharmonic, the architectural approach to this building echoes the prevailing aesthetic concepts that were deferential to classical tradition and ornamentation. 

The architecture of this monumental building, which also houses the Vytautas the Great War Museum, combines a modern concept with classical tradition. The museums are arranged around two inner courtyards.

The cinema opened on 18^th April 1940, just two months before Lithuania lost its independence. Today, the Romuva is the only cinema of its era in Kaunas to have retained its principal function and exterior appearance.

The building exemplifies the rise of a national financial elite in interwar Kaunas and highlights the priority that was given to investing in the construction of well-appointed, modernist residential buildings.

The railway was completed in 1931, and connects Naujamiestis with Žaliakalnis. The funicular was renovated in 2003 and the surviving original equipment was restored.