[2/2] Kaunas cont. What drew us to Kaunas, however, was modernism. We’re not students of art nor architecture, but sought to understand what made the city’s interwar period (1919-1939) buildings special—gaining a UNESCO World Heritage listing. During this period Kaunas was the provisional capital of Lithuania (Vilnius being occupied by Polish forces). Consequently Kaunas experienced a rapid transformation, blending local design traditions (e.g. textile and woodcarving patterns) with prevailing international modernism (minimalist, sunlit designs featuring strict lines and tall windows). That buildings should be designed based solely on their purpose and function was core to modernism. Examples:
- The Kaunas Church of the Resurrection was begun in 1934, but wasn’t consecrated until 2004 (📷1); it has a thing for vertical lines.
- The former Land Bank was built in 1935 in a functionalist style (📷2).
- The 1937 Lithuanian Garrison Officer’s club "Ramové" is notable for its incorporation of patriotic motifs (📷3).
- The Central Post Office was another modernist example we hoped to see, but was under wraps for renovation.
Modernism explicitly rejected neoclassicism (revival of classical antiquity, emphasising symmetry, proportion and historical columns). For comparison, the Bank of Lithuania was built in 1928 in a neoclassical style (📷4).
🇱🇹 #europe #baltics #lithuania #lietuva 🚀 #travel 🚐 #camperVan #nomad #roadTrip #vanLife 🌍 #unesco
