House with balcony to the Song Square

The turn of Aukštaičių Street still overlooks a little wooden house that has retained its authentic look. A house, facing the street with a balcony, was built in 1928 by an officer, Adjutant of the Commander of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union Antanas Gedmantas, where he settled with his family. The house was built in a convenient and prestigious location of the growing city – the city center, the recreational spaces of the Kaukas Stairs and the Oak Park, the Exhibition Hill and the Army Parade Square, where since 1924 the first song festivals began, where nearby. So, it was a place from which it was possible to watch not only army parades, but also to listen to songs without leaving a building!

 

Residents of the house on the balcony. Photo from private family archive.

 

As it was usual to those times, the house was built not only for the family but also for rent. The owners settled on the second floor of the building, while the first floor proved to be attractive to the shopkeeper. Apparently, for this reason, a separate entrance from the street was installed in the corner of the ground floor of the house. According to the current resident of the house – the granddaughter of the house builders – the house also accommodated the office of the grandmother’s sister – the dentist. In that regard, a separate entrance with a beautiful porch was installed on the courtyard side of the house. This allowed not to disturb family life and to have a private dental practice.

 

Officer Antanas Gedmantas with his family. Photo from private family archive.

 

This  compact, two-storey wooden house reflects the construction trends of Žaliakalnis wooden houses of the 1930s and the life of the middle-class population, and is equally unique – with distinctive decoration, original balcony-veranda, rich in surviving authentic artifacts. This wooden house can be duly called the guardian of the spirit of Žaliakalnis district, representing the wooden architecture of the city. It is no less important to mention the openness of the residents of the house. The artist Aistė Ramūnaitė not only cherishes the memory of her grandparents – the builders of the house – but also widely opens the gates of the yard to various community activities.

 

Family members in front of the house. Photo from private family archive.

 

Text by Žilvinas Rinkšelis

Photos by Ž. Rinkšelis, 2020.

Rich stories of Žaliakalnis houses

An important place in Žaliakalnis belongs to wooden houses built between the wars. This is an important part of the district’s identity, but due to a lack of awarness and money for renovations, everyday it gradually disappears. However, the opposite process is taking place in this wooden house – some accents of the past returns to the interior during the repair.

This house was built in 1931 by Valerijonas and Paulina Miliauskai. The project was prepared and supervised by engineer Vincas Ruškevičius. However, in 1933 Miliauskai sold this house to the Kerpės family – the grandparents and great-grandparents of the current house owners. On the memorial plaque attached to the facade of the house, it is noted that a number of famous interwar Lithuanian figures lived in this house: Prime Minister Leonas Bistras, Generals of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Kazys Sprangauskas and Kazys Tallat-Kelpša. The relatives of Kazys and Marija Kerpės and architect Povilas Konkulevičius takes care of the house today.

 

Picture of the house between the wars. Private family archive of P. Konkulevičius.

 

During the Soviet era, the house was expropriated, and its biggest disaster became the living space. Due to new Soviet era governmental regulations, the former house of four apartments was converted into eight apartment house. At the same time, several windows were widened and a very important detail of the log wall was removed, which simply caused the wall of the house to bend. During the period, the facade of the house was “tidied up” – the decorative elements of the building, edging and other things were torn off. On the outside, only the corridor window, pediment and balcony fence have survived.

After the restoration of independence, the house was bought out by Povilas family. A young architect wanted to restore at least part of the lost original look, so its renovation began to take place in Povilas’ everyday life. According to the architect himself, renovating an old house takes time, and it is not a quick investment that will pay off. It’s a long and patient job, so you gradually need to take an interest in it and learn from it. Today, there are seven apartments in this house: two belongs to owners and the remaining apartments will be renovated and later rented out.

 

The back facade of the house between the wars. Private family archive of P. Konkulevičius.

 

Authentic experience and modern existence

Having become interested in wooden houses, over the years Povilas has accumulated various details of interwar wooden houses: handles, locks, hooks, hinges, windows, doors, old furniture. The architect also decided that it would be like in the past – people had their own chests, so here each apartment will have its own special, renovated wardrobe, which will also be an interior detail.

“A lot of people like to imitate antiquity – rubbing something, decoupling it, but nothing is needed here. Rotten details can be prosthetized and you don’t have to hide the imperfections – the old furniture has a history and you have to see it” – says Povilas.

 

A view to the city center. Private family archive of P. Konkulevičius.

 

There are also new details in the interior: furniture, lamps, radiators, new parquet parts, but everything combines the old and the new here. According to Povilas, the fullness of the interior still lacks one essential thing – the interior is not full without the works of Lithuanian artists. According to Povilas, it is not necessary to buy expensive paintings by interwar artists – current local artists can be supported and the interwar apartment will continue the tradition of supportness.

It is important for the architect to preserve the details of the facades and interiors of the interwar house, but, as he himself claims, today it is not necessary to use them for their original purpose – with the help of fantasy it is possible to improvise. Forms and details of the past can evolve. For example, interwar modernism in Lithuania had a number of folk motives, which were taken from the past. By making repairs, we can preserve elements that will definitely not harm the quality of modern life. These include stair railings, window sizes, window sills, rounded corners between walls and ceilings, toilets, bathroom tiles. Leaving such small authentic elements and adding objects of modern design we can create a cozy and original place.

 

 A view of the house around 1950-1960s. Private family archive of P. Konkulevičius.

 

The biggest challenges in adapting the apartment to modern needs for Povilas arose in the kitchen. The small area had to accommodate all the functions of a modern kitchen and still to leave some space for a washing machine that could not fit in the bathroom. Modern “invasions” have occurred here the most, but this will ensure the quality of life. This is important because the modern lifestyle requires functionality and convenience. The whole house has a local central heating system, water supply and sewerage, natural gas. In the newly built interwar apartment buildings, first of all, efforts were made to fully comply with the cosmopolitan trends of European modernization: to install electrical installation, alarm systems, telephone, central heating, ventilation, water supply, sewerage, baths and toilets, to install the latest plumbing fixtures. An elevator was installed in the stairwell in the taller buildings. Thus, such a renovation of the kitchen is partly reminiscent of the pursuit of interwar modernity in the construction of houses.

Text by Julija Činčytė

Photos by Ž. Rinkšelis and R. Gruodis („Ekskursas“), 2019.

A sculptor’s house overlooking the old town

The museum was opened on November 18, 2001 to honour the 120^th anniversary of the birth of the sculptor J. Zikaras. J. Zikaras built this house and lived in it with his family –  his wife Anelė Tubelytė-Zikarienė, and their 4 children – Vaidutis Zikaras, Teisutis Zikaras, Vainutis Zikaras and Alytė Zikaraitė. The four residential rooms of the museum consist of the living room, A. Zikarienė room, the dining room and J. Zikaras work room. Furniture from that period is shown in the living room. The works of J. Zikaras and his son T. Zikaras are shown on the walls inside. Photos, reflecting the life of J. Zikaras and his family, are displayed in A. Zikarienė room. The dining room has remained very similar to what it used to be: a round table, a cupboard and chairs. On the walls here you will find works by J. Zikaras as well as the paintings by his close friend Jonas Mackevičius, and the plaster sculpture “Linen” by Teisutis Zikaras. The original furniture – the work desk and the chairs – can be found in the work room. The studio downstairs consists of three rooms. The sculptures and their shapes, made by J. Zikaras, are displayed in the first room, together with examples of coins, made during the interwar period. Sculptures which were displayed in the first Lithuanian exhibitions are found in the second room. A model of the “Liberty” sculpture, some busts and reliefs of the well known Lithuanians are exhibited in third room.

Information by M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art

Photos by I. Vėliūtė, 2013 („Archimedė“) and R. Tenys („Kas vyksta Kaune“), 2017.

A modern mansion of the musician

When in 1932 Lithuanian musician Juozas Gruodis and his wife Stasė settled here it was a remote, but attractive and picturesque place in the city. In her memoirs, the composer’s wife S. Gruodienė wrote that in 1924 she and her husband settled in Kaunas Old Town, in a small and uncomfortable apartment. Therefore, as soon as spring came, a couple tried to be at home as little as possible, often going for walks. One day they went out and found a tree-covered hill on the banks of the Neris river. Climbing to the top of it opened an impressive view – you could see the Neris, the Nemunas rivers, and further on – the forests. J. Gruodis especially liked it here, because the place was further from the city center, and the composer always cherished everything that reminded of the village and nature.

 

A couple on the balcony of the house. Photo source: Kaunas City Museum.

 

A house was designed by well-known Kaunas architect F. Vizbaras, who created a wooden residential building for the family as reminiscent of wooden manors of the Lithuanian province. The representativeness of the building was created by the large balcony welcoming the hosts and visitors, supported by five wooden columns, and the roof of the house was decorated with decorative elements. However, large corner windows, spacious and bright rooms also testified to the modern living of the city. On the first floor of the house there was a kitchen, maid’s room, bathroom, living room. On the second floor – the composer’s study. The house still has an authentic interior, stoves, furniture, as well as a piano, which is still used today by music school students, teachers and famous performers gathered for events and concerts. In 1974 a memorial museum was established in the house, it was repaired.

 

The house of Gruodžiai family. Photo source: Kaunas City Museum.

 

Family fortress

If we would take a look to the old photographs of the house, we will see a lot of fortress attributes in the accesses of the house. The house was built on the slope of the Neris Valley and was surrounded by steep slopes. The house itself was accessed via a long wooden bridge. A stream flowed beneath him. The owners were guarded by loose dogs running around the plot, so guests had to wait for the owner to close them in the aviary. The love for the animals also led to the fact that not only three large dogs ran freely on the plot, but also a goat grazed, and bees lived in the hive built on the balcony.

 

A house, surrounded by the slopes. Photo source: Kaunas City Museum.

 

Another hobby of Gruodžiai family was gardening. In the back of the house, they planted a garden. Juozas Gruodis even took special courses for gardeners and consulted with specialists. The museum still preserves a garden plan drawn up by him. The owners lived in the house until death. Today, the museum inside reflects the most important moments of their lives and tell the story of the Gruodžiai family. The department of Kaunas City Museum is organizing concerts, exhibitions, interesting and fun educational programs for children and adults. The museum is interesting and valuable both culturally and architecturally and in terms of landscape.

Text by Žilvinas Rinkšelis

Photos by “Kaunas pilnas kultūros”, 2016 and A. Didrikienė, 2013.