“Stop juosta” is an architectural-historical project that presents the interwar period – the explosion of progress and the phenomenon of modernism that spread in Lithuania and beyond. Characters of the TV series: architectural historians, historians, art historians, contemporaries.

The Lithuanian Radio and Television show “Stop juosta” offers you a new form of presentation – traveling from the Czech Republic to Tel Aviv. These are one-day itineraries to Berlin, Dessau, Stuttgart, Rome, Prague, Brno, Zlin and Tel Aviv, together with archigrims: KTU doc. dr. Vaid Petrulius, Jolita Kančiene and dr. Michał Pszczółkowski, from Torun.

Buildings that are not included in traditional travel catalogs and histories behind. Temples for modernism, the birth of Bauhaus ideas, fascist architecture in Rome or cubism in Prague. The utopian city of Zlin and Bata’s empire. And of course, Tel Aviv – a city in the desert and the idea of ​​an urban garden in the White City.

The show is created with the partial financing of the Lithuanian Council of Culture, LRT, under the patronage of the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO, representing “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022”.

Berlin:

Mouse Bunker, House of Mozė family, AEG Turbine Factory, Berlin Philharmonic, Einstein Tower (Potsdam), Berlin Unité d’habitation, Evangelical Lutheran Church and Horseshoe Quarter.

Dessau:

Bauhaus School, Tiorten District, Bauhaus Teacher’s House.

Stuttgart:

Weisenhof settlement, Wolfgang von Stetten castle.

Rome:

Rome Academy of Arts, Sapienza University Campus, Parioli District, Ostiense Post Office, Vatican, Radio Liberty, Sabaudia, Foro Italico Church, Lithuanian Embassies.

Prague:

Church, Cubism, Baba Quarter, Villa Muller, French School.

Brno:

Exhibition Center, Cafe Era, Sokol, Hotel Avion, Tour of Brno, Villa Tugendhat.

Zlyn:

Bat’a shoe factory, memorial, workers’ colony.

Tel Aviv:

Dizengoff Square, Rothschild Boulevard, Engel House, Peres Center, Liebling House, Bauhaus Center.

Jurgė Pridotkaitė and Svetlana Gužauskienė

„The strong smell of petrol, roaring noises and tons of metal sweeping through your face on 160 kilometers per hour… This is the standard image any given Lithuanian have in their mind when hearing the name of Kačerginė – the legendary rally track is just next to it. But years ago, Kačerginė was a flourishing little resort, where You could meet writers, doctors, architects and other intellectuals resting on their porches or walking by the river.“

The campaign to better manage and increase the number of recreational areas in Kaunas was closely associated with modernist rhetoric, often incorporating such central concepts as hygiene, cleanliness, natural sunlight, fresh air and open spaces. The best infrastructure usually arose in areas with the most favourable natural surroundings, such as pine groves or river banks. These locations became the most popular recreation areas around Kaunas, including Kačerginė, officially designated as a resort zone in 1933.

The rapid growth of Kačerginė (so called the resort of bohemia and artists) began in early 1930s. Famous writers, artists, architects, professors, officers, statesmans and doctors built their villas here. New recreational facilities such as restaurants, cafés, kiosks and pavilions for music concerts and other events were also constructed.

 

A villa in Kačerginėje. Photo by M. Plepys, 2018.

 

Although many of the buildings in Kačerginė were simple wooden summer houses, there were also some more luxurious, eye-catching villas. They stand out from other buildings with their greater attention to detail and special architectural features – towers that reinforce the architectural impression of the resort and emphasize the status of the owner. Also window frames and roofs with decorations. These villas are considered to be the most exclusive and famous buildings in the town, that forms it`s identity.

During the Soviet era, villas were nationalized. A new page in their history began, in which they lived their lives without the old owners. Adapted to a wide range of functions, they have become outpatient clinics, schools and other institutions. Most villas have lost their original purpose and image. Moreover, after regaining independence, most villas were abandoned. Recently, the situation has started to change. Now several villas were renovated by new owners – they become private houses.

 

A villa in Kačerginė. Photo by M. Plapys, 2018.

 

The resort areas are distinguished by natural gifts: pine forests, fresh air, picturesque river valleys, historical monuments. The fresh air of the pine forests relaxes, helps to overcome fatigue, stress, regain strength. It is a great place for nature walks or active cognitive leisure all year round. We invite you to travel and get acquainted with one of the most important highlights of Kačerginė resort – wooden villas and their rich history.

We thank the residents of Kačerginė for their kind contributions and for sharing the stories about the buildings.

Villa of engineer Viktoras Rėklaitis, villa of Pelagija Vaiciuškienė, villa of officer Pranas Vaiciuška, Mašiotai family summerhouse called “Mašiotynė”, summerhouse of writer Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas, Saint Anne’s Chapel of Kačerginė, summerhouse of Landsbergiai family, summerhouse of engineer E. Venckiavičius, summerhouse of Teklė Dambravičienė

Most of us would be greatly surprised at hearing that Kaunas once was a town of skyscrapers. Even more so, at learning that they are still standing tall today, and can be visited. Where? How?

Of course, these “skyscrapers” earned that name only in relative terms. They were simply buildings of five, six or seven floors – absolutely common today. However, one must understand the mindset of Kaunas’ residents after WWI, when no building was allowed to have more than two floors, and their amazement at the sight of these giants sprouting here and there in their home city, as Kaunas became the new capital, and gargantuan efforts were directed at catching up with other European cities.

Indeed, since the XIXth century, under the city’s commandant orders concerning high-rise constructions, as well as for lack of need to save space, Kaunas had nurtured a flattish landscape. It all suddenly changed as Lithuania regained its independence. The Naujamiestis district in particular, was a place of substantial transformation, becoming the main construction site for a city reborn. The neighbourhood between the Old Town district and the railway station, although efficiently cut by streets into tidy squares, was populated by small, wooden houses, and looked rather uninspiring. The city’s landscape was only punctuated by military buildings, and the high chimneys of factories.

This whole image was perfectly transcribed by contemporaries. Giuseppe Salvatori, an Italian journalist that visited Kaunas in 1923, wrote: “As I got off the train [..] at Kaunas’ train station, my heart was filled with sorrow. Could it be, I told myself, that this small town will have to be the capital of an European country, as modest as it might be?” (G. Salvatori, I lituani di ieri e d‘oggi, Bologna, 1932).

However, as soon as in 1930, local press was covering the construction boom that had engulfed the city: businessmen were building, industrialists were building, political figures and even ordinary people were all building. The only difference was that the former were erecting skyscrapers in the centre of the city, while the latter were simply building small family houses. The times of slums had passed and gone, as the city’s administration had simply stopped issuing construction permits of the sort. (The Modern Kaunas, Naujas žodis, 1930, nr. 23-24).

So what were these humble giants, outrageously dubbed “skyscrapers”, that changed the city forever?

During the interwar period The New Town of Kaunas became not only a new city center but also a vibrant construction site. In this route you will have a look at the most significant buildings of Kaunas New Town.