The year 2023 was particularly important for Lithuanian culture, as the modernist architecture of the city of Kaunas was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, Lithuania has a lot of work to do, as the country will have to implement experts’ recommendations within a year and a half. This decision was made on September 19, 2023, during the session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is not only a recognition of the exceptional architectural phenomenon of optimism, but also another proof that culture can be (and is!) at the forefront of fundamental social changes.
The legacy of interwar Lithuanian modernist architecture can be described as the material heritage of a conscious, courageous and capable state. It is difficult to draw a strict chronological limit from which the features of modernism began to appear in the interwar Lithuanian architecture. However, the interwar era of Lithuanian modernist architecture is considered to be the 20th century the fourth decade. The arrival of modernist ideas in Lithuanian architecture tends to be associated with the invigoration of construction, and with the maturity of a new generation of specialists, and with the desire of a nation that has established statehood to legitimize itself in Europe in the greater part of the Western world through acceptable artistic means.
When Kaunas became the temporary capital of Lithuania, the entire political, economic and cultural life of the state was concentrated here. Between the wars, constructions in the city chased each other. It is in Kaunas that the largest number of interwar modernist buildings were built. The fact that the constructions were not carried out in single buildings, but in whole complexes, allowed the construction of interwar modernist architecture to form a unique architectural character of the city of Kaunas, which became part of its image and identity.
Today, the city not only applies the development of European history, but its distinctive architecture attracts tourists, and tourist routes presenting the architecture of Modernism are created. The opening of new museums creates added value, allows Lithuanians to get to know their country’s history better and to be proud of it. A museum founded by a private business, one of the most impressive and expressive interwar modernist buildings in Kaunas – the house in K. Donelaicio str.19 has been restored with its shapes, especially the large round window in the bay window, the ratio of volumes and the shape, it attracts the eye of passers-by and stands out from the others. This is an excellent example – how the recognition of heritage promotes the growth of culture, tourism, brings financial value to the city, increases the turnover of restaurants and other services, and contributes to the prosperity of the city.