Kaunas Main Post Office is one of the most valuable monuments of the interwar period in Lithuania and at the same time the most important representative of the functional type in the country. The building, completed in 1931, was not only a public building, but also an expression of modern architectural ideas and national style. After many years of the building serving as a postal headquarters, in 2019 it was decided to change its purpose. The office was relocated and an Architecture Centre was created in the building.
The decision to build a modern postal headquarters was made as early as 1924, but work did not begin until the jubilee year of 1930, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the death of Vytautas the Great, Duke of Lithuania. The building was designed by Felixas Vizbaras and Jonas Kriščiukaitis was responsible for the engineering side of the project. The cost of the investment was 1.5 million litas, with a further 250,000 spent on decorations and furnishings.
Kaunas Main Post Office in 1931. Photo: Kauno IX forto muziejus
From the outside, the building is distinguished by modernist and nationalistic elements. Architectural details such as rounded windows and sparing ornamentation made it one of the pioneers of Lithuanian functionalism. A medal commemorating Vytautas the Great was placed on the façade, which became a symbol of the building’s connection to national identity. The building served as a model for other investments built in the reborn Republic of Lithuania.
The five-storey building was extremely modern for its time. It was equipped with an electric clock, lifts, a spacious operating theatre, staff showers and comfortable workspaces. The post office was not only functional but also presentable, which was sometimes controversial – there were claims in the press that the building resembled a palace more than a public facility.
Kaunas Central Post Office in the 1930s and today. Photo documentation by LCVA and Google Maps
The site’s location was also conducive to the concentration of other functional units of the city’s transport system at the time. As a result, another important telecommunications facility was built on the site of the post office building in 1935 – an automatic telephone exchange with telegraph.
Between 1952 and 1980, the edifice underwent several renovations that changed its original appearance. For ideological reasons, wall paintings with patriotic expressions were removed, and the interiors were enriched with stained glass windows with zodiac signs and dolomite and veneer elements. After Lithuania regained its independence, an attempt was made to restore the original character of the building. A major restoration of the operating theatre was carried out in 1996, but the lack of source materials meant that many details were reproduced on the basis of analogies.
Due to declining demand for postal services, the operations of the Kaunas Central Post Office were reduced and in 2019 it was completely relocated to the Akropolis shopping centre. That same year, the building was declared a cultural monument. In 2023, the Lithuanian government decided to transform the building into the headquarters of the National Institute of Architecture.
Today, Kaunas Main Post Office serves as an Architecture Centre, which promotes Lithuanian architectural art, organises workshops, competitions and events, and collects and researches the country’s architectural heritage. Transforming the building into a cultural institution has helped to give it a new meaning and bring this modernist treasure back to life. A major renovation of the building is also planned.
Source: bernardinai.lt, tarpukaris.autc.lt
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