Kaunas is a city with an unusually rich architectural tradition. It is here that the only building in Lithuania representing the Amsterdam School style is located, where the Amsterdam School Museum has been opened. The style is a synthesis of elements of art déco and art nouveau, making it distinguished by its sculptural form, soft lines and rich decoration. In the capital of the provisional Lithuanian Republic of the interwar period, where modernism set the rhythm of the city’s rapid development, this building is an original example of the formal and aesthetic explorations of the era.
Museum of the Amsterdam School in Kaunas – a house of unusual form and history
The tenement house at 58 Vytauto Avenue was built in 1928 on the initiative of the owners of the Liteksas textile factory, Mozes Posviański and Giršas Klisas. The two entrepreneurs lived on the second floor of the building and used the remaining flats for rent. The design of the house was created by the young architect Jokūbas Peras, who was only 25 years old at the time. His work is distinguished by a dynamic façade with clearly modelled lines, rounded corners and a rhythmic arrangement of windows. The characteristic sculptures and decorative details add a very peculiar expression to the massing and emphasise the clear art déco influence.
Renovation at Vytauto 58 in Kaunas and a new life for the building
In 2019, the building’s façade, main door and staircase windows were restored. The original shades of blue and gold inside the staircase were also restored. A few years later, in January 2023, the Amsterdam School Museum opened in flat number 6. The project was initiated by the founders of the Kaunas Art Déco Museum, Karolis Banis and Petras Gaidamavičius. This is their second private institution dedicated to interwar heritage. The museum is housed in a five-room flat of 136 sq m, with two balconies and a terrace overlooking the green slopes of Žaliakalnis. The interiors of the premises have been arranged in the spirit of the Amsterdam school and art déco, using original furniture, artworks and everyday objects from the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibits also include books, crockery and household appliances from that era.
Museum of the Amsterdam School in Kaunas
The tours take the form of interactive, sensory walks, during which you can feel the atmosphere of the life of Kaunas residents during the time of the first Lithuanian Republic. The museum curators also draw on queer theory to explain the intense colours of the interiors and the expressive form of the sculptures adorning the building. Kaunas’ Jewish heritage, brutally interrupted by the Holocaust, also plays an important role in interpreting the history of the site. Contemporary narratives remind us of the enormous contribution of Lithuanian Jews to the development of the city and the creation of its unique architecture.
Kaunas inscribed on the UNESCO list
In 2023, the architecture of interwar Kaunas, including the building at 58 Vytauto Street, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This distinction confirms the importance of Kaunas Modernism and its various varieties, including the extremely rare Amsterdam School. The museum takes a closer look at the architectural qualities of the building and the daily life of its former inhabitants.
Source: Amsterdamo mokyklos muziejus
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