In the interwar period, Kaunas became a major centre of modernism in Central and Eastern Europe. During this time, the city saw the construction of many modern public edifices, banks, office buildings and townhouses that reflected the ambitions of the young Lithuanian state. One of the most captivating examples of this architecture is the “Pažanga” Palace, built in 1934 on Liberty Avenue.
The name of the building “Pažanga”, which means “Progress” in Lithuanian, perfectly reflects the spirit of the era in which it was built. The building was also given the name “palace” to further emphasise the importance and grandeur of its very modern architecture. The building is connected to the “Pienocentras” palace and stands opposite the former “Merkurijus” shopping centre. Although the two buildings differ in form, they are representative examples of functional, modernist Kaunas buildings of the 1930s.
Kaunas Palace “Pažanga”
The “Pažanga” company was founded in 1928 by the ruling Nationalist Union and served as the ideological base of the party. It was involved in the publishing and distribution of newspapers and books, and the new premises were intended to emphasise the power and ambition of the political elite of the time. In place of the former single-storey house with an antiquarian bookshop, a modern, multi-storey building was erected according to a design by architect Felixas Vizbaras. The construction was carried out by D. and G. Ilgovskis. The building housed office, publishing, club and residential functions. Behind the striking façade was the editorial office of the daily newspaper Lietuvos aidas, the party headquarters and a nationalist club. The ground floor housed shops and bookshops, including those of the ‘Parama’ and ‘Dirva’ companies, as well as the state library. The basement housed a reading room and a conference room lit by skylights. The top floor, meanwhile, housed the club’s restaurant, and the roof terrace offered a view of the Kaunas skyline.
The architecture and style of the “Pažanga” Palace
“Pažanga” Palace has a U-shaped projection and consists of three parts of different heights. On the side of Liberty Avenue stands the five-storey main building with two risalits and loggias. It is these that give it this extremely modern and unique expression. The façade is distinguished by an openwork stepped attic in ceramic brick and geometric balcony balustrades with iron ornaments. Architect Feliksas Vizbaras combined modernist form with elements of the national Lithuanian style in the design. The façade and interior details feature folk motifs, stylised ornaments, zigzags and decorations inspired by wooden carvings. However, the combination of modern form and national references was controversial. In 1938, the artist Mstislavas Dobužinskis criticised these treatments in the magazine Naujoji Romuva, describing them as an ‘architectural crime’ and a ‘childish disease’ of Lithuanian architecture.
The fate of the Palace of ‘Progress’
Influential representatives of the Lithuanian political scene lived in the palace flats. Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis stayed here for a while, and Vladas Mironas, one of the founders of ‘Pažanga’ and a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania, moved in in 1935. In 2017, a plaque commemorating him was unveiled on the façade of the building. During the Second World War, the palace was occupied by the German occupation institutions, and during the Soviet period it served administrative and scientific research functions. During this time, its interiors were partially rebuilt, and flats and an additional floor were added on the side of the courtyard. Despite these changes, the building has retained the original form of its representative façade and most of its decoration.
Pažanga Palace after 1989
In 1989, the building was handed over to Vytautas Magnus University. Initially, it housed the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, later the Faculty of Catholic Theology, and then the Faculty of Fine Arts. The ground floor was used commercially – a café, a bank and a grocery shop operated here. In 2012, the VMU Art Gallery was opened. From 2014 onwards, the building gradually lost its utilitarian function. Heating problems and insufficient maintenance led to its partial deterioration. In 2019, after unsuccessful attempts to raise funds for renovation, the university sold the edifice at auction. Since then, it has been in private hands, but this has changed nothing, as the building still remains mostly empty. Only on the ground floor does a catering establishment operate.
Heritage and significance
The Pažanga Palace, whose name symbolically refers to the idea of progress, is one of the most valuable examples of Kaunas’ modernist architecture. Despite the passage of years, the building retains exceptional historical and artistic value, bearing witness to the ambition and aesthetics of interwar Kaunas – a city that remains a symbol of Lithuanian modernism to this day. Despite its rather poor condition, the building is under conservation protection and remains under state protection as an object of national importance, listed in the Lithuanian Register of Cultural Assets. Since 2015, it has also been awarded the European Heritage Label, which is awarded to sites of special significance for the history and culture of Europe. This gives hope for a restoration that will bring out the most beautiful and valuable features of the monument. Unfortunately, during the renovation work on the neighbouring Pienocentras Palace, which is also part of Kaunas’ modernist heritage, there were glaring irregularities. The wrong plaster was applied to the façade, causing damage estimated at almost €200,000.
Source: kvr.kpd.lt, m.kauno.diena.lt
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