‘Architecture of Optimism:’

The modernist architecture of Kaunas reflects the optimistic ideals of the 1920s and 30s. As temporary capital of the newly founded independent Republic of Lithuania, Kaunas underwent a miraculous metamorphosis. In less than 20 years its inhabitants erected more than 12,000 buildings, transforming the city into a modern, elegant European capital. After the Second World War and subsequent occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union this modernist architecture served as a constant reminder of its earlier independence. Today it is a heritage that is the basis of the Kaunas identity. Yet this exhibition is more than the story of a city. It also provides insight into the continuous creation and collapse of dreams, how ideas and forms seek a path, find a site and develop into a genius loci or spirit of a place.