Fragments of Building History of New Capital in Interwar Europe

Various political transformations arose in Europe after the First World War. At this period Lithuania restored its independence. Alas, the Lithuanian historic capital was lost at the same time for a long period. So, Lithuania was the only country in the whole Europe which had to establish a new Capital. This establishment had to be realized in a short time. It was a unique and consequently quite interesting event in the urban history of Europe at that time. It was decided to carry into life a new Lithuanian capital in Kaunas. From an urban point of view Kaunas was an old town. There were remains of a rectangular network of streets as relicts from Middle Ages. Around Kaunas fortifications and various other military structures were erected. Considerable areas of oak woods were preserved for masking military manoeuvres. These relicts were conserved while planning a new town. In that stage of Kaunas growth the European practice of designing and building structures was adopted. Paying attention to Lithuanian climate new building materials were used. It is possible to notice a lot of local original solutions and innovations as well which were used in smaller towns later. Article in Lithuanian