General route
433 km
79 h
27 h
6 h30 min
App
An international contest for a new officers’ club, begun in 1931, was won by Estonians, but in 1937 it was built according to the design of the Lithuanian Stasys Kudokas and engineers who helped him.
It’s interesting that in interwar society there were a lot of discussions about what kind of building would be most suitable for such an object. Maybe the best thing to do would be to demolish the (Russian built) St. Michael the Archangel’s Church and establish the officers’ club on the site instead? Or maybe there’s another site in another corner which would allow the representative building to be more visible? However, in the end it was decided to choose a location within which the officers’ club had already rented rooms before.
The façade of this important building on A. Mickevičius Street combines Modernism and classical features, such as columns, an attic, highlighted windows on the second floor and a central entrance. Above the spectacular door were the coats of arms of the biggest cities of Lithuania, and a sculptural composition Trys milžinai (Three Giants) showing ancient warriors, created by Bronius Pundzius.
On the first floor, which is far from being pompous but that was built using luxurious materials, is a restaurant in which even President Antanas Smetona would celebrate the New Year. The second floor is a representative one, where visitors are greeted by impressive halls inside which Art Deco goes together with an ethnic style and a medieval spirit. In 1938, in an issue 9 of the newspaper for military officers Kardas (The Sword), it was written: the representative facilities of the officers’ club are the only such premises in Kaunas, if we were to speak about their interior and spaciousness.
The fact that the building had previously been the meeting place of the defenders of independent Lithuania posed no moral issues for the Soviet occupiers, and, after the war, the officers’ club continued to operate here. In 1944, however, the club was turned into a military hospital for a brief period of time. After the restoration of independence, the building was returned to those for whom it was intended. Only the officers’ hotel on the fourth floor wasn’t restored.
Here a lot of attention is paid to the remembrance of history. Be sure to arrange an excursion, run by those who work here and who know everything best. In the club’s great hall, concerts, presentations and other events related to the statehood of Lithuania often take place.
In 2015, the European Commission awarded 44 objects of Modernist interwar architecture in Kaunas the European Heritage Label, among them the Kaunas Garrison Officers’ Club.
An international contest for a new officers’ club, begun in 1931, was won by Estonians, but in 1937 it was built according to the design of the Lithuanian Stasys Kudokas and engineers who helped him.
It’s interesting that in interwar society there were a lot of discussions about what kind of building would be most suitable for such an object. Maybe the best thing to do would be to demolish the (Russian built) St. Michael the Archangel’s Church and establish the officers’ club on the site instead? Or maybe there’s another site in another corner which would allow the representative building to be more visible? However, in the end it was decided to choose a location within which the officers’ club had already rented rooms before.
The façade of this important building on A. Mickevičius Street combines Modernism and classical features, such as columns, an attic, highlighted windows on the second floor and a central entrance. Above the spectacular door were the coats of arms of the biggest cities of Lithuania, and a sculptural composition Trys milžinai (Three Giants) showing ancient warriors, created by Bronius Pundzius.
On the first floor, which is far from being pompous but that was built using luxurious materials, is a restaurant in which even President Antanas Smetona would celebrate the New Year. The second floor is a representative one, where visitors are greeted by impressive halls inside which Art Deco goes together with an ethnic style and a medieval spirit. In 1938, in an issue 9 of the newspaper for military officers Kardas (The Sword), it was written: the representative facilities of the officers’ club are the only such premises in Kaunas, if we were to speak about their interior and spaciousness.
The fact that the building had previously been the meeting place of the defenders of independent Lithuania posed no moral issues for the Soviet occupiers, and, after the war, the officers’ club continued to operate here. In 1944, however, the club was turned into a military hospital for a brief period of time. After the restoration of independence, the building was returned to those for whom it was intended. Only the officers’ hotel on the fourth floor wasn’t restored.
Here a lot of attention is paid to the remembrance of history. Be sure to arrange an excursion, run by those who work here and who know everything best. In the club’s great hall, concerts, presentations and other events related to the statehood of Lithuania often take place.
In 2015, the European Commission awarded 44 objects of Modernist interwar architecture in Kaunas the European Heritage Label, among them the Kaunas Garrison Officers’ Club.
