Kaunastic team at Kaunas Tourism Information Office has created one more map of Kaunas treasures: check out this fantastic Modernist’s Guide, which includes the map and short descriptions of Kaunas modernist architecture landmarks. Use the recovering summer for tours around Kaunas city, the inspiring UNESCO city of design.
Contemporary Kaunas would not exist without the time when the city served as the temporary capital from 1919 till 1940. Overnight, Kaunas had to transform itself from a little town of Russian Governorate to the capital meeting European standards. Different professionals who have been born, living, working or studying abroad, started coming to Kaunas to collaborate with residents, business people and politicians. Offices, hospitals, schools, residential and industrial buildings rose. It took time, though, until Kaunas modernism became an internationally recognised landmark – in 2015 it was awarded the title of UNESCO Creative City of Design, in the same year Kaunas gained the European Heritage Label.
“Finally, in 2017, Kaunas modernism architecture was included into UNESCO preliminary list. It is obvious that Kaunas residents are identifying the modernism heritage as a crucial element of the city’s identity, the place, which witnesses the modernist Europe of the beginning of the 20th century”, says Vaidas Petrulis, Head of KTU Heritage and Architectural History Research Centre.
You can read more on Kaunas modernism on Kaunastic page, but we recommend to grab the map from the tourism information office or from tourist-friendly places across the city, and to see the treasures yourself. You can download a pdf version of the Guide here.
By the way, if you are into guided tours, check out Ekskursus – on Friday, 6 July they are organising tours for free all day. Contact them, register and enjoy Kaunas!
