Architecture of Optimism: The Kaunas Phenomenon, 1918–1940

Dr. Marija Drėmaitė presents the story of Kaunas, the interwar capital of Lithuania. The development of Kaunas in 1919-1939 represents the unique phenomenon of this modernist city. Kaunas’ architectural miracle is more than a story of one city. It represents the perpetual birth and collapse of dreams; creative challenges and optimism; migration, locality, and shared ideas and forms. On the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaunas will host the European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Dr. Marija Drėmaitė is an architecture historian and professor at Vilnius University. Her research is focused on 20th-century architecture, modernism, and industrial heritage.