Interwar Modernism

The building was designed in 1938 by the Polish architect Antoni Forkiewicz. In Vilnius between the wars, most of the houses of this type were designed to house two or three families. They did away with two-storey flats, so there was one flat per floor with ancillary rooms. This layout changed the volumetric composition, with asymmetry, a vertical entrance and other details adding character to the building. The widespread use of glass, metal and cement in construction between the two world wars made this type of house more affordable for Vilnius residents. Similar examples of modern architecture can be seen in Pamėnkalnis, M. K. Čiurlionio Street, Žvėrynas, ir Antakalnis.

In the interwar period, there was a shortage of living and leisure space for the students of Stephen Báthory University, so the construction of a new dormitory was initiated on the present Tauro Street. The project was designed taking into account the students’ comments and wishes and included a laundry, kitchen, canteen, gymnasium and study areas. The building was designed by the architect Aleksander Kodelski. The right-hand wing on the street side was built in 1932, and the left-hand wing, with its characteristic avant-corps, was completed in 1936. The original design for the dormitory was much larger, with plans for east and west wings with a courtyard inside. The architecture of the dormitory is characteristic of interwar modernism: the horizontal rhythm of the windows, the curved metal balconies and the massive rounded avant-corps. The façade is richly decorated with tiles, which add distinction and character to the relatively flat façade. During World War II, it was a hotel for German officers, and during the Soviet era, it was again used by students. Some of the buildings are still owned by Vilnius University, and others have been privatised.

The house was designed in 1938 by the Jewish architect Isaac Smorgonski. The building is characterised by a clear asymmetry and dynamism. The composition of the façade shows how several different volumes of the building merge into a harmonious whole. As you approach the vertical staircase, the ceramic tile decoration on the ground floor catches the eye. This building displays the features of interwar modernism: the angular windows and the rounded shapes of the building. The whole house is open to a fence with a stone fortification. Similar style stones can be found in other interwar buildings in Vilnius. Smorgonski himself was educated in St. Petersburg and was a well-known architect in Vilnius. He mostly designed residential houses and had a couple of projects with Jan Borowski.

This two-storey villa was designed in 1938 by two famous Vilnius architects, Jan Borowski and Isaac Smorgonski. The architectural duo also designed the residential house of rational forms at Pamėnkalnio g. 32. The site is mentioned in written sources as early as 1936, when Stanisława Kiaksztowa, a lawyer, applied to buy a plot of land at what was then Uosto g. 22. After the house was completed, the slope of the hill began to slip. The slope was reinforced with massive stone masonry, and the stone staircase was not built until well after the war. The house at Pamėnkalnio g. 34 is a valuable example of interwar modernist architecture in Vilnius. The forms are laconic and geometrically uncomplicated, divided into several volumes. The most distinctive feature of the building is the rounded corner of the house, which is pulled forward. Next to it is a spacious porch with a terrace and an entrance in the depths. Inside, there are authentic details: a rounded wooden staircase, oak parquet flooring from the Lviv company ‘Parkiet’, several ceiling lights and a tiled stove. From 1938, the house was occupied by the commandant of the military hospital, Antoni Kiakszto, and his family. After the Second World War, he was repatriated to Poland and the house was passed on to the writer Antanas Venclova and other residents. In 1973, a museum was established here, which is still open today. 

One of the more interesting buildings of interwar Vilnius modernist architecture is the pawn shop. Previously located on Trakų Street, the pawn shop had to move in 1934 after the municipality lost a court case against the Franciscan Order, so it was decided to build a new building. A competition was launched in 1937 and was won by Tadeusz Brzoza and Jan Krug of Lviv, but it is not known whether the pawnshop was built according to the design. Initial work began in 1938 and lasted for a couple of years, but it was not until 1940 that the pawnshop opened its doors. The architecture of the building is characterised by its laconic and industrial aesthetics, with a rhythmic arrangement of square windows giving the appearance of a fortress. According to the original plans, the building consisted of two blocks of four storeys each. The ground floor, on the side of what is now A. Smetonos Street, housed administrative premises, operations and an auction room. At the rear of the site, in the second wing, were warehouses, freight elevators and staff quarters. The building also housed an air raid shelter and a treasury for the storage of more valuable collateral. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Zawadski brothers (Władysław and Adam) began building modern department stores in Vilnius. This building was begun in 1914 to a design by Kazimierz Krzyżanowski and completed after the war in 1923 to a design by the famous Warsaw architects Karol Jankowski and Franciszek Lilpop. At that time, it housed the Jabłkowski brothers’ department store, which offered clothing, tableware and other luxury goods. On the ground floor, they sold sewing supplies, silk, wool and cotton, while on the first floor, they sold carpets and rugs, bedspreads, and even furniture. The second floor was a textile warehouse, while the third and fourth floors housed the administration. After the First World War, the building was in poor condition and in need of repair. The renewed building was designed by the architects K. Jankowski and F. Lilpop, who gave it a modernised classical style. Its verticality is emphasised by the pilasters, while the niche with two boys above the entrance, the masks in the arches and other elements of the exterior add detail. Since 1923, the function of the building has remained the same: trade and commerce. Interestingly, the Jabłkowski brothers built their first commercial building in Warsaw and only then in Vilnius.

The Vilnius branch of the State Savings Bank (Powszechna kasa oszczednosci as it was called in Polish) was designed by the Warsaw architects Juliusz Żórawski and Zbigniew Puget, and construction was supervised by the aforementioned Jan Borowski. The granite and sandstone slabs look presentable, while the symmetry and allusions to classicism emphasise monumentality. The building’s calm, laconic forms were intended to give the visitors a sense of calm, reliability and solidity. The main financial operations hall was decorated with a mural by the artist Ludomir Leńdziński entitled ‘Work and thrift leading to success’, a fragment of which has survived to this day. The architects also designed a residential building next to the palace on the left, which housed a bookshop run by Gustaw Adolf Gebethner and August Robert Wolff. In 1937, the Savings Bank Palace was the most modern building in Vilnius and encouraged the development of similar projects, abandoning classical architectural forms.

This branch of the Polish Regional Economy Bank or Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (in Polish) in Vilnius was designed by Jerzy Pańkowski and Stanisław Gałęzowski – architects from Warsaw, and its construction was supervised by Jan Borowski. The modern reinforced concrete building was set back from the street, and the façade was covered with yellowish sandstone panels. It is one of the most striking examples of functionalist architecture in Vilnius. The main accent of the façade is the convex plane above the main entrance, which rises to the full height of the building and is decorated with a chore-relief of the sculptor Tadeusz Godziszewski’s ‘Fortuna’. The sculptural image rises more than halfway up its volume and depicts a woman with a cornucopia, a symbol of wealth. The bank was famous for its exquisite financial operations hall with the mural ‘Time’ by the artist Ludomir Slendziński, which unfortunately has not survived. Contemporaries of the time criticised the design of the bank’s building for its minimal decoration and lack of monumentality. According to them, the project lacked an artistic expression that represented the ambition and creative expression of Vilnius. It is, therefore, not surprising that in interwar Vilnius, there were frequent discussions on how to reconcile avant-garde modernism and the classical traditions of the Vilnius School. 

In the 1920s, there was a shortage of apartments for the military, and on the initiative of Józef Pilsudski, the Army Accommodation Fund was set up. The aim of this fund was to build standard multi-storey blocks of flats to accommodate officers’ families. A few such houses were built in Vilnius, but they were not enough to accommodate high-ranking officers. The site chosen for the construction was on the current Vilniaus Street, where the drill hall was demolished in 1932, and the construction of a modernised neoclassical officer’s dwelling began. The façade features the following classical forms: vertical rhythmic pilasters, a horizontal dentilled cornice, triangular pediments with decoration and other details. The pediments at the top of the building feature three Art Deco bas-reliefs by the sculptor Antoni Miszewski. Two of the bas-reliefs are visible from Vinco Kudirkos Square, the left one depicting a knight with a lance on a pegasus and the right one a knight on a horse overcoming a dragon. The third bas-relief is visible from the Opera and Ballet Theatre and shows a knight with a shield. All these bas-reliefs depict mythical victors who were supposed to symbolise the power and prestige of the army of the Second Polish Republic. After the Second World War, the casino building on the corner of what is now Vilniaus Street and Gedimino Avenue was demolished. It was replaced in the 1950s by a socialist realism building, which still has a bookshop on the ground floor.

The apartment block, with its proportional shapes and a distinctly modern style, was designed by the duo of architects M. Cholem and S. Bukowski. The volume and spatial composition of the building are asymmetrical, with an irregularly shaped overhang at the side. It is surmounted by a terrace on the courtyard side, which was intended to open up the then undeveloped landscape of the river Neris. The façade is rich in architectural details typical of the International Style: corner windows, a corner balcony, and laconic raised window borders. The main entrance to the house is on the courtyard side, which distinguishes it from other interwar modernist apartment blocks. Six apartments were built here for the employees of ‘M. Deul’. This company was established in Vilnius in 1897 and traded in bituminous coal, coke, portland cement, coal briquettes, firewood and lime.

The Polish Social Insurance Company was founded in 1934, at which time branches were established in Vilnius, Warsaw and other cities. The competition for the design of the branch was won by Stanisława Murczyński and Jerzy Sołtan, young architects from Warsaw. The building’s design, modernist forms and aesthetics brought new winds to the historic surroundings of Gedimino Avenue. The architects refused additional decoration and opted for pure materials, giving the building character. Uncut granite was used to accentuate the plinth floor, and mottled yellow sandstone panels were used for the walls. The main corner block is supported by columns, which give the building a lightness as if it were floating down the street. The Oceanic style was popular in Poland, especially in Gdynia, and can also be seen from the Jakšto Street side. The door to the clinic, which is currently located here, resembles the entrance to a cabin, giving the impression of a ship. Both blocks of the building have preserved authentic details: stair railings, columns, mosaic floors and other details. In 1939, a rented house with asymmetrical and constructive forms was built next to this building in what is now Jakšto g. 2 for the administration. The building contained a garage for the company’s ambulance and the management’s official car. The administration building was enclosed by a fence with the initials’ US’ (Polish: Ubezpieczalnia Społeczna) of the Social Insurance Company, which has survived to this day.

The Chamber of Commerce and Crafts in Vilnius was established in 1929, covering the territory of the provinces of Vilnius, Białystok, Novogrudok and Polesie. The main tasks of the institution were to promote local production and trade and to organise its sale and export. A competition for the construction of a new palace was launched in 1931 and was won by the architect Zygmunt Tarasin out of 119 projects. The graphic design of the project was created by the Vilnius artist, painter and engineer architect Stefan Bohuz-Siestrzeńcewicz. The palace is a relatively early example of the modernising architecture of interwar Vilnius and still shows the influence of past styles. The main feature of the building is the arcaded entrance, open on two sides, and the evenly spaced windows rising over two floors above it. The project has been the subject of considerable criticism because of its high cost during the economic crisis. For the same reason, the Chamber’s Board of Directors decided to lease part of the premises to other institutions. It was the location of a branch of the municipal savings bank, and was used for folk art exhibitions and other events. Currently, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania operates in the building.

The four-storey building is structurally integrated into the perimeter of the street. Two ground-floor overhangs of varying sizes are pulled forward and are accompanied by massive third- and fourth-floor balconies. The apartment building was designed by M. Cholem for David Strugacz. With its constructive, geometric façade, good proportions and interesting finishes, this apartment block stands out from other modernist buildings in Vilnius of the period. The building has two staircases, one from the street and one from the courtyard. The staircases on the courtyard side were intended for servants, whose doors lead to the kitchens of the apartments. Garages were built in the courtyard. Inside, authentic details have been preserved, such as wooden doors and floor tiles, while the furniture and other furnishings in the museums have been preserved. In 1940, when the Faculty of Humanities was transferred from Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University to Vilnius University, the house was assigned to the professorship. The architect Vytautas Lansbergis-Zemkalnis, the academician, the writers Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius, Balys Sruoga and Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas lived in this house. Currently, the house houses the museums of V. Krėvė and V. Mykolaitis-Putinas and has authentic interior details. Architect M. Cholem designed several other apartment buildings in Vilnius: A. Stulginskio g. 3, Vytauto g. 24, Gedimino pr. 54.