The Historical Presidential Palace ( lt, Istorinė Prezidentūra) is a Neo-baroque building in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

that served as the Presidential Palace during the interwar years. Today, the palace is a branch of the

M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum is a group of museums based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is primarily dedicated to exhibiting and publicizing the works of the painter and musician M.K. Čiurlionis (1875–1911). The museum was founded in ...

History

President Kazys Grinius near the Presidential Palace

Antanas Smetona in Kaunas Presidential Palace balcony

The original palace was constructed on in 1846, when a local

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

received authorization to build the two-story edifice. The project featured a symmetrically designed structure with seven rooms on the first floor, and nine rooms on the second floor. Shortly afterwards the building was expanded and another

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

was added. In 1866, a garden was also laid out in front of the building. Two years later, additional structures were built nearby, and the building was acquired by the Russian government as a residence for the Kovno Governor. In 1876, the building was finally purchased by that government. During the latter part of the 19th century the building underwent further expansion, and an additional wing was constructed as well as a new gallery. During World War I,

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

Wilhelm II briefly stayed in the palace in 1915 while visiting the Eastern front. Lithuania proclaimed its independence in 1918, and at that time the building became the property of the Lithuanian government. After Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, was occupied by Poland, Kaunas became the temporary capital and the building was designated as its Presidential Palace. It was remodeled and became the Lithuanian president's official residence. The building witnessed a crisis of parliamentarism, the Coup d’État of 1926, and a turn towards authoritarian regime. The garden was surrounded by a cast-iron fence that has survived to this day. The palace served as the presidential residence until 1940, when Lithuania again lost its independence. In the face of imminent Soviet occupation, the Last Meeting of the government of Lithuania took place here on the night from June 14 to 15 of 1940. During Soviet rule, the palace underwent further alterations and the size of the garden was reduced, while some adjacent buildings were demolished. On the first floor, some interior walls were removed to make way for a movie theater. Later it was converted to the Kaunas teacher's headquarters, and hosted teacher's organizations. In 1989, the administration of the palace was transferred to the

Vytautas the Great War Museum The Vytautas the Great War Museum ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo karo muziejus) is a museum in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was built in Art Deco and early functionalism style. Originally it was established in 1921 by Vladas Nagevičius but later it was deci ...

. After Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the palace was designated as a historical landmark. Soon afterward, three statues of the interwar

presidents of Lithuania The article is a list of heads of state of Lithuania over historical Lithuanian state. The timeline includes all heads of state of Lithuania as a sovereign entity, legitimately part of a greater sovereign entity, a client state, or a constituent ...

were erected in the palace garden, Antanas Smetona, Aleksandras Stulginskis, and Kazys Grinius. In 1997, more renovations were implemented, but due to financial problems, the work took six years to complete. In 2003, the 85th anniversary of Lithuanian Independence, the renovated palace was officially re-opened. The total cost of the works exceeded five million

litas The Lithuanian litas (ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (genit ...

Palace today

Today, the palace is used by the city and the state. There was a suggestion that the palace should become a branch of the Presidential Institution in Vilnius, but this suggestion has been rejected. Since 2005, the building has been a part of the

. Currently, the palace features several exhibitions dedicated to former presidents Aleksandras Stulginskis and Kazys Grinius, and to the history of the palace.Istorinė Presidentūra Kaune
Exhibitions
/ref> A recent exposition featured unique historical items from the collection of ambassador

Kazys Lozoraitis Kazys Lozoraitis (23 July 1929 in Berlin – 13 August 2007 in Rome) was a prominent Lithuanian diplomat and cultural activist. He was the first ambassador of Lithuania to the Holy See and to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Biography Kaz ...

.Kauno dien
Lietuvos prezidentai - išsaugotose relikvijose
Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior.jpg, First floor room with three inter-war

Presidents of Lithuania The article is a list of heads of state of Lithuania over historical Lithuanian state. The timeline includes all heads of state of Lithuania as a sovereign entity, legitimately part of a greater sovereign entity, a client state, or a constituent ...

paintings Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 2.jpg, First floor room with

Jonas Jablonskis Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jonas' ...

and

Vytis The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is als ...

paintings Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 3.jpg, First floor exhibits Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 4.jpg, Feliksas Vaitkus belongings Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 5.jpg, A typewriter with the substitution cipher function, used by various institutions of Lithuanian Army and Diplomatic missions in 1930s Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 6.jpg, First floor exhibits Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 7.jpg, First floor exhibits EuroBasket 1937 trophy.jpg, EuroBasket 1937 trophy EuroBasket Women 1938 and EuroBasket 1939 Men trophies.jpg,

EuroBasket 1938 Women The 1938 EuroBasket Women, European Women Basketball Championship was the 1st regional championship held by FIBA Europe for women. The competition was held in Rome, Italy and took place from October 12 to October 16, 1938. Italy women's national ba ...

and EuroBasket 1939 trophies Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 10.jpg, Inter-war version of the Lithuanian currency

Litas The Lithuanian litas (ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (genit ...

and inter-war Constitution of Lithuania Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 11.jpg, Lithuanian inter-war postage stamps and authentic ticket to a basketball game in EuroBasket 1939 Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 12.jpg, Mirrors room near the primary meeting room with the inter-war Presidents of Lithuania Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 13.jpg, Primary meeting room with the inter-war Presidents of Lithuania Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 14.jpg, Primary meeting room with the inter-war Presidents of Lithuania Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 15.jpg, Primary meeting room with the inter-war Presidents of Lithuania Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 16.jpg, Government of Lithuania news Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 17.jpg, Presidential umbrella with monogram A. S., plate with Antanas Smetona picture,

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

watch Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 18.jpg, Hymn of the President of Lithuania Aleksandras Stulginskis (left corners),

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a j ...

Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 19.jpg, President Kazys Grinius belongings Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 20.jpg, Second floor exhibits Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 21.jpg, Second floor exhibits Chronicon terrae Prussiae.jpg, Chronicon terrae Prussiae Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 23.jpg, Models of medals commemorating the first year of the Lithuania's independence Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 26.jpg, Presidential work room Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 25.jpg, Presidential work room Presidential Palace in Kaunas interior 24.jpg, Presidential work room

References

External links

The Historical Presidential Palace homepage
{{coord, 54, 53, 51, N, 23, 53, 50, E, type:landmark_region:LT, display=title Houses completed in 1846 Museums in Kaunas Palaces in Kaunas Presidential residences