Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis (10 March 1893 – 21 May 1993) was a Lithuanian architect most active in interwar Lithuania (1926–1939). He was the father of

Vytautas Landsbergis Vytautas Landsbergis (born 18 October 1932) is a Lithuanian politician and former Member of the European Parliament. He was the first Speaker of Reconstituent Seimas of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union. He has ...

, the first Lithuanian head of state after independence from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Landsbergis's father, the playwright Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, was an active supporter of the

Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism ( lt, Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuanian ...

. Landsbergis studied architecture at the

Riga Polytechnical Institute Riga Technical University (RTU) ( lv, Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte) is the oldest technical university in the Baltic countries established on October 14, 1862. It is located in Riga, Latvia and was previously known as 'Riga Polytechnical Instit ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was drafted to the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

and completed a school for junior officers. Upon return to Lithuania, he joined the newly established

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (wh ...

and fought in the

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles ( lt, Laisvės kovos), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Berm ...

. He was taken prisoner by Poland, but managed to escape. He then continued his studies of architecture at the Higher School of Architecture in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(now a department of the

Sapienza University The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

). Landsbergis returned to Lithuania in 1926 and became one of the most popular and sought-after architects in

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 ...

, the

temporary capital of Lithuania The temporary capital of Lithuania ( lt, Laikinoji sostinė) was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius, which was part of Poland from 1920 u ...

. He was one of the leaders of a group of about 40 modernist architects working in Kaunas. Eight of his buildings were included in a group 44 buildings awarded the

European Heritage Label The European Heritage Label is a recognition awarded by the European Union to buildings, documents, museums, archives, monuments or events which are seen as milestones in the creation of today's Europe. The program is managed by the European Commis ...

in 2015. Overall, the modernist architecture of interwar Kaunas has been placed on the

UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2017. When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and Lithuanians started the anti-Soviet June Uprising, Landsbergis became the minister of infrastructure in the short-lived

Provisional Government of Lithuania The Provisional Government of Lithuania ( lt, Laikinoji Vyriausybė) was a temporary government aiming for independent Lithuania during the last days of the first Soviet occupation and the first months of German Nazi occupation in 1941. It w ...

. When his son was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

in May 1944, Landsbergis followed his son from one prison to another until Gabrielius was freed by the Americans in April 1945. Landsbergis became a

displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

(DP) and taught at a Lithuanian DP camp and later at the University of the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

(UNRRA) in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. In 1949, he emigrated to Australia and worked there as an architect at the Housing and Construction Department in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. In 1959, he returned to Kaunas in

Soviet Lithuania The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...

and worked as architect and restorer of monuments until retirement in 1984.

Biography

Early life and education

Landsbergis hailed from an old German that traced its roots to a

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...

who lived in 1055 at the

Werden Abbey Werden Abbey (german: Kloster Werden) was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church w ...

. Their last name comes the in the

Duchy of Berg Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. The name of the county lives on in the modern ...

which translates as "land mountain". Landsbergis' father Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis translated the name to Lithuanian and used Žemkalnis as his last name from around 1890. Vytautas Landsbergis was born in the village near

Linkuva Linkuva (); is a list of cities in Lithuania, city in the Pakruojis district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-east of Pakruojis.The town is more than 500 years old. Linkuva is a state-protected urbanistic monument. It is one of the o ...

where his father worked on supervising the estates of the . The family supported the

and their house was visited by various Lithuanian intellectuals, including

Vincas Kudirka Vincas Kudirka (; – ) was a Lithuanian poet and physician, and the author of both the music and lyrics of the Lithuanian national anthem, "". He is regarded in Lithuania as a national hero. Kudirka used the pen names V. Kapsas, Paežeri ...

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' ...

Pranas Mašiotas Pranas Mašiotas (1863–1940) was a Lithuanian activist and educator best known as children's writer and translator. Born in Suvalkija to a family of Lithuanian farmers, Mašiotas attended Marijampolė Gymnasium and studied mathematics at Mo ...

Liudas Vaineikis Liudas Vaineikis (31 August 1869 – 17 January 1938) was a physician and notable member of the Lithuanian book smuggling movement during the Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904). Already as a student at Mitau Gymnasium, Vaineikis joined the ...

, Antanas Kriščiukaitis, Jurgis Bielinis. In 1894, due to suspicions about his father's involvement in the Lithuanian book smuggling activities, the family was forced to leave Lithuania. They settled in Moscow where Landsbergis attended the from 1901. Due to his Lithuanian activities, his father was imprisoned for ten weeks in

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see #Names and toponymy, other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Planning Region, Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after R ...

in 1900 and sentenced to two years of exile in

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

in 1902. The family returned to Lithuania in 1904 and lived in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

. Landsbergis attended Vilnius Real Gymnasium until 1908 when his cousin-in-law

helped him transfer to Riga Gymnasium where he worked as a math teacher. After graduation in 1913, encouraged by Mašiotas, Landsbergis decided to study architecture at the

. In 1915, during

, the institute was evacuated to Moscow.

Military service

Landsbergis was drafted to the

in 1916 and completed a school for junior officers. Due to disobedience, he was arrested and imprisoned until the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

. Landsbergis returned to Lithuania in June 1918 and volunteered for the newly established

. As an artillery captain, he participated in the

and saw action at

Daugava River , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

Radviliškis Radviliškis () (german: Radwilischken; pl, Radziwiliszki; yi, ראדווילישאָק, ''Radvilishok'') is a town in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of th ...

, and

Sejny Sejny ( lt, Seinai) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area ( pl, Pojezier ...

. He was taken prisoner by Poland near Sejny and sent to a camp near

Wadowice Wadowice (; ger, Frauenstadt – Wadowitz) is a town in southern Poland, southwest of Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants (2006), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie). Wa ...

. Together with two other officers, Landsbergis escaped and returned to Lithuania via

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. For his military service, he was awarded the

Order of the Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. His ...

Interwar Lithuania

In April 1922, he left the army and took a technical job at the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...

. One of his tasks was transporting Lithuanian gold reserves from Berlin. Together with poet and future Minister of Foreign Affairs

Juozas Urbšys Juozas Urbšys (29 February 1896 – 30 April 1991) was a prominent interwar Lithuanian diplomat, the last head of foreign affairs in independent interwar Lithuania,Gerhard L. Weinberg. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. 1994 p.94 ...

, Landsbergis transported the gold in ordinary luggage. He felt the need for further education and attempted to study in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, until he enrolled into the Higher School of Architecture in

(, now a department of the

) in January 1923. He received financial aid from the Žiburėlis Society. He completed his studies in December 1925 and received his diploma in July 1926. His diploma project was an eye clinic in the

Alban Hills The Alban Hills ( it, Colli Albani) are the caldera remains of a quiescent volcano, volcanic complex in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio. The high Monte Cavo forms a highly visible peak the centre of the caldera, bu ...

near Rome. The diploma was not recognized in Lithuania until 1932. Landsbergis returned to Lithuania in 1926. His first project was a water tower in

Kaišiadorys Kaišiadorys () is a city in central Lithuania. It is situated between Vilnius and Kaunas. Kaišiadorys is one of six Lithuanian diocese centres. It is home to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ built in 1932. The Lithuanian Veterinar ...

. He discovered that the initial winning architect was also a member of the judge panel; it caused a controversy and Landsbergis' work was eventually selected as the winner. Landsbergis became one of the most popular and sought-after architects in

, the

. He worked as a junior engineer at the

(1926–1927), junior assistant of at the

University of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known ...

(1927–1929), consultant at the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

(1929–1931), architect of the

Lithuanian Red Cross Society The Lithuanian Red Cross ( lt, Lietuvos Raudonasis kryžius) was founded in 1919. It was reestablished after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, passed a Red Cross law in 2000. The society has its headquarters i ...

(1933–1938) and of the (Lithuanian American Joint Stock Company; 1938–1939). At the same time, he took on many private clients. It was a profitable profession enabling Landsbergis to drive in a

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

automobile and construct a two-floor personal residence which also housed his wife's medical practice. When Lithuania gained

as a result of the

Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty The Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty ( lt, Lietuvos-Sovietų Sąjungos savitarpio pagalbos sutartis) was a bilateral treaty signed between the Soviet Union and Lithuania on October 10, 1939. According to provisions outlined in the tre ...

in October 1939, Landsbergis became the chief engineer of Vilnius. He helped

Balys Dvarionas Balys Dvarionas ( in Liepāja — 23 August 1972 in Vilnius), was a Soviet and Lithuanian composer, pianist, conductor and educator. Dvarionas first became known as a composer after World War II. His works are in a romantic vein, with roots in f ...

organizing the

Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra or LNSO (''Lietuvos nacionalinis simfoninis orkestras, LNSO'') is one of Lithuania's two national orchestras,Jonathan Bousfield ''Baltic States'' Rough Guides 2004 p97 "Classical music, opera and ballet; ...

in 1940 and prepared a project for a 1,200-seat opera and ballet theater (it was not constructed). After Lithuania was occupied by the

in June 1940, Landsbergis became the chief architect of Vilnius. When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and Lithuanians started the anti-Soviet June Uprising, Landsbergis became the minister of infrastructure in the short-lived

. He continued to work as chief of the city's construction board which prepared Vilnius'

general plan Comprehensive planning is an ordered process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The end product is called a comprehensive plan, also known as a general plan, or master plan. This resulting document e ...

in January 1944. During his tenure, the city began construction of a road to Kaunas as well as reconstruction of the Cathedral Square and the present-day

Daukanto Square Daukantas Square in Vilnius, Lithuania is located in the Old Town, in front of the Presidential Palace. Its name commemorates a progenitor of the 19th-century Lithuanian national revival, Simonas Daukantas. In the late 19th century it had a mo ...

. These were not new initiatives, but a continuation of pre-war Polish projects. In 1942–1943, he also taught at

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...

Nazi occupation and emigration to Australia

There is some evidence that he was in contact with the anti-Nazi resistance (e.g. with Juozas Vitas). His wife who remained in Kaunas helped hide 16-year old Jewish girl Bella Gurvich (later Rozenberg) and was recognized as one of the

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sav ...

in 1995. His son together with his classmates

Valdas Adamkus Valdas Adamkus (; born Voldemaras Adamkavičius; 3 November 1926) is a Lithuanian-American politician, diplomat and civil engineer. He served as the 5th and 7th President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009. Adamkus' ...

(future

President of Lithuania The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the head of state of Lithuania. The officeholder has been Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019. Powers The president has somewhat more executive authority tha ...

) and (son of the former President

Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 18664 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, and held that office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his resignat ...

) published 16 issues of anti-Nazi ''Jaunime, budėk!'' (Youth, Stay Alert!). Gabrielius was arrested by the

in May 1944. Together with 26 other Lithuanians, some of them leaders of the

Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania The Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania or VLIK ( lt, Vyriausiasis Lietuvos išlaisvinimo komitetas) was an organization seeking independence of Lithuania. It was established on November 25, 1943, during the Nazi occupation. After Wor ...

, he was transferred from one prison to another. Landsbergis followed his son's journey, smuggled him food, and petitioned Nazi officials (including

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head of ...

, his acquaintance from the Riga Polytechnical Institute and the Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories). Gabrielius and other Lithuanian prisoners were eventually freed by the Americans in

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

in April 1945. Landsbergis published a memoir about his efforts to free his son in 1991. He became a

(DP) and worked as a teacher at a Lithuanian DP camp in in

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

. In 1946–1949, he taught at the University of the

(UNRRA) in

. In 1949, he emigrated to Australia and worked there as an architect at the Housing and Construction Department in

. Some of the projects he worked on include the embassy of Australia in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, hospital in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

(

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

), government administrative building in Melbourne, tax office in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, factory for Burghart Hurle and Associates. He was also active with the

Lithuanian Australian Lithuanian Australians refers to Australian residents of Lithuanian national background or descent. According to the 2016 Census, there were 16,290 people of Lithuanian descent in Australia and 2,609 Lithuania-born people residing in the country ...

community.

Return to Soviet Lithuania

In 1959, he returned to Kaunas in

and worked as architect and restorer of monuments. From 1961 until retirement in 1984, he worked as an architect at the Institute for the Conservation of Monuments () first in Kaunas and since 1970 in Vilnius. Many of the projects from this period remained unrealized. In 1966, Landsbergis donated his archives (more than 2,000 files) to the Lithuanian Archives of Literature and Art making one of the most comprehensive and complete architectural archives in Lithuania. In 1973, for this 80th birthday, an exhibition was organized in his honor at the Arts Exhibition Palace and he was named the Honored Architect of the Lithuanian SSR. In 1991, he was recognized as the honorary citizen of Kaunas. In 1993, his 100th birthday was celebrated by the Lithuanian Union of Architects with a ceremony at the National Library of Lithuania and an exhibition at the

Lithuanian Art Museum Lithuanian National Museum of Art is the largest national museum in Lithuania collecting, restoring, and conserving art as well as historical objects of cultural value while presenting artefacts of national importance in an astonishing number of ...

. The same year, Science and Encyclopedia Press published a monograph by Jolita Kančienė and Jonas Minkevičius about Landsbergis. Landsbergis died on 21 May 1993 in Vilnius and was buried in the

Petrašiūnai Cemetery Petrašiūnai Cemetery ( lt, Petrašiūnų kapinės) is Lithuania's premiere last resting place formally designated for graves of people influential in national history, politics, arts, and science. Location Petrašiūnai Cemetery is located abo ...

in Kaunas. In 1993, the former Architect Street in

Eiguliai Eiguliai is neighorhood in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. Eiguliai elderate encompass Eiguliai, Kleboniškis and part of Kalniečiai neighbourhoods. Elderate itself is located on the left bank of the Neris River. The distance from Eiguliai neighb ...

district of Kaunas was renamed in his honor. Another monograph about Landsbergis was published in 1997 by Algimantas Nakas. Another exhibition showcasing Landsbergis' works was organized in 2018.

Works

Landsbergis prepared over a hundred architectural projects. Many of his works are plain, without decoration, but expertly balancing proportions. He designed the buildings so that they would fit into their natural and architectural surroundings. In 2015, 44 modernist buildings in Kaunas received the

. Of these buildings, eight were designed by Landsbergis: * 1928: residential house for painter

Antanas Žmuidzinavičius Antanas Žmuidzinavičius ( pl, Antoni Żmujdzinowicz, 31 October 1876 – 9 August 1966) was a Lithuanian painter and art collector. Educated at the Veiveriai Teachers' Seminary, Žmuidzinavičius worked as a teacher while pursuing art education ...

* 1930: residential house for businessman Moze Chaimsonas (Maironis Street 13) * 1931: headquarters of (awarded bronze medal in an international exhibition in Paris in 1937) * 1931: Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See (present-day Kaunas Artists' House) * 1931:

Physical Culture Palace Physical Culture Palace ( lt, Kūno kultūros rūmai) was the first sports governing body in the state. It acted from 1932 to 1940 in Kaunas, Lithuania. Currently the building serves as a Lithuanian Sports University central palace. Stanislovas S ...

(present-day

Lithuanian Sports University Lithuanian Sports University or LSU is a university in Kaunas, Lithuania, specializing in sports, physical activities, and physiology. It is headquartered in Žaliakalnis neighbourhood, in close proximity to the Kaunas Sports Hall and the S. Dar ...

) * 1932–1936: Research Laboratory used by the Ministry of Defense (present-day Faculty of Chemical Technology of

Kaunas University of Technology Kaunas University of Technology (abbreviated as KTU, ) is a public research university located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Established in 1922, KTU has been one of the top centers of Lithuanian science education. According to Lithuanian National Univ ...

) * 1933: offices of the District Municipality (present-day Kaunas Police Headquarters) * 1937: Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (present-day Kaunas County Public Library) His other notable projects include: * 1927: * 1928: Catholic Church of Christ the Redeemer in

Kybartai Kybartai (; russian: Кибартай) is a city in Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located west of Vilkaviškis and is on the border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. History Kybartai was founded under the reign of Sigismund I the Old by ...

(

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

) * 1929: Eye, Ear, and Throat Clinic (present-day military hospital) * 1929: reconstruction of the Presidential Palace in Kaunas * 1930: reconstruction of

Kaunas State Theatre The National Kaunas Drama Theatre (NKDT), formerly Kaunas State Drama Theatre, is a theatre and theatre company in Kaunas, Lithuania. The company is the oldest professional theatre troupe in Lithuania, founded in 1920 at the building now known ...

* 1930: gymnasium in

Biržai Biržai (, known also by several #Names, alternative names) is a town in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle Manor house, manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer brewerie ...

* 1931: gymnasium in

Panevėžys Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...

* 1931: shelter for priests in

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by several other names) is a cultural and industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Mari ...

* 1934: monument to pilots

Steponas Darius Steponas Darius (known as Stephen Darius in the US; born Steponas Jucevičius-Darašius; January 8, 1896 – July 17, 1933) was a Lithuanian American pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt in the ''Lituanica'' from New York City to Kaunas ...

and

Stasys Girėnas Stasys Girėnas (known as Stanley T. Girenas in the US; born Stasys Girskis; October 4, 1893 in Vytogala, Kovno Governorate – July 17, 1933 near Soldin, Germany) was a Lithuanian-American pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt with the ...

at their crash site near Soldin and a mausoleum in present-day

Ramybė Park Ramybė Park (, lt, Ramybės parkas) is a public park in Kaunas, Lithuania, established in 1959 in the territory of the Kaunas City Old Cemetery that was also known as the Carmelite Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1847 and became the ma ...

* 1934: Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist in

Šakiai Šakiai (, pl, Szaki) is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located west of Kaunas. It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from ''Šakaičai'' village. By 1719 a church in Šakiai was built. By the 19th century Šakiai al ...

* 1935: Catholic Church of the Sacred heart of Jesus in

Mažeikiai Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; lv, Mažeiķi) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 43,547, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of Ma� ...

* 1936: general plan for the Smeltė district in

Klaipėda Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...

(132 houses and a trade school were constructed; plans for a Catholic church, market, and theater were interrupted by World War II) * 1937: Pedagogical Institute in

* 1939: hospitals in

Švėkšna Švėkšna is a town in the Šilutė District municipality, 21 km northeast of Šilutė, Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Švėkšna elderate. There are 29 streets in the town. In the western part of the town flows the river Šv ...

and

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...

* 1961: reconstruction of a block in

Vilnius Old Town The Old Town of Vilnius ( lt, Vilniaus senamiestis, pl, Stare Miasto w Wilnie, be, Стары горад у Вільнюсе, russian: Старый город в Вильнюсe), one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in both Norther ...

(with others, the first such plan in post-war Vilnius, the exteriors would remain the same, but interiors would be significantly modernized) * 1975: reconstruction of the Old Arsenal of the

Vilnius Castle Complex The Vilnius Castle Complex ( lt, Vilniaus pilių kompleksas or ) is a group of cultural, and historic structures on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnia River, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The buildings, which evolved b ...

(with others) In addition to public buildings, Landsbergis prepared projects for several private homes, some of them for the famous Lithuanians: writers Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė (1932), Antanas Žukauskas-Vienuolis (1937),

(1931), economist (1930), and others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landsbergis-Zemkalnis, Vytautas 1893 births 1993 deaths Lithuanian architects Lithuanian centenarians Lithuanian people of German descent 20th-century architects Lithuanian Army officers Lithuanian prisoners of war Men centenarians Riga Technical University alumni Vytautas Magnus University faculty Vilnius University faculty Lithuanian emigrants to Australia Burials at Petrašiūnai Cemetery category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Vytis