“Paštininkai” (en. “Postmen”) is an initiative group of active Kaunas residents which, in 2019, as discussions about the future of the Kaunas Central Post Office began, took on not only protest rhetoric but also very concrete work: it brought together more than 20 professionals from different fields, organized creative workshops, applied design-thinking methodology, and developed several realistic scenarios for activating and repurposing the building. Their core idea was an architectural institution – ranging from an architecture museum and exhibition spaces to the “Post:Vizbaras” cluster with the idea of a National Museum of Architecture and Design.

Later, when “Lietuvos paštas” announced plans to sell the building at auction, “Paštininkai” publicly pressured city and state institutions to take responsibility more quickly, proposed possible activities, and helped shift public perception of the building as a cultural and architectural platform rather than merely a commercial property. This direction today aligns with the official decision: the Kaunas Central Post Office is being adapted for the National Institute of Architecture to operate as a contemporary cultural center of national and international significance.

“Paštininkai”: Kęstas Vaikšnoras, Linas Tuleikis, Kęstutis Zaleckis, Ingrida Veliūtė, Jolita Kančienė, Dainius Lanauskas, Andrijana Filinaitė, Andrius Ropolas, Vaidas Petrulis, Audrys Karalius, Jurgita Šiugždinienė, Gediminas Banaitis-Skrandis, Žilvinas Rinkšelis, and others.

One of the most important elements of the future National Institute of Architecture’s exhibition is the institution’s home itself. The Institute has been entrusted with a major responsibility: to give purpose and life through its activities to one of the most significant examples in the history of modern Lithuanian architecture – the historic Kaunas Central Post Office building. A building that once, through its architecture, represented Lithuania and the Temporary Capital and their modernization will become a place where Lithuanian architecture is presented and fostered.

To look at the origins of the building, we should go back to the third decade of the last century: the rapidly growing needs of the country’s main city required new post office premises. Until then, the functions of various departments had been scattered across several different locations, and the existing facilities were poorly suited to the ever-increasing correspondence needs of the Temporary Capital. In 1929, as preparations approached for the commemoration of the anniversary of Vytautas the Great’s death, a final decision was made to build new premises that would serve both as the home of Kaunas Central Post Office and of the national Post Administration itself.

The first design was prepared in 1929 by Kleopas Gaigalis, an engineer at the Post Administration, but soon engineer Feliksas Vizbaras was invited to design the building. The architect created a structure that blended organically into the existing development along the city’s central street, combining modernist architecture with explorations of the so-called “national style.” In the architect’s own words, the design aimed to meet “the requirements of modern construction today: more space and light, a clear division of premises, and avoiding unnecessary so-called architectural embellishments.”

The building’s restrained decoration primarily reflects interpretations of folk art: the window surrounds were designed with inspiration from traditional wood carving; the vestibule and hall floor tiles were laid out using motifs from tablecloth patterns; and the molded ornamentation in the operations hall was inspired by patterns found on a folk necktie. The operations hall was also decorated with a frieze featuring a painted anthology of postage stamps from the first decade of independence (artist Petras Kalpokas), three paintings by Kazys Šimonis, and stained-glass windows depicting the coats of arms of Vilnius, Grodno, and Klaipėda.

The Central Post Office building consists of sections for public services, administration, and mail sorting. The configuration of the public part of the building – where an просторный vestibule leads into three separate spaces intended for different functions – was inspired, according to F. Vizbaras, by the traditional Lithuanian home and by what he described as “the Lithuanian’s customary desire to have a clear situation.”

Along the central axis was the main operations hall. To the left of the vestibule was the financial services department, where postal and telegraph money transfers and insured letters were accepted and paid out. On the right were the telegraph cashier, telephone booths, and a railway ticket office. In the Laisvės Avenue wing, the second to sixth floors housed the post office and the Post Administration’s offices and various departments.

Parcels were accepted and handed out in the northern wing, accessed deeper into the plot from E. Ožeškienė Street. Although the architect justified this decision as a way to relieve the city’s central street of “drivers and carts loaded with boxes and sacks, and the rather poorly dressed red-capped porters,” the separation of parcel services from the building’s other public functions was criticized in the press.

In addition to parcel services, the rear wing housed the postal dispatch unit as well as the departments for ordinary and registered correspondence and periodicals. There was also a spacious customs room there – before the construction of the building, customs procedures had been carried out separately.

Construction of the Central Post Office building was completed toward the end of 1931. By the end of that year, the city’s main post office had already moved in, and at the very beginning of 1932 the Post Administration of the Ministry of Transport and Communications followed. The ceremonial opening began on the morning of January 8 that year, with the building being blessed by Fr. Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas. In keeping with the spirit of the time, it was strongly emphasized that the building’s creation relied almost entirely on Lithuanian materials, as well as Lithuanian design, technological, and construction capacities. It became one of the most modern and luxuriously fitted public buildings in Lithuania, and a symbolic moment when modernist architecture was accepted as suitable for public representation at the highest level.

1. Bridges for Architectural Art and Innovation

To foster the development of architectural art by creating opportunities for contemporary exhibitions, events, and innovative ideas – strengthening Lithuania’s ties with the world, showcasing the country’s architecture on the international stage, and inspiring today’s and tomorrow’s creators.

This strategic direction aims to foster the development of architectural art by opening up opportunities for exhibitions and events that place contemporary architecture in a global context. The main goal is to strengthen Lithuania’s ties with the world, showcase the country’s architecture on the international stage, and inspire creators across both present and future generations. Through international formats such as exhibitions, conferences, and creative workshops – which not only present innovative architectural projects but also encourage intercultural exchange and collaboration – architects and other creators will share ideas, discuss global trends in architecture, and develop joint projects.

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2. Heritage as a Cultural Reference System and a Source for Contemporary Creation

To foster architectural heritage, especially Kaunas modernism, by integrating this unique cultural layer into the contemporary environment and shaping Lithuania’s image as a sustainable and socially responsible country.

This direction focuses on architectural heritage, with particular attention to Kaunas modernist architecture. The goal is not only to preserve this unique cultural layer, but also to give it new life – strengthening Lithuania’s image as a sustainable and socially responsible country. Here, heritage is not just a historical artefact, but a source of creative energy – something to draw inspiration from and to develop contemporary projects that also foreground historical value.

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3. A Platform for Creative Mobility and Knowledge Sharing

To cultivate creative collaboration and experimentation, setting new precedents for knowledge sharing, education, and inspiration – strengthening the architectural community and ensuring access to valuable creative resources for all.

This direction is dedicated to creative collaboration, the exchange of ideas, and supporting creative initiatives, ensuring that the architectural community has opportunities to share knowledge, learn, and inspire others. Such collaboration, encouraged both locally and internationally, will give creators opportunities to grow – while enriching and strengthening the architectural community. The outcomes will be accessible to all groups in society through educational programmes, creative workshops, and seminars.

The National Institute of Architecture Council is a 12-member advisory body, appointed for a three-year term by order of the NAI Director. The Council reviews the organisation’s strategic directions and provides recommendations to the Institute and the Ministry of Culture, assesses performance results, and proposes improvements. The Council includes cultural and environmental policy-makers, delegates from professional organisations, academics, representatives of the NGO sector, and the NAI Director.

Council composition:

Reda Aleliūnaitė – Adviser in the Professional Arts and Internationalisation Policy Group; delegated by the Ministry of Culture.

Asta Rokickienė – Head of the Architecture and Construction Policy Group at the Ministry of the Environment.

Gintaras Balčytis – architect, Chair of the Lithuanian Architects’ Association.

Lukas Rekevičius – architect, member of the Council of the Lithuanian Chamber of Architects; head of the “Aketuri architektai” studio.

Vainius Pilkauskas – landscape architect, Chair of the Lithuanian Association of Landscape Architects.

Dr Lolita Jablonskienė – art historian, exhibition curator, Associate Professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts.

Dr Liutauras Nekrošius – Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Tech.

Dr Jūratė Kamičaitytė – Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).

Dr Marija Drėmaitė – architectural historian, Professor at Vilnius University, exhibition curator.

Dr Jūratė Tutlytė – Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts, Vytautas Magnus University (VDU), author of architectural research.

Simona Didvalytė – Director of the non-profit organisation “Architektūros fondas”.

Kęstutis Kuizinas – art historian, exhibition curator, Director of the NAI.

More information – read here.