Temporary capital of Lithuania

The Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas
The Constituent Assembly Palace, where the Constituent Assembly and first three editions of Seimas gathered
Palace of Justice and the Seimas, decorated with the Lithuanian tricolors in Kaunas

The temporary capital of Lithuania (Lithuanian: 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 until 1939. Currently, the term temporary capital, despite being factually out of date, is still frequently used as a nickname for Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania.

On 18 September 2023 the modernist buildings in Kaunas that were built while Kaunas was the temporary capital of Lithuania and experienced rapid urbanization were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[1] In this way Kaunas became the only European city representing large scale urbanization during the interwar period and a variety of modern architecture (Art Deco, neoclassicism, traditionalism, functionalism, etc.).[1][2][3]

  1. ^ a b "Kauno tarpukario architektūra įrašyta į UNESCO Pasaulio paveldo sąrašą". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939 (Nomination Dossier)" (PDF). 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-09-18.