Kaunas Town Hall ( lit. Kauno rotušė ) stands in the middle of the town hall square in the heart of the Old Town of Kaunas , Lithuania .
The building dates back to the 16th century [1] . Today, the Kaunas City Museum is located in the Town Hall, an observation deck is open.
History
The construction of the Kaunas Town Hall began in 1542. At first it was a one-story building with an unpainted facade. In the 16th century, a second floor and an 8-story tower east of the building were completed. The first floor was adapted for trade and jailers, the second - for the court, magistrate, treasury, archive and office. Basements were used to store goods, and the basement of the tower was like a prison.
In 1638 it was restored in the Renaissance style. In 1771-1775, the second reconstruction was completed by the architect J. Matekeris. He rebuilt part of the building, which was demolished in the 17th century, redesigned the premises and added another floor to the tower, decorated the baroque and classicist town hall, rebuilt the pediment and put statues of the great princes of Lithuania there (survived only until the 19th century).
In 1824, the town hall was used as the premises of the Orthodox Church, then - as an ammunition depot.
In 1836, the town hall was again reconstructed. From 1862 to 1869, it housed the Kaunas City Club, the Russian club, the fire department and the Russian theater. In 1869, the Kaunas municipality was located in the Town Hall. In 1944 it was replaced by the archive, in 1951 the archive was replaced by the Kaunas Technical Institute.
In 1973, the wedding palace was opened on the first and second floors of the town hall, while the cellars were used by the ceramics museum. In the same year, the building was severely damaged by reconstruction.
In 2005, the last reconstruction was carried out, part of the damage was repaired, and the town hall was painted not in white, but in ivory.
Kaunas Town Hall is called the “White Swan”. Today it is used for wedding ceremonies, official meetings of city guests, signing of agreements and official events.
In the movie
- In the movie " The Adventures of Prince Florisel ", the town hall was shot (side facade) under the guise of the house of General Wendeler.
Links
- ↑ (lit.) Kauno rotušės rūmams ieškoma platesnio pritaikymo . Respublika (Lithuanian newspaper) . Date of treatment November 9, 2009. Archived October 2, 2012.