Sunset of the temporary capital? The issue of Kaunas’ fate in the Lithuanian press of 1939–1940

This article analyses how in the period from 1939 to 1940 the Lithuanian press viewed the future prospects of the second largest city of the country – Kaunas – once the functions of the capital were reassumed by Vilnius – the historical centre of the state, retrieved after the fall of Poland at the outset of World War II. This event was marked by huge euphoria in the Lithuanian society, instigated and reflected by Government controlled media. The necessity to relocate the capital from Kaunas to V ilnius, despite economic and social circumstances, became an officially stated dogma. Information in the newspapers on the discontent of part of the society with the intended changes was scarce. The loss of economic possibilities and human resources that Kaunas was about to face were viewed as natural and inevitable. However, such prognoses were delivered with caution and pursuing to sustain optimistic hopes that in the future the temporary capital will continue to develop in the usual way