Building of the Cabinet of Ministers of the first Republic of Lithuania and the restoration of the Zypliai Manor: problems, solutions and results

Straipsnyje nagrinėjami Lietuvos Respublikos Ministrų kabineto pastato Kaune ir Zyplių dvaro restauravimo darbai, išryškinamos pagrindinės problemos ir jų sprendimo būdai, atkreipiamas dėmesys į autentiškų fragmentų išsaugojimą. Gauti rezultatai palyginami su kai kuriomis sovietmečiu susiklosčiusiomis tendencijomis. Atliktas tyrimas padeda atskleisti teigiamus architektūros paveldotvarkos atvejus: istorizmo ir tarpukario architektūros vertinimo, mokslinės informacijos taikymo, autentiškų detalių išsaugojimo, medžiagų suderinamumo srityse.The article aims to highlight the positive shifts of the changing trends in the conservation of the masonry architectural heritage in Lithuania during the period of independence. Thus, the analysis is focused on two cases of successful restoration – the inter-war building of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Zypliai Manor. The analysis of the conservation work reveals major problems and their solutions; the restored compositions are evaluated taking into account their closeness to the original. The comparison of the research results to some trends in heritage conservation that prevailed during the Soviet period helps us to reveal the positive shifts in architectural heritage conservation. The research has shown that a pronounced change occurred in assessing historicist architecture. The heritage, which was often destroyed in earlier times, now has been included in the field of protection. There also has been a noticeable change in the conception of restoration: the vast majority of solutions are based on scientific information, whereas earlier they often rested on assumptions. An equal focus on all parts of the building, the preservation of the smallest elements, and the use of mortars prepared according to the early techniques, thus ensuring the principle of compatibility of materials – all these actions are signs of a positive change. Restored in accordance with these principles, the exterior and interior compositions of the buildings of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Zypliai Manor are very close to the originals. The conducted research has shown that relatively recent buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries are the space in which the potential of science-based restoration can be best revealed