Agricultural and industrial exhibitions in Kaunas in 1921–1936 and characteristic features of their architectural design

Over the period of 1921 - 1936, nine state-level agricultural and industrial exhibitions were held in Kaunas. The exhibition of 1921 (pics. 1-3) took place in the centre of the town, in Vienybės Square, in the area close to the War Museum. Since 1922 exhibitions had been held in Žaliakalnis, in the oak-grove, in the area separated f r om the main massif by K.Petrauskas and Parodos streets. In 1922, an area of 6,5 hectares with 3 zones for the display of common, agricultural and industrial exhibits was provided with a very rational system of roads designed according to the scheme of the engineer F.Vizbaras (pic. 4). T h e main objects, such as gates (pics. 13 - 14), the central and agricultural pavilions (pics. 15-17, 24-27) and other buildings were built according to the projects of professor Songaila. Following the original plan, the exhibition had undergone expansion until 1928. In 1930 it was completely reconstructed by the engineer architect K.Reisonas (pic. 8) and then in 1936 slightly changed again (pic. 12). In addition, the construction of private pavilions and temporary exhibition buildings were carried out. Wooden houses with plank roofs, imitating rural architecture, predominated in the territory. In the architecture of separate pavilions the forms and elements of wooden villas of a health-resort- and church-type, as well as other traditional architectural forms, were modified. Many buildings had spires of various forms (pics. 18-23), and this feature added to their distinct look. In some of them the dominating element was a roof (pics. 26-27). Side by side with professionally structured buildings, there stood some quite primitive ones. Several of them resemble mechanically transferred pieces from foreign countries (pics. 14, 30-32), while others look quite fanciful (pic.36). It can be stated then that in the architecture of the 4th decade new forms appeared (pics. 9-10, 38). The last exhibition was held in 1936. Most of its buildings were destroyed before World War II. Two brick buildings, the Press Centre and the Post Office with a watchman's flat (pic. 11) and Vytautas Magnus pavilion built in 1930 were destroyed during the Soviet times