2023 05 13 – 2023 10 31 OPEN-AIR EXHIBITION “INTERWAR KAUNASITES ON VACATION: FROM KAUNAS BEACHES TO MEDITERRANEAN RESORTS”

When Lithuania declared and regained independence, Kaunas became the provisional capital of the country. The city was growing and prospering, and various state and private institutions were getting established. In the city, a relatively broad layer of intellectuals and ‘white collars’ was forming, and it led to the development of the new habits of life. The lifestyle was getting ever more modern and rapid, and an occasional Litas to spare in the pocket dictated the need for holidays along with the developing holiday fashion. Therefore, with the advent of the warmer days, with the final performance of the State Theatre of each season, not only the school desks, but also the city streets were vacated. Depending on the financial muscle, some folks would withdraw to a farmstead in the countryside, whereas others would enjoy the chance to test the waters of Kaunas City beaches in Aukštoji Panemunė, Lampėdžiai or Aleksotas. Each year, 9 to 12 public beaches were being installed for the city residents where they just loved to refresh themselves on a hot summer day, or to get pampered by sunbathing during their holidays. Still, most representatives of the cultural and political elite would go for the beaches of Palanga – which they called ‘the Capital’ – during their holidays. When Lithuania declared and regained independence, Kaunas became the provisional capital of the country. The city was growing and prospering, and various state and private institutions were getting established. In the city, a relatively broad layer of intellectuals and ‘white collars’ was forming, and it led to the development of the new habits of life. The lifestyle was getting ever more modern and rapid, and an occasional Litas to spare in the pocket dictated the need for holidays along with the developing holiday fashion. Therefore, with the advent of the warmer days, with the final performance of the State Theatre of each season, not only the school desks, but also the city streets were vacated. Depending on the financial muscle, some folks would withdraw to a farmstead in the countryside, whereas others would enjoy the chance to test the waters of Kaunas City beaches in Aukštoji Panemunė, Lampėdžiai or Aleksotas. Each year, 9 to 12 public beaches were being installed for the city residents where they just loved to refresh themselves on a hot summer day, or to get pampered by sunbathing during their holidays. Still, most representatives of the cultural and political elite would go for the beaches of Palanga – which they called ‘the Capital’ – during their holidays. Palanga was luring them with its fresh air, opportunities for sunbathing, medicinal mud and the entertainment industry which was moving from Kaunas to the Kurhaus of Palanga and Basanavičiaus Street for the summer. Wherever if not Palanga was the place giving the chance of meeting all the three Presidents of the Independent Lithuania, and, the jackpot, to meet face-to-face with the secret passion of every lady, the opera singer Kipras Petrauskas! This explains why Robert V. Heingartner, the Consul of the USA residing in Kaunas, was prompted to write “I wonder wherever all Kaunas disappears in the summertime.” Whoever could afford going somewhere further than Palanga and who managed to save more of a coin throughout the year, these folks would head towards the grand resorts of Italy and France, take a look at them and appreciate the pleasures of the Mediterranean Sea and its passionate sun. The Alps were attracting the fans of hiking and mountaineering to Italy, Austria and Switzerland, whereas the Tatras were providing splendid views from their mountaintops which were easier to reach. Do you happen to know that Vincas Mikolaitis-Putinas started writing his most popular novel while glancing at the Mediterranean Sea during his creative holidays in Nice, France? Welcome to the – already – 17^th (and counting) open-air photo exhibition in the garden of the Historical Presidential Palace and find out about the holiday habits of Kaunasites not only in Lithuania, but also far beyond its borders! Archive pictures witnessing the holiday habits of the residents of Kaunas City are awaiting for visitors in the garden of the Historical Presidential Palace from the 13^th of May. The exhibition Interwar Kaunasites on Vacation: from Kaunas Beaches to Mediterranean Resorts may be visited daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. free of charge. The ‘garden’ exhibition is running until the 31^st of October. Whoever wants not only to see for themselves, but also to hear a broader and more extensive presentation of the holiday lifestyle of Kaunasites may book a guided tour at the museum.