Revitalizing a Medieval Gem: Kaunas Embarks on Ambitious €17 Million Restoration

“Up to 600,000 is provided for the design up to the technical project. euros. For the works themselves, if I’m not mistaken – up to 17 million. euros”, said the director of administration Tadas Metelionis during the meeting of the municipal council during the minority hour on Tuesday.

“The amounts are preliminary, which is natural at such an early stage of project implementation,” he noted.

The municipality of Kaunas plans to build an administrative building near the castle in the old town. It is intended to move some municipal departments and residents’ service functions to it, as well as an underground garage and public space at the current parking lot.

An architectural competition for the project was announced in the second half of September.

According to T. Metelionis, archaeologists’ studies show that the area where the construction is being initiated has been washed away by the Neries, so it is not expected to find valuable archaeological finds.

“All the soil that is there has been brought in and poured in later periods. As a result, specialists believe that there is a very small chance of finding valuable layers, objects or values ​​in the underground,” said the director of administration.

“Nevertheless, the work is planned under the supervision of archaeologists, and if anything is found, I’m sure those objects and values ​​will be dealt with accordingly,” he added.

As T. Metelionis previously indicated to BNS, the city hopes for a new 3.8 thousand. square meter building to move units operating in remote locations, rented or municipal premises, of which there are up to ten.

Also, some municipal budgetary institutions, such as the Social Services Center, would be moved to the new premises, where it is intended to organize all services for residents, which are currently provided in Laisvės avenue.

Some architects criticized the announcement of the tender without discussing the project in the Regional Architecture Council, said that the location for such a purpose-built building in the old town is too good, and called for complex planning of the area.

For his part, T. Metelionis asserted that according to the detailed plan, a building of no more than three floors can be built on the site in question, it will not be a foreign object in the old town, and this part of the city needs new centers of attraction.

On behalf of the municipality, the architectural competition is organized by the Kaunas branch of the Union of Lithuanian Architects. Proposals can be submitted until December 12, the decision on the top three is planned to be announced in January next year.

The municipality intends to negotiate a design contract with the tender winners. The director of administration previously told BNS that construction could begin no earlier than mid-2028.

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