Four state cultural objects will be modernised using EU funds
Using the European Union’s support funds, four important state cultural objects will be modernised. Fundamental changes will be undergone by the Kaunas Central Post Office building, Naglis Cinema in Palanga, and two sub-divisions of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art: Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery in Kaunas and M. K. Čiurlionis House-Museum in Druskininkai. The applications for all four objects to receive EU support funds have already been approved by the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA).
According to the Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys, ambitious goals and the ensured solid financial injection enable planning of completely new qualitative changes, in terms of both the institutions’ buildings as well as the content created in them.
“The adopted solutions will make it possible to breathe new life into valuable cultural objects, some of which had long-standing problems. The Kaunas Central Post Office building will change its function fundamentally and will become the home of an institution that will be founded in Lithuania for the first time: the National Institute of Architecture. The Naglis Cinema in Palanga will become a regional film library. Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery will be enriched by new exhibition spaces and modern design. A year later, when the entire Lithuania will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, intense work should kick off on the modernisation of the M. K. Čiurlionis House-Museum in Druskininkai”, the Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys says. “I am very pleased that not just the institutions themselves will change: for Kaunas, Palanga, and Druskininkai, these projects also signify an opportunity to freshen up their faces and exploit the gigantic potential that has opened up as best they can”.
The 100 year-old Kaunas Central Post Office building will receive maintenance work of the façade which will aim to preserve the building’s valuable qualities. The repairs will be carried out in the southern wing and the hall of operations; the utility networks will be reworked in accordance with the new needs. The building will be adapted for the needs of the newly established institution, the NIA (the National Institute of Architecture): it will have a space for permanent exhibitions, a library, and the library’s reading room, as well as storage, creative residencies, spaces for work and education etc. The project’s total value is about 16.5 million euros. The project will be implemented by the Centre for Cultural Infrastructure (CCI).
The Naglis Cinema in Palanga, which will become a national film library (a filmothèque), will also be turned into the centre for film and media traction, promotion and education in the region of Western Lithuania. Upon completion of the modernisation project, the building will house two halls where professional films will be screened, a cultural centre of audiovisual arts including a reading room and a multimedia library, studios of audiovisual work and residencies, exhibition spaces, and an outdoor cinema. The film library’s main activities will encompass cinema culture promotion and education as well as projects of cooperation between the local cultural figures and creators. The project will be implemented by the Lithuanian Film Centre, its value is about 9.1 million euros.
After completing the modernisation project, the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery in Kaunas will have new exhibition and event spaces, an updated entrance from the Nepriklausomybė Square, renewed facades, coatings, and current gallery spaces; at plinth level, a reading room and a souvenir shop will be opened. The gallery’s building will be adapted for persons with disabilities. The project’s value is about 16.5 million euros. The project will be implemented by the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art.
The M. K. Čiurlionis House-Museum in Druskininkai is planned to be modernised by updating the music and guest homes, the exhibition space, and the equipment. The current building will house the ticket offices and an experiential space. The building and its infrastructure will be adapted for persons with disabilities. The project will also be implemented by the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. The project’s value is about 1.46 million euros.
It is planned that the implementation of all four projects will be completed until the end of 2027. The first one to be completed is planned to be the film library modernisation project in Palanga, which should be finished by the first quarter of 2026.
Last updated: 02-02-2024