If one had to choose an archetypal symbol of late Soviet era architectural typology, it would likely be the ubiquitous cultural hall. Though these structures had already been appearing in the first years of Soviet rule, the 1980s saw a real boom in their construction, both in large cities (the Ekranas factory cultural hall in Panevėžys, for example, designed by Henrikas Antanas Balčiūnas in 1987) and in smaller towns like Birštonas (by Adelė Mickienė in 1976) and Trakai (by Alfredas Paulauskas in 1985).
Cultural hall construction reached its architectural high point in the 1980s in rural Lithuania, specifically on more prosperous collective farms. The architecture of the final years of the collective farming period in rural Lithuania is notable not only for the rebirth of single-family homes with accompanying agricultural buildings and the many examples of a more open approach to design, but first and foremost for the original approaches employed in new administrative and cultural centers built for agricultural settlements.
The more productive and prosperous collective and Soviet farm settlements in the Lithuanian SSR began to see not only a proliferation of unique designs for residential and industrial buildings, but also an increase in funding for the construction of administrative and cultural centers. This phenomenon depended largely on specific initiatives taken by collective farm chairmen and their increasing fondness for constructing ever more impressive cultural and administrative complexes for their settlements.
In the district of Šilutė, in western Lithuania, for example, the Soviet farm settlement in Juknaičiai constructed a so-called “spiritual and physical wellness” center (designed by Stanislovas Kalinka in 1977) that in its architectural composition resembled a church and monastery. Inside, the complex was adorned with ceremonial symbols. The collective arm chairman conceived of the center as a place for spiritual and physical cleansing and purification through the elements of water, fire and art. The process of cleansing was symbolically represented by a spacial stained glass creation by Algimantas Stoškaus entitled Gyvenimo pulsas (The Pulse of Life) that would light up when entering the main lobby, like an upended, suspended crystal pine tree. At the same time, clusters of stars would circle downward into the dark waters below, accompanied by music specially composed by Osvaldas Balakauskas, rippling over the surface of the water with the final chords of music. The complex also had a women’s hall decorated with paintings, a men’s hall (sauna) with wall paintings on a fire theme and a decorative fireplace, as well as an auditorium with stained glass artwork, a winter garden with sculptures, and a swimming pool with cascading water and massaging water jets.
Architect Algimantas Mačiulis recalls how he was contacted in 1972 by another influential collective farm chairman, the “millionaire” head of the Draugas (Comrade) Collective Farm in Radviliškis, Algimantas Malinauskas, who introduced himself as the “Lithuanian Pig King.” Malinauskas commissioned a design (1972–1983) for a new central complex for the collective farm settlement of Alksniupiai, to include a pool with water tower, baths, small swimming pools, a waterfall, sports hall and sauna complex (1986). Algimantas Mačiulis, Permainingi metai: Architekto užrašai, Vilnius: Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, 2008, p. 280. There were plenty of similar initiatives to build settlement centers with pools and sports halls being undertaken on other collective farms as well. The collective farm settlement at Ėriškės opened the large Gojus shopping and household services center in 1988, and began construction of a swimming pool and sports center as well as renovation of the settlement’s central square.
Influential collective farm chairmen trusted their architects, asking them to design elaborate, impressive buildings while they limited their oversight to the construction process, quality control, and the obtaining of necessary materials. As nearly limitless possibilities became available, the architectural choices of this time period display a considerable amount of creative confusion, a lack of tradition (since there was little in the way of prior guidance), but also a desire to express the most innovative ideas. As a result, some community centers in rural towns and settlements showcase the extremes of architecture, from functionalist boxes clashing with the surrounding landscape to depictions of an overly romanticized vision of rural life, reflecting the emotional response by one architect to a weekend spent on a village farm.
It became common practice in the 1980s for collective farm administrations to have a full-time architect on staff – evidenced by an increase in construction and a changing perception of overall settlement composition, from caring for the environment to a more original approach to residential architecture. Indeed, the designs from this era for collective farm cultural halls and community centers often displayed experimental and innovative solutions that were hardly imaginable in larger cities at the time. From this perspective, collective farm construction became a kind of haven for young, talented architects and artists, as well as a place for more experienced architects to practice their craft (and earn additional income).
Today, these gigantic, extravagant and often neglected community buildings are a testmanet to the late Soviet period and efforts to bring an urban environment to rural settlements.
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