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The living room of the Soviet flat, Source: Kaunas 2022

The European Capital of Culture, Kaunas, offers ‘time travel’ accommodation

The European Capital of Culture, Kaunas, offers ‘time travel’ accommodation

The official opening of the cultural agenda is on 22 January

The Lithuanian city of Kaunas is looking forward to stepping into status as the 2022 European Capital of Culture with a grand opening event set for the evening of Saturday, 22 January (7:30 pm local time). At the Žalgiris Arena, located on Nemunas island, a wondrous show of music, video projections, dance and light is awaiting the guests and residents.

The opening show is called “The Confusion” (the first act of a trilogy) and it aims to tell the story of the city. It is free of charge, however, registration tickets need to be reserved at the bilietai.lt platform.

The agenda featuring more than 100 events, which will form the overall program, has already been prepared. The calendar can be consulted here, with some of the events preceding the official opening.

The organizers, however, have shown enough creativity to expand the possibility for visitors to have intriguing cultural experiences even outside of the event calendar dimension. For this purpose, 3 interwar villas and one Soviet-style apartment, all complete with furniture from their respective historical periods, have been made available for paid stays.

Tangible history

Who wouldn’t want to stay in an Italian-inspired villa designed by the interwar architect Stasys Kudokas on the slopes of Žaliakalnis, a carefully restored wooden villa in Panemunė, or a real Art Deco museum in the very centre of Kaunas?

Meanwhile, those interested in the Cold War era and post-war design should consider a night or two at a 70s-style Soviet apartment. It is quite possible that the number of Culture Lodging offers, and the number of apartments or villas representing different eras, will increase as 2022 gets underway. The accommodation can be booked on the Airbnb platform.

What’s more, Kaunas has even more surprises and offers for its guests willing to get an insider’s look into the city and its rhythm. It is not easy to encounter authentic experiences, personal stories and discovery of the city through the eyes of a local. Or at least it wasn’t easy until now, because the so-called Cultural Concierges are here to help.

They are Kaunas residents ready to show their hospitality, show you around their favourite places or point out sites that are not marked on the maps – and, of course, they can give you advice on the Kaunas 2022 programme. In-person or in writing – it will be free of charge.

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