page_title: Kaunas
section_title: Interwar Lithuania
hierarchical_section_title: Kaunas / History / Interwar Lithuania
caption_attribution_description: English: Kaunas city theatre where May 15, 1920 opened first sesion of Constituent Assembly of LithuaniaLietuvių: Kauno miesto teatras, kuriame 1920 m. gegužės 15 d. vyko pirmasis Lietuvos Steigiamojo Seimo posėdis
context_page_description: Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Trakai Palatinate since 1413. In the Russian Empire, it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915.
  During the interwar period, it served as the temporary capital of Lithuania, when Vilnius was seized by Poland between 1920 and 1939. During that period Kaunas was celebrated for its rich cultural and academic life, fashion, construction of countless Art Deco and Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural-style buildings as well as popular furniture, the interior design of the time, and a widespread café culture. The city interwar architecture is regarded as among the finest examples of European Art Deco and has received the European Heritage Label. It contributed to Kaunas being named as the first city in Central and Eastern Europe to be designated as a UNESCO City of Design. Kaunas has been selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2022, together with Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
context_section_description: After Vilnius was occupied by the Russian Bolsheviks in 1919, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania established its main base in Kaunas. Later, when the capital Vilnius was annexed by Poland, Kaunas became the temporary capital of Lithuania, a position it held until 28 October 1939, when the Red Army handed Vilnius over to Lithuania. The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania first met in Kaunas on 15 May 1920. It passed some important laws, particularly on land reform, on the national currency, and adopted a new constitution. The military coup d'état took place in Kaunas on 17 December 1926. It was largely organized by the military, especially general Povilas Plechavičius, and resulted in the replacement of the democratically elected Government and President Kazys Grinius with a conservative nationalist authoritarian Government led by Antanas Smetona. Shortly afterwards, tension between Antanas Smetona and Augustinas Voldemaras, supported by the Iron Wolf Association, arose seeking to gain authority. After an unsuccessful coup attempt in 1934, Augustinas Voldemaras was imprisoned for four years and received an amnesty on condition that he leave the country.
  During the interwar period, Kaunas was nicknamed as the Little Paris because of its rich cultural and academic life, fashion, Art Deco architecture, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings as well as popular furniture, interior design of the time and widespread café culture. The interrim capital and the country itself also had a Western standard of living with sufficiently high salaries and low prices. At the time, qualified workers there were earning very similar real wages to workers in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France, the country also had a surprisingly high natural increase in population of 9.7 and the industrial production of Lithuania increased by 160% from 1913 to 1940.
  Between the World Wars industry prospered in Kaunas; it was then the largest city in Lithuania. Under the direction of the mayor Jonas Vileišis (1921–1931) Kaunas grew rapidly and was extensively modernised. A water and waste water system, costing more than 15 million Lithuanian litas, was put in place, the city expanded from 18 to 40 square kilometres (6.9 to 15.4 sq mi), more than 2,500 buildings were built, plus three modern bridges over the Neris and Nemunas rivers. All the city's streets were paved, horse-drawn transportation was replaced with modern bus lines, new suburbs were planned and built (Žaliakalnis neighbourhood in particular), and new parks and squares were established. The foundations of a social security system were laid, three new schools were built, and new public libraries, including the Vincas Kudirka library, were established. J. Vileišis maintained many contacts in other European cities, and as a result Kaunas was an active participant in European urban life.
  The city also was a particularly important center for the Lithuanian Armed Forces. In January 1919 during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, War School of Kaunas was established and started to train soldiers who were soon sent to the front to strengthen the fighting Lithuanian Army. Part of the Lithuanian armoured vehicles military unit was moved to Žaliakalnis, armed with advanced and brand new tanks, including the famous Renault FT, Vickers-Armstrong Model 1933 and Model 1936. In May 1919 Lithuanian Aircraft State Factory was founded in Freda to repair and to supply the army with military aircraft. It was considerably modernized by Antanas Gustaitis and started to build Lithuanian ANBO military aircraft. Due to the exceptional discipline and regularity the Lithuanian Air Force was an example for other military units. The ANBO 41 was far ahead of the most modern foreign reconnaissance aircraft of that time in structural features, and most importantly in speed and in rate of climb.
  At the time, Kaunas had a Jewish population of 35,000–40,000, about one-quarter of the city's total population. Jews made up much of the city's commercial, artisan, and professional sectors. Kaunas was a ce
caption: Kaunas City Theatre, where the first session of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania was held on 15 May 1920
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