By July 2027, it is planned to repair the masonry, concrete, and stone surfaces of the building at Plytinės St. 15, parapets, the plinth, and other facade elements.
Also, based on historical material, authentic windows and doors are being restored, and new floors are being installed inside, among other things, addressing moisture impact and water drainage issues.
The municipality emphasizes that the aim of the building renovation is to preserve valuable features and historical structures.
The barracks renovation work is carried out by the company “Ekodora”. The contract value is more than 413.8 thousand euros. Ongoing maintenance is performed by the municipal institution “Kaunas Fortress Park”.
Currently, the old floors in the barracks have already been dismantled, soil has been removed from the side facades, concrete water drainage channels have been uncovered, and a trench has been made to assess the foundations.
“Now the area is being renovated, valuable elements are being restored, and emergency threats are being removed. Alongside the growing city areas, Fort IV will become a vibrant cultural space for the local community and city visitors in the future,” says Egidijus Bagdonas, director of “Kaunas Fortress Park”.
The renovated premises are planned to house spaces for exhibitions about fortification and its development, exhibitions, and the fort area will be used for festivals, educational activities, and other events.
“It is important to us that forts are not just old buildings to look at from afar. They are excellent places for education, activities for children and youth, events, and live history learning,” says Kaunas mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis in a statement.
Fort IV, built between 1882 and 1889, features an asymmetrical plan and engineer Likhachyov’s anti-torpedo gun lifting mechanisms installed in 1893. At the end of World War I, the retreating garrison blew up the fort – the gun shelter was destroyed and ammunition depots damaged.
Between the wars, the area was used for training by the Lithuanian War School, and during World War II, mass killings of Jews took place here. During the Soviet era, the fort served as warehouses and a shooting range for the 108th Airborne Regiment.
The renovation of the barracks at Fort IV is part of the joint Polish-Lithuanian “FORT-UNION” project. It aims to strengthen the joint use of the countries’ fortification heritage for tourism.
According to the municipality, the potential of World War I fortifications in both countries is not yet fully utilized.
Kaunas Fortress is the only such defensive system in the Baltic states, built in Kaunas and its surroundings between 1882 and 1915 by order of Russian Tsar Alexander II. The complex consists of forts, batteries, warehouses, embankments, and other buildings and defensive structures.
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