OPEN ARCHIVES OF KAUNAS

*Alvydas (50):* When my then-future wife was studying in Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, we would often walk around the Oakwood Park... We made several photos there...:) (2014)

*Aleksandra*: “I lived just next to Laisvės Alėja. I remember myself, an 11-year-old, wandering somewhere around Soboras; first time alone, I walked outside without parents on a hot summer day and was so impressed by the number of people in Laisvės Alėja: I have never probably seen so many of them in one place. And everyone was moving, doing something, engaged in their important businesses. So, it became crucially important for me to participate in the social life. I had 15 kopeks and spent them solemnly in the modern public toilet installed next to Žilinskas Gallery, where everything, oh dear, smelled like shampoo and hand drier was functioning without any difficulties, blowing three types of air...

*Neringa:* Yesterday, while driving from Vilnius to Kaunas, I saw the “new” sign of the city of Kaunas and realized that the old sign was a really special place. We would stop next to it every time we came back from Vilnius, even if relatives from America came to visit us. This was the first stop after Vilnius Airport, where we would all take photos with guests we haven't seen for a long time (or saw for the very first time). Even though the sign was a relict of the Soviet times, but compared to the “new” one, it had certain image and uniqueness to it. From my childhood, I remember those steps up to the sign and the red brightness of its background, that would contrast to the light blue summer sky. In this picture, it's me, my mother, and guests from America: Debbie and Ramutė in 1993. (2014)

*Liucija: *I remember, when my friend and I, we would go to the Picture Gallery to visit the exhibitions. Back in those days, we liked ceramic works very much. We used to buy large vases and bring tiny ones from other republics for ourselves or to give to our friends. Back in those times, food to nourish our souls on weekends were only exhibition halls or theatre. We would bring our children there as well. When the times changed and all sorts of events and travelling abroad became available, we visit picture gallery on a very rare basis. (2015)* *

*Gabrielė: *Early morning. Two-storey building. Unlocked door. So many lights. Corridors decorated with unclear pictures and all sorts of crafts on the windowsills. Little doors of lockers. Lessons, tasks, questions. The most delicious food, or maybe the most disgusting one. Women substituting for mothers. A hall with music, dances, concerts, plays and sometimes even exercises. The most interesting and unheard fairy-tales and stories. Two hours of numbing silence, while the rest is a spree. War of pillows and toys instead of silence. Discipline. Lessons, tasks, questions. A bunch of new friends. Boys and girls. Little beds and lockers with their names. Laughter, tears and anger. Pencils, crayons and toys. Lessons, tasks, questions. Little doors of lockers. Cold, sometimes just refreshing coolness. Sled, sometimes even the heat. Snow fights and angels. Sand castles and princesses. Post-nap dinner. Milk soup with noodles and a sweet slice of white bread. Doll house and police car. Knocking on the door. So many lights. Evening. (2017)* *

*Gercas:* "Basically, all amateur activities had to go through a selection process. There had to be songs in Russian and Lithuanian. Amateur activities were allowed, but I am almost completely sure that there were people infiltrated in them as well. Director Judelis Rondaris decided to create a drama in Jewish language (Yiddish) and he needed people who new Jewish (Yiddish). I could speak it quite well and I liked acting. The play was called “Shalom Aleichem”. We were envied by dancers and singers, because they wanted to sing and dance more. They met our drama with hostility, but residents of Kaunas liked it very much. Our audience was not only Jewish, but also Lithuanian and of mixed families. There are quite a few mixed families among us." (2018)

Irina: “My dad is Russian. He came from Ivanov to serve in Šančiai, where he met my mother, a Lithuanian. In order to stay, he had to pass the Lithuanian language exam, he wasn‘t able to pass it right away. Eventually, he settled in the military headquarters in Linksmakalnis. Mom was a medical graduate. It is hard to explain what exactly they were doing. We just knew they were "serving." I went to a school in Išlaužas, one could tell right away - we were from Linksmakalnis. We were all named as ruskiai (Russians in a disrespectful way ). I had a Russian last name, so I was always excluded. I remember the times were very few people here. We would spot everyone who moved here. I was born here, therefore everything is so beautiful here. It may be weird for some. Although, if I think now, it was a scary place 13 years ago. There were very few people, everyone knew each other. The town was empty and grey, especially in the gloom of autumn. I remember once walking a dog when a car passed by. A window opens and somebody says, “How do we get out of here? We drove past when saw a beautiful name and decided to visit it here. But as far as we drive, we keep bumping into the forest...” We live in a house on the street which was built by German prisoners. When we were doing a renovation in the bathroom, we found a wall of red bricks. We have decided to keep them, exfoliate, polish them. On one of them we did find a calligraphic inscription in German "In this house ..." - we weren‘t able to read the rest. It would be very interesting to find out what is written there. ” (2019)

Sculptor Robertas Antinis sharing his memories about  people of Laisvės avenue and Kaunas (2014).

Robertas Antinis: Orbita was a superb club. It was special.

*K. Laurinaitytė: *I remember Dainų Slėnis since I was six, because this was when I started singing in the choir and participating in the Song Festivals. I have been spending time here since childhood, so this place seems so natural and maybe even commonplace, yet pleasant.

In December, 2018 The lions that are protecting the entrance to Vytautas Magnus War Museum commemorate their 85th anniversary.

*Gintaras: *"One detail stuck to my mind from the dismantling of Leninas monument: next to Donelaičio Street, under a tree, I saw an elderly couple, probably of Russian nationality. They held arms and... cried silently. Even though everyone was in good mood, but I felt pity looking at them: they believed him for their entire life, and now, there was emptiness in front of them...." (2014)