Kaunas rejects UNESCO heritage plan over development concerns

Kaunas city officials say they will not approve a proposed plan to protect the city’s modernist architecture, arguing that it could restrict development. LRT reports that the dispute concerns a management plan for Naujamiestis, a Kaunas district, drawn up by researchers at Kaunas University of Technology.

Kaunas was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 and committed to preparing a plan to protect its modernist architecture. Commissioned by the Cultural Heritage Department, the Naujamiestis plan is now open for public consultation, with a public hearing scheduled for October 8.

Kaunas’ chief architect, Gedeminas Barčauskas, said the city objects to the plan’s overall approach, not just to specific provisions. He said the district should be developed while preserving its heritage, rather than treated as an open-air museum or subjected to rules that prevent growth. The municipality would not approve the plan in its current form, he said.

One point of concern is the plan’s limits on building heights. Barčauskas said the city wanted wider cooperation and argued that development could highlight existing buildings and the urban structure. He also said the plan could affect municipal plans to create housing on the former Red Cross hospital complex, which the city is preparing to sell at auction.

The city has also raised concerns about construction in the Nemunaičiai development on the left bank of the Nemunas, in Žemoji Freda. Barčauskas said the district lies within Naujamiestis’ protection zone but should face less restrictive rules because it is not part of Naujamiestis itself.

The head of the Kaunas Architects’ Association, Nerijus Stanionis, said the community was particularly concerned about the plan’s expanded protection zone for Naujamiestis. A heritage programmes official at the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO has reminded the municipality of Lithuania’s commitments and called for consistency. Heritage officials have warned that failing to prepare a plan could cause an international scandal, while the municipality has said that not approving this document would not be the end of the world. The Ministry of Culture has urged the parties to avoid escalation and seek dialogue.