| Abstract [eng] |
Research object: farmsteads of detached farm villages established in 1918–1940, their layout structure, composition, connection with the surrounding environment as well as the buildings belonging to these farmsteads and suburban homesteads, their architectural shapes, construction and materials and their survival and current physical status. Detailed research is made on the suburbs of the southern part of Kaunas County so that to determine their survival status. Geographical boundaries of the research. The area of the administrative unit as of 1918–1940 – Kaunas County. Chapter 1 Construction regulation and recommendations in 1918-1940 The interwar land reform was the decisive factor that influenced the landscape and rural constructions, thus radically reducing the number of one street villages and setting up granges in the old estates and on the lands of the estates. The first chapter reviews the interwar land reform, discusses its course, assesses the impact on changes in the rural planning structure, and analyzes the applicable laws and regulations. The legal framework regulating the construction in rural areas is analyzed, its influence on the planned structure of villages and homesteads and the architecture of buildings is reviewed, and the changes influenced by law in the construction tradition are assessed. The necessary legislation was created along with the accompanying programmes and institutions regulating the new rural constructions. The main recommended publications for rural construction are presented, their proposals related to homestead planning, building architecture and building materials are reviewed. Considerable attention is paid to the approach to the construction tradition set out in these publications. Recommendations for landscaping homesteads are reviewed. Chapter 2 “Continuity and changes in the tradition of homestead architecture in 1918-1940“ analyzes the interwar Kaunas County rural and suburban architecture, along with the features specific to particular parts of the county. Attention is paid to the plan structure of homesteads, the ratios of building volumes, the yard size, the building orientation and layout, as well as the functional relationships. The interaction of the tradition and innovation in the application and the architectural expression of materials and structures were assessed. The types of residential houses which were common in the rural and suburban areas were distinguished by reviewing their characteristic features, construction materials and prevalence – specifically, technical building designs (archival material) and on-site research data were used. There were two types of homesteads based on the main income source of the inhabitants – agricultural activities and other activities. Although suburbs de jure were rural territories, but the main source of the income of inhabitants of Kaunas suburbs was not related to farming, thus making the plan structure of their homesteads very different from the farmer’s homesteads. Suburban homesteads, with a few exceptions, consisted of two buildings – a residential house, usually formed next to the street, and a small auxiliary building built further in the yard. Examination of the archival material and on-site research data reveals the most characteristic types of house planning structural variants which are reflected in the tables that are presented in the second chapter. It deals with the design features suggested by most distinguished rural architects of Kaunas County. Having studied the interwar Kaunas county archives and the surviving on-site examples, six rural residential types were identified: the traditional homestead (grouped into two cell, four cell, free layout, and the traditional building) small rental houses (up to 3 apartments), apartment rental buildings, private villas, one-story cottages, and two-story cottages. The surviving examples of each type were presented and analyzed. In the residential architecture of the suburbs, we can observe the influence of a number of innovative and stylish architectural types; however, a significant part of suburban houses still reflect the ideas of the traditional rural architecture. In the residential architecture built near Kaunas, we can spot the influence of a number of innovative and stylish architectural types, whereas, farther away from the capital, such examples can be seen less frequently. The sizes of residential houses are reviewed in the presented tables; here, we can see the most prevalent housing length and width ratios. In Chapter 3 “Survival situation and value of interwar Kaunas County rural and suburban architecture“ is presented the survival situation of the rural and suburban architecture (studies were performed during 2016-2017 on-site research by examining the rural territory of Kaunas County and the suburbs of interwar Kaunas). The following reviewed factors are related to the disappearance of most architectural objects: World War II, Soviet-era land reform, land reclamation, demographic processes: all of these led to the changes that took place: the loss of architectural identity happened due to improper reconstructions, deterioration of the environment (the Soviet era and new constructions), destruction of rural greenery, and reckless forest felling around villages. Reconstruction is divided in three levels according to its impact on the authenticity of the building: insignificant, partial and full, and examples of each level are presented. The survival situation of Kaunas County rural area is divided into three levels: nearly intact areas (survival over 90%) fragmentary survival (up to 35%), and areas with surviving random objects (less than 5%). Kaunas suburbs in the southern part of the City – Birutė I, Linksmadvaris, Garliava, Julijanava, Yliškės are presented in terms of the survival situation by preparing plans of each suburb, the surviving interwar buildings and their current condition. The surviving buildings of 1918-1940 in terms of schemes are divided into three categories – 1: fully authentic; 2: with minor modifications; 3: reconstructed. The interwar rural architecture is also studied as an important component of Kaunas County landscape. The interface between architecture and landscape is explored from various perspectives: the position of the researched objects is presented in terms of various aspects of the landscape in the prepared schemes. According to the current threats to the survival of architecture, possible ways of its preservation are suggested. |
