Migrant modernists: The making of national architects in Lithuania in the 1930s and their survival strategies in the 1950s

Modernist architecture in Kaunas, Lithuania, emerged as a symbol of national identity and modernization during the interwar period (1919–1939). This study reveals how Lithuanian architects, shaped by forced migration, political upheavals, and ideological shifts, adapted their professional identities and survival strategies across three turbulent decades. It highlights their pivotal role in transforming Kaunas into a provisional capital, marked by the erasure of imperial legacies and the construction of modernist landmarks. The research traces their collective evolution as socially engaged intellectuals during the 1930s, followed by divergent paths—emigration for those practicing privately after Soviet reoccupation (1944) or assimilation under Soviet rule for those who remained. Methodologically, it combines biographical analysis with architectural and political history to illustrate resilience, ideological adaptation, and the enduring impact of forced migration on cultural production.

Drėmaitė, M. (2020). Migrant modernists: The making of national architects in Lithuania in the 1930s and their survival strategies in the 1950s. Journal of Modern European History, 18(4), 415–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/1611894420943041