3. Alytus Cultural Centre / former Cotton Palace of Culture

About

In 1980, right next to the Alytus Cotton Combine that opened in 1969, a new centre for culture and the arts emerged – the Cotton Combine Palace of Culture. In official documents submitted to the authorities at the time, it was presented as a block of auxiliary facilities. The palace was intended for the combine’s employees, and therefore built not in the city centre but in the northern industrial district.

The building, with its massive, austere forms characteristic of Late Modernism, housed spaces dedicated to culture and the arts, including a large events hall and rehearsal halls, a library, exhibition spaces and rooms for club activities. The palace soon became a local hub, attracting not only employees but also city residents to its sports and leisure activities.

The building preserves several works of monumental art: the stained-glass mosaic Rhythms of Dzūkija by V. Vanagas on the façades, the fresco-sgraffito Weavers by R. Dalinkevičius and N. Vilutytė in the foyer, and tapestries by B. Vaitiekūnienė in the corridor.

Following the building’s renovation and restoration of the artworks in 2020, the palace, now home to the Alytus Cultural Centre, has continued to welcome events and visitors. It offers an opportunity to learn about the history of the building and the city, and to find out what connects cotton with Miss Lithuania.