1. Klaipėda University / former military campus

About

The red-brick barracks complex, one of Lithuania’s most prominent examples of historicist architecture with neo-Gothic features, was built in Klaipėda at the beginning of the 20th century. Blending the spirit of Medieval Romanticism with the rationality of the industrial age, it features stepped gables, pointed niches, arcature – evoking the stately presence of a Teutonic Knights’ castle.

Six of the original eight structures remain. The buildings once housed officers’ and soldiers’ quarters, a headquarters, a kitchen and canteen, toilets, storage rooms, and even a chapel. Adjacent to the complex was a training ground where the footsteps of marching troops once echoed. A restored clock tower remains a key feature. Over the course of a century, complex has hosted the Prussian, Soviet, Lithuanian, and French armies. In the interwar period, it served as home to the Klaipėda garrison, which played a pivotal role in the 1923 annexation of the region to Lithuania. Notable visitors included all interwar Lithuanian presidents, Jonas Basanavičius, archaeologist Petras Tarasenka, and other prominent figures.

In 1993, the complex was handed over to Klaipėda University – an adaptive reuse of military buildings that is rare in Europe. Today, it houses faculties, laboratories, and student dormitories. The original layout and many authentic interior features have been preserved, including wooden structures, door arches, cast-iron columns, and railings. The courtyard of one of the buildings now serves as an Evangelical chapel. The symbol of the complex is the fresco The Building of the University (2006) by Juozas Vosylius, which depicts a lighthouse as a beacon of knowledge and growth.