2. Šiauliai district municipality building

About

The Šiauliai District Municipality building is a shining example of interwar modernist architecture. It was designed by the engineer Vladas Bitė, who was Chief City Architect of Šiauliai at the time. Built over a couple of years, the striking building not only served its administrative function well but also decorated the city. It is notable for its period-specific aesthetics, refined forms and proportions. The building has an angular layout: the side wings are optically elongated by bands of windows connected horizontally by shared trimmings. The central circular part of the façade, where the main entrance is located, is characteristically broken up by vertical architectural elements.

The building suffered damage during the Second World War: the roof burnt down, the premises were ransacked and the interior was destroyed. However, the building was reconstructed after the war and a third floor was added while preserving the architecture of the historic part. Later, an extension was built to house the Civil Registry Office on the ground floor. The façade of the extension is decorated with a stone mosaic by the renowned artist Algimantas Vitolis Trušys, while a curved colonnade marks the main entrance. Today, it retains the extraordinarily ornate interior of the marriage halls, an astounding example of late modernism.