Renovation plans put Kaunas' beloved Courtyard Gallery at risk
Murals at Kaunas' well-known Courtyard Gallery could be plastered over as building owners proceed with a facade renovation without preserving the artwork. The dispute has already led to a suspected vandalism incident now under police investigation.
Scaffolding has gone up around a building on Ožeškienės Street in central Kaunas, signalling the start of renovation work that could bury the murals of the city's celebrated Courtyard Gallery under new plaster and paint. The gallery was created 14 years ago by artist Vytenis Jakas and depicts the history of the Jewish community that once lived in the courtyard before World War Two.
Tension over the artworks' fate has already turned physical. Police are investigating a possible act of vandalism after witnesses reported seeing a resident striking the murals with a hammer and chisel. Local resident Darius Pečiulionis said he confronted the man, who told him in broken Lithuanian that he lived in the building, disliked the artwork, and believed the renovation needed to proceed. A QR code that linked to information about the mural's history, in Lithuanian and English, was among the damaged elements.
The gallery is regarded as one of Kaunas' top attractions, with tour guide Nomeda Balasevičiūtė noting that visitors are consistently moved by it, often stopping to take photos even if they don't usually do so elsewhere.
Jakas has proposed a compromise that would let renovation proceed without erasing the artwork, offering to personally repair the wall's lower section featuring the murals at no cost to residents. However, the murals were never formally authorised and the building's owners never consented to their installation, leaving the Kaunas municipality with little legal leverage. Saulius Rimas, head of the municipality's Heritage Protection Division, said officials recognise the value of the artworks but have no real tools to protect them since they were painted without permission.
According to Marijus Zaborskas, head of building administrator Kaunas Butų Ūkis, two-thirds of the building's 13 owners have already voted to renovate the whole wall rather than preserve the murals. He said the plan could still change if residents approve an alternative, but time is limited, as facade and roof work is due to finish in September.
