Kaunas Carillon
| Kaunas Carillon | |
|---|---|
Kauno kariljonas | |
 Façade of the tower of Kaunas Carillon in 2018 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Carillon |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Location | Naujamiestis, Kaunas |
| Country | Lithuania |
| Coordinates | 54°53′59″N 23°54′41″E / 54.899620°N 23.91128°E |
| Inaugurated | 1937 |
| Renovated | 2006 |
| Owner | Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, Vytautas the Great War Museum |
| Height | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Vladimiras Dubeneckis (tower) |
| Official name | Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939 |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 2023 (45th session) |
| Reference no. | [1] |
| UNESCO region | Europe |
The Kaunas Carillon (Lithuanian: Kauno kariljonas) is a carillon in the tower of the Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas, Lithuania.[2] The carillon officially belongs to the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania and Vytautas the Great War Museum.[3] In the interwar period it was the only carillon in Lithuania, however currently four other carillons are also in Klaipėda, Vilnius, Šakiai, and Gelgaudiškis Manor.[4][5]
The tower where the Kaunas Carillon is located is 32 meters height and has an observation deck.[6] The total weight of all Kaunas Carillon's current bells is 4334 kg, while the largest bell which weights 751 kg was funded by the Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and his wife Alma Adamkienė.[2][7] Music played with the Kaunas Carillon's bells can be heard within a radius of three kilometers.[8]
History
[edit]
In 1933 a modern carillon was commissioned in bells factory in Mechelen, Belgium for the Vytautas the Great War Museum complex in Lithuania's temporary capital Kaunas.[2] In 1935 the carillon with 35 bells and other components was transported to the Lithuanian port city Klaipėda.[2] In 1937 under the auspice of general Vladas Nagevičius and composer Juozas Tallat-Kelpša the new carillon system was installed in the tower of the Vytautas the Great War Museum and replaced the previous nine bells system.[7][9][10] Since 15 February 1937 the carillon's bells are called the bells of battles (Kovų varpai).[2][4] For example, the first bell of the carillon was given the name of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (at the time controlled by Poland) and 12th bell was dedicated to the fighter of Vilnius (Vilniaus kovotojas), 9th bell was baptized with the name of the Battle of Giedraičiai, 10th bell was dedicated to the volunteers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence (Kūrėjas savanoris), while 13th bell was dedicated to the participants of Klaipėda Revolt (Klaipėdos vaduotojas, literally vaduotojas means a person who liberates).[4][11][12] In 1938 a knight sculpture was added to the carillon's tower exterior, which was created by sculptor Juozas Mikėnas from bullet muzzles collected from fields during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence and bullet muzzles from warehouses of the intendant.[13][14] Until the World War II patriotic Lithuanian music was played with the Kaunas Carillon's bells during flag ceremonies (e.g. Lithuanians we are born by Stasys Šimkus).[2]
After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania the national flag of Lithuania was lowered from the tower of Kaunas Carillon on 1 August 1940 and the playing of music with the carillon's bells ceased.[2] The only brief exception when the carillon's bells were ringing was on 23 June 1941 when during the June Uprising the Red Army was expulsed from Kaunas.[4] During the Nazi German occupation of Lithuania the knight sculpture of the carillon's tower was torn down from the tower and destroyed by the Germans in 1942.[13][14]
After the Soviet re-occupation of Lithuania in 1944 the playing of music with the carillon's bells was resumed only in 1956 by composer Viktoras Kuprevičius and his son Giedrius Antanas Kuprevičius, and since 1957 the playing of music became regular.[2] In the Soviet period the Kaunas Carillon was the only carillon in Eastern Europe (excluding East Germany) and with its Belgian-made bells the music was played daily.[3] During visits to the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic music played by the Kaunas Carillon's bells was listened by Warsaw Pact's members political leaders Erich Honecker, János Kádár, Edward Gierek.[4]
Following the re-establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1990, music with the carillon's bells was started to be played every weekend.[3] In 2006 a major restoration works were performed to renew the carillon and additional 14 bells were installed in it.[2]
In 2015 the knight sculpture was reinstalled in the carillon's tower exterior (at 28 meters height) and was unveiled by commemorating the February 16th.[13][15] The new knight sculpture (2,7 meters height and 200 kg weight) is made from copper and was created by sculptor Jonas Malinauskas based on a project by sculptor Juozas Šlivinskas.[13] The knight sculpture restoration which cost 26,000 Lithuanian litas was funded by the Kaunas City Municipality and Kaunas residents' donations, while the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania gifted cannon ammunition nozzles which weighted several hundreds kilograms.[13][14]
Since 2017 every year in September the International Kaunas Carillon Music Festival is held with Lithuanian and international carrilionists (e.g. from the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Japan, etc.).[2][16][17]
On 27 February 2024 the carillon's bells had played Ukrainian music to demonstrate support to Ukraine just a few days after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[18] On 24 February 2024 the carillon's bells had once again played Ukrainian music to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the event was attended by Ukrainian refugees and supporting Lithuanians.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ "Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Burytė, Rūta Ona. "Kauno kariljonas". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kauno kariljonai: kodėl vienu sudėtingiausių instrumentų laikinojoje sostinėje mėgaujamasi taip retai?". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). 7 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Bielskis, Gintaras (21 February 2017). "Prieš 80 metų vienas Kauno kariljono varpų pakrikštytas Širvintų-Giedraičių vardu". Sirvinta.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Kuprevičius, Giedrius. "Kariljonas". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Javaitytė, Skirmantė (2 May 2023). "Lankytojai vėl gali užlipti į 32 m aukščio bokštą Kauno centre". Kas vyksta Kaune (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Kauno kariljonas". Turizmogidas.lt. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Kauno Kariljono festivalis, kuris aidi 3 kilometrų spinduliu". Kas vyksta Kaune (in Lithuanian). 11 September 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Kauno karilionas". Turizmas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Juozas Tallat-Kelpša Briuselyje atrenkant varpus Kauno kariljonui, 1935 m." Europeana.eu (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Voveris, Vytautas. "Savanoriai kūrėjai". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Kas yra Vaduotojas?". Zodynas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Tvirbutas, Saulius. "Kaune į Vytauto Didžiojo karo muziejaus varpinę grįžo Kario skulptūra". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Istorinė kario skulptūra – jau kariliono bokšte". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Sėlenis, Darius (16 February 2015). "Į Kauną vėl pažvelgė Karys". Kauno.diena.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Kaune – aštuntasis kariljono muzikos festivalis". Kauno.diena.lt (in Lithuanian). 31 August 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Tarptautinis Kauno kariljono muzikos festivalis 2023". Kauno menininkų namai via YouTube.com. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Kauno kariliono „Kovų varpų" koncertas skirtas Ukrainai palaikyti". Kauno menininkų namai (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Kutinskaitė - Būdavienė, Šarūnė (24 February 2024). "Kauno karilionas prabilo ukrainiečių tautai brangiomis melodijomis". Kauno.diena.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 October 2024.