After the Great War and the struggle for Vilnius, in 1922, the city became part of Poland. Guides of the interwar period are characterized by two features: they were written by professional art historians rather than amateurs, and Vilnius was seen as a Polish city. In 1923, Vilnius. A Local Lore Guide by Juljusz Kłos (1881–1933) was published. Kłos studied architecture in Warsaw and Vienna, and from 1920, he taught the history of architecture at Stephen Báthory Universityand was involved in the restoration of churches and university buildings closed in the tsarist times. His guide consisted of three parts: an overview of the city’s history, the stylistic development of architecture, and a presentation of topographically arranged objects. Kłos’s text was based on an architectural analysis and had a strong emotional colouring: “As we explore Vilnius and get carried away by the beauty of its legend, we find out that getting to know Vilnius means falling in love with it forever.”
Text author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: ‘Vilnius Forever. A Dialogue of Artworks and Guides to the City’,
25 May
2022 –
30 April
2023 Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St.
40, Vilnius). Curator Laima Laučkaitė.
