Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė, Liutauras Nekrošius, Vaidas Petrulis, Martynas Mankus, Marija Drėmaitė
Palanga. An architectural guide
a fresh perspective on Palanga – uncovering Šventoji – the architectural history of the resort
At the centre of Lithuania’s coastline lies Palanga, a town of contrasts and the country’s most visited resort. Next to the lively J. Basanavičiaus gatvė, bustling with noise in summer, is a quiet neighbourhood of impressive villas and sanatoriums. Visitors can stay either at Villa Auska, exuding Soviet luxury, or in the high-rise resorts of Vanagupė. Here, the aristocratic heritage of the Counts Tiškevičius meets the mass-housing architecture that developed during the Soviet era. Just next to Palanga is Šventoji, a town of completely different character, dotted with inexpensive wooden summer cottages.
Palanga. An Architectural Guide presents the history of Lithuania's oldest resort and its most interesting and significant buildings. It reveals how a cosy pre-war town was transformed by the ambitious development visions of the Soviet period, and how these were later reshaped by the chaotic construction and shifting economic realities of the era of independence.
Descriptions of Palanga’s architecture, together with archival and contemporary photographs, invite readers to rediscover the town – both the familiar and the yet unseen.
In Palanga. An Architectural Guide, you will find:
> 117 stories about buildings and sites
> detailed introductory texts by well-known historians and architecture researchers – Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė, Liutauras Nekrošius, Vaidas Petrulis, Martynas Mankus, and Marija Drėmaitė
> archival photographs by Zinas Kazėnas and Palanga’s architecture captured through the lens of Norbert Tukaj
> maps with places of interest marked.
It is commendable that in the guide the authors present not only the most valuable architectural works and introduce the personalities who shaped the cityscape, but also discuss those buildings that provoke debate among architects or the broader public regarding their harmony with the environment or other nuances. In this way, the guide cultivates readers’ taste and encourages them to be more attentive to the environment around us.
The guide stimulates the imagination, the stories deepen understanding, and hopefully it will have the same effect on those planning construction in the resort — perhaps even inspiring an ambition to create sustainably, in connection with nature and people, so that one day their work might appear in a similar guide as a good example.
– art critic Monika Krikštopaitytė, 7md.lt
COLOPHON
authors: Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė, Liutauras Nekrošius, Vaidas Petrulis, Martynas Mankus, Marija Drėmaitė
translated into English by Jeremy Hill
editor Gemma Lloyd
designer Aurelija Slapšytė
layout by Violeta Boskaitė
project manager Ieva Butkutė
publishing house editor Ūla Ambrasaitė
ISBN 978-609-496-029-1
320 pages, 148x210 mm, 0,5 kg
soft cover
LAPAS publishing house, February 2026
PARTIALLY FUNDED BY
