Alytus to host inaugural architecture weekend

The city of Alytus will host its first open architecture weekend, titled ‘Pastatai kalba. Alytus’ (Buildings Speak. Alytus), on September 12–13. The event invites participants to rediscover the city through its architecture, history, and people.

A central focus of the event is the Alytus St. Benedict Gymnasium, which was designed by the Kaunas-based firm Miestprojektas and architects Jūratė and Vygintas Merkevičiai. Completed 30 years ago, the school was designed in independent Lithuania and was intended as a stylistic departure from Soviet-era structures, utilizing expressive forms and colors to offer a new model for school design.

Architect Jūratė Merkevičienė notes that while Alytus is shaped by natural and urban elements like the Nemunas River and local parks, specific architectural landmarks serve as vital markers of the city's memory. Other notable structures mentioned include the sports palace, the metal sculpture park by Albertas Stankevičius, and the municipal complex designed by Saulius Juškis.