THE HOUSE OF IGNAS PARČEVSKIS

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Influenced by the ideas of romanticism, historicism in architecture sought not only to recreate the general image of the style, but also to imitate forms and details. The house of Ignas Parčevskis is a great reflection of the historicist style: an icon of the city, built at the end of the 19th century, when Vilnius began to expand rapidly as a strategically important city.

The residence of landowner Ignas Parčevskis on the banks of the Neris River attracts the eye with its sumptuously and harmoniously decorated neo-Baroque façade. Built as a rented apartment block for the rich, it was considered one of the most luxurious dwellings, with sewerage and sanitary facilities, which did not yet exist in ordinary Vilnius houses of the time.

The interior of the building tells the story of the intersection of two periods – alongside the professionally restored late 19th-century decor, the sculptural cockle stoves, and the uniquely colour-coordinated mouldings, the interior bears the distinctive marks of the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine of Vilnius University, which was housed in the building in 1945. Despite this, the building features a splendid interior.

With minimal internal changes, the building has retained a fairly authentic appearance and is still a reminder of the 19th-century holiday residences of the wealthy.