From home to work to shop to home: the planned retail chain in Soviet Lithuania, 1960s–1980s

ABSTRACT

A radical vision for city planning in Soviet Lithuania, starting in the 1960s, was controlled by Soviet authorities, legislation, and plans. The concept was to divide cities into mikrorayons (microdistricts) to be serviced by shopping centres with different purposes. This article reveals the significant hurdles Soviet Lithuania experienced in implementing these Soviet urban and retail models. Because of long-term planning issues and delays, the construction of shopping centres and even entire residential areas failed to meet the rapidly changing needs of society. How did the principles of Soviet urban planning influence or hinder the development of retail centres in Soviet Lithuania? Archival sources identify how these centres were reflected in urban planning documents and which rules governing the centres and their structure were applicable. This article details how a Soviet shopping centre compared ‘on paper’ to reality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Mestpalu and Hess, ‘Revisiting the Role’; Sultson, ‘Estonian Urbanism’, 386; Monclús and Díez Medina, ‘Modernist Housing’; Ward, ‘Soviet Communism and the British Planning’, 510; Ward, ‘Urban Planning Visits’, 288; Grava, ‘Urban Heritage’, 26; Šiupšinskas and Lankots, ‘Collectivist Ideal’, 303.

2 Wakeman, Practicing Utopia, 30; Hess and Metspalu, ‘Architectural Transcendence’; Charley, ‘Concrete Memory of Modernity’, 205; Lankots and Sooväli, ‘ABC-Centres and Identities’, 110–111.

3 Šiupšinskas and Lankots, ‘Collectivist Idea’, 301.

4 Mestpalu and Hess, ‘Revisiting the Role’, 343–348.

5 Reid, ‘This is Tomorrow’, 25–65; Chernyshova, Soviet Consumer Culture.

6 Eaton, Daily Life.

7 Chernyshova, ‘Consuming Technology’; Reid, Cold War in the Kitchen.

8 Budreyka, Arkhitektura Sovetskoy Litvy, 29–40.

9 Baranov et al., Vseobshchaya istoriya arkhitektury, 484–487.

10 Minkyavichus, Arkhitektura sovetskoy Litvy, 108–111.

11 Hess and Metspalu, ‘Architectural Transcendence’, 142.

12 Bater, Soviet City, 45–51.

13 Sūdžius, ‘Teisės aktų’, 74.

14 Butkus, Safronovas, and Petrulis, Klaipėdos urbanistinė raida, 74.

15 Miškinis, Lietuvos urbanistika: istorija, 80.

16 Šešelgis, ‘Miestų vystymo prognozės’, 15.

17 Pravila i normy planirovki, 4.

18 Bater, ‘Soviet City’, 145.

19 French, Plans, Pragmatism and People, 70.

20 Shaw, ‘Planning Leningrad’, 190–191.

21 Vilnius: 236,000 residents (1959) to 554,700 (1986). Kaunas: 218,000 residents (1959) to 410,000 (1986). Klaipėda: 89,900 residents (1959) to 196,800 (1986). Šiauliai: 59,700 residents (1959) to 136,600 (1986). Panevėžys, 41,000 residents (1959) to 118,700 (1986). Alytus: 12,300 residents (1959) to 69,600 (1986). For statistical data, see Lietuvos TSR liaudies ūkis per 40 metų, 11; Lietuvos TSR liaudies ūkis 1985 metais, 4.

22 Lietuvos TSR liaudies ūkis 1985 metais, 4.

23 Miškinis, Lietuvos urbanistika: istorija, 83.

24 Pravila i normy planirovki, 59–61.

25 Instruktsiya po sostavleniyu proektov, 13.

26 Grava, ‘Urban Heritage’, 13–14.

27 Hausladen, ‘Planning the Development’, 108–110.

28 Andrusz, Housing and Urban Development,128–130.

29 Molodikova and Makhrova, Urbanization Patterns, 53.

30 Glendinning, ‘Mass Housing and Extensive Urbanism’, 122.

31 Drėmaitė, ‘Exceptional Design’, 71-93.

32 Drėmaitė, ‘Modern Housing’, 88.

33 Drėmaitė, Petrulis and Tutlytė, Architektūra Sovietinėje Lietuvoje, 324.

34 Drėmaitė, ‘Modern Housing’, 88.

35 ‘Handed over for usage’ refers to shops being physically available but not being able to open because they did not have the necessary equipment due to poor management by trade organizations. Kramnickas, ‘Aktualūs prekybos tinklo’, 3. All translations from the original are the author’s.

36 LCSA, Otvet nachal'niku upravleniya, 2.

37 The full names in Lithuanian are Ukrainskii nauchno-issledovatelskii institut torgovli i obschestvennogo pitaniia, Nizhegorodskii institut tehnologii i organizatsii proizvodstva, and MINH po. im. G. V. Plehanova - Moskovskii institut narodnogo hoziaistvaim G. V. Plehanova, respectively. LCSA, Postanovleniya gosudarstvennogo komiteta, 43.

38 LCSA, Instruktsiya po planirovaniyu, 46.

39 LCSA, Prikaz no. 106–160 gosudarstvennogo, 90.

40 LCSA, Ukazaniya o primenenii nomenklatury, 94.

41 LCSA, Prikaz ob utverzhdeniya prakticheskih, 72.

42 Ibid

43 Ibid.

44 LCSA, Prikaz ob utverzhdeniya nomenklatury, 178–197.

45 In compliance with the nomenclature of retail chain typology issued on 27 October 1972, a univermag is a department store selling a wide assortment of household goods, and a universam is a grocery store selling a wide assortment of food products. For definitions, see Univermag and Universam, in LCSA, Prikaz ob utverzhdeniya nomenklatury, 178–197.

46 Ibid.

47 Prikaz ministerstvo torgovli.

48 Ibid.

49 ‘Namai, į kuriuos pareiname’, 3.

50 Balčiūnas, ‘Girstupis jūsų paslaugoms’, 2.

51 Aronas and Balčiūnas, ‘Mikrorajonų visuomeniniai’, 8.

52 Kudaba, ‘Reklama senamiestyje’,16.

53 Aronas and Balčiūnas, ‘Mikrorajonų visuomeniniai’, 8

54 Balčiūnas, ‘Apie gyventojų aptarnavimo’, 3.

55 Drėmaitė, Petrulis and Tutlytė, Architektūra Sovietinėje Lietuvoje, 169.

56 Jankūnas, ‘Dvejų metų’, 3.

57 Radis, ‘Zhirmunai’, 6.

58 VRSA, Planas tipinio, 17.

59 ‘Šiaurės Dainavos gyvenamojo rajono projektas,’ 1–13.

60 Balčiūnas, ‘Girstupis jūsų paslaugoms’, 2.

61 Kapušinskas, ‘Kaune, ties Girstupiu’, 3.

62 Drėmaitė, Petrulis and Tutlytė, Architektūra Sovietinėje Lietuvoje, 324.

63 VRSA, ‘Lazdynų gyvenamojo rajono’, 1–20.

64 LCSA, Perechen magazinov, 137.

65 Balčiūnas, ‘Apie gyventojų aptarnavimo’, 3.

66 Mestpalu and Hess, ‘Revisiting the Role,’ 348.

67 Cattell, Soviet Cities, 263.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brigita Tranavičiūtė

Brigita Tranavičiūtė is a Lithuanian historian and researcher at the Kaunas University of Technology Institute of Architecture and Construction. Her research focuses on the 20th century urban and urban history studies, and also analyzes the issue of urbanization, economics and consumption culture development.