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About us

What is Romuva

Kino namai "Romuva" is a movie theater established in the heart of Kaunas city, on Laisvės avenue, which has been nurturing the traditions of showing quality art films for many years. Exclusive premieres, events, exhibitions take place in "Romuva", an original educational program is created for children and youth of various ages, and national and international projects are carried out. The cinema team strives to make Romuva a bold, open and cozy space for both seasoned film enthusiasts and new viewers.

The vision of Romuva's activities is to create a modern cinema brand and content recognizable in Lithuania and Europe, which would popularize European artistic cinema, increase cinema literacy, thus bringing together a loyal cinema community.

Since 2015, Kaunas Cinema Centre "Romuva” has been a member of the Europa Cinemas network.

More than 80 years of history

Laisvės Alėja (Liberty Avenue), the central street of Kaunas, was called the cinema boulevard by many during the interwar period, due to twelve cinemas operating here. One of them, Kaunas Cinema Centre Romuva, opened its doors back in 1940, on 8 April. The most spacious and the most original, ‘like in Paris’” – such was the talk in town after the opening, about the modernity of the 687-seat cinema designed by architect Nikolajus Mačiulskis.

However, the cinema served the city for only one year – its operation was interrupted by the Second World War. After the restoration of independence, the public objected to the city government's deal with businessmen to lease the building, and protests were organised. Since 2015, Romuva has become a budgetary institution of the City of Kaunas, and continues its main activities.

Modernism and Art Deco

During the construction of the cinema building, acoustic solutions were reflected in the oval shape of the hall, special upholstery was used, and the vault was designed by the engineer Pranas Markūnas, the pioneer of reinforced concrete structures in Lithuania. There are lots of round shapes also in other spaces of the cinema. Specialists attribute these solutions to the Streamline Moderne aesthetics prevailing in the USA at the time, also known as the late art deco . A cosy public space, like another lounge under the open sky, was formed by retracting the building deeper into the land plot, away from the main street. The Art Deco façade of Romuva soon became iconic, especially the glass tower, illumination of which was not completed due to the outbreak of war.

The modern “castlet”, which contributed to many Kaunas residents falling in love with films, currently is the oldest cinema in Lithuania.

In 2015, the building was awarded the European Heritage Label, and is now one of the symbols of Kaunas modernist architecture that is a candidate for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. - one of the symbols of modernist architecture in Kaunas, claiming to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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