Complex of 4th Infantry Regiment barracks in Kupiškis
Military town
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Located in the city of Kupiškis.
In 1936, the largest barracks complex in interwar Lithuania was built in Kupiškis. At the same time, it was the largest object erected in Kupiškis during the interwar period, the construction of which was also attended by the city's residents. This testifies to the strategic importance of the city in the defense plans of Lithuania, stopping the Polish army's attack and covering the mobilization inside the country during the war. The Kupiškis barracks housed 4 battalions of the infantry regiment and the 2nd battery of the 1st artillery regiment, consisting of about 700 soldiers.
The Kupiškis barracks consisted of about 12 buildings, barracks, stables, an officers' club, a shooting range, etc. Moreover, these were barracks in the modernist architectural style, which had electricity, air ventilation, water supply and a sewage system, which fundamentally changed the living conditions of officers and soldiers and raised the standard of hygiene.
Currently, the building at Gedimino St. 53B, owned by the Kupiškis District Municipality, is in use. The first floor is rented out to the sewing factory AB “Lelija”, half of the second floor is used by the association “Sveikatos taku”, and the entire third floor of the building has been transferred to the Kupiškis Public Library under the right of trust.
Used sources and references:
Nijolė Steponaitytė, Kęstutis Zaleckis, Military Architecture in Lithuanian Cities and Towns, Kaunas, 2015.
V. Jokubauskas "Life and Death in the Lithuanian Army 1918–1940." Klaipėda: Klaipėda University Press, 2023.
"A Glimpse into the History of Kupiškis Barracks", Kupiškėnai mintys. Available online: https://kmintys.lt/2024/07/25/zvilgsnis-i-kupiskio-kareiviniu-istorija .
