Cabin builders in Kaunas unearthed the 17th century. “Treasure” and fell silent: heritage conservationists stopped the earthworks | Business

About the construction of cabins in this place, which will give you a spectacular panorama of the city. 15 minutes wrote in January of this year – “The huts with a panorama of Kaunas are sprouting from a cliff: they are surprised by the demolished slope and the dead cars on the sidewalks, but there is no damage.“. The surprise about these constructions does not seem to go away.

In 15 minutes Several residents of Žemalės Street approached the editorial office and told them about a find that was suddenly opened on the slope. A man who did not want to appear publicly (the first and last names are known to the editorial board) claimed that ancient arched structures had been unearthed at the construction site of the cabin.

“It just came to our attention then. Dug up last year, but hidden. Cornerstones removed. Builder was forced to report, but hid, construction continued. We have already informed heritage conservationists about it, we promised check it out, ”the Kaunas resident told the editorial committee on March 29.

Another neighbor of Žemalės street, who approached the newsroom, assured that from above, from the street, no one could notice the “treasure” unearthed, but when the landscaping work began and they descended below the slope, the view surprised . It was further highlighted by the “early” rain on the slope.

“Until the neighbors reported on the protection of the heritage, nobody paid attention to it, it brutally destroyed it. The builder did not tell anyone about the find, he took some of the rocks somewhere. Five or six were left, apparently to decorate the future territory. Yesterday we brought more gravel, we thought we were going to disguise the find with it. We inform the heirs.

As far as I know, they had reached the place, they found it to be in the seventeenth century. Dutch bricks, pots, shards. It is unfortunate that a possible crime, that the builders destroyed part of it, was not reported until the neighbors noticed it accidentally, ”said Kaunas, who did not want to present fragments of old masonry to the public.

The builder does not comment

According to the information sign posted on the construction site, the client and contractor for the works carried out on Žemalės street registered at the UAB Ant Skardžio in October last year. Mindaugas Jonika has been appointed director of the company operating in Kaunas. He is also the director of the UAB MJ Consulting, which provides legal services. Both companies are registered at the same address.

It may be the seventeenth century. Basements on the other side of the building.

In January of this year, 15 minutes While the journalist was writing the first article on these constructions, it was not possible to contact M. Jonika herself. The woman who answered the company’s phone said she will consult with the director about the comment. You will receive an email later. A letter that the director is currently absent will comment on his return. But in the end it was decided to comment 15 minutes not be edited.

On this occasion, the journalist sent the request again to the chief of staff indicated by the company. The manager received a response that the manager would comment on: he asked for some time to prepare a response. But in the end, the journalist’s email. A letter arrived in the mail saying “there will be no comment at the manager’s discretion.”

Therefore, it was not possible to find out from the builders’ representatives whether the builders who worked on the site, at their discretion, chose not to pay attention to the possible cultural heritage values ​​discovered and why this was not reported to heritage conservation. .

Saulius Rimas, Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Municipality of Kaunas 15 minutes confirmed that only residents learned of potentially valuable remains excavated from the buildings.

“We immediately informed the Kaunas Territorial Division of the Department of Cultural Heritage (CRD) in this regard, in accordance with the provisions of the Real Estate Cultural Heritage Protection Act. An employee from the Department of Cultural Heritage also visited the site together with a representative of the CRD and archaeologists. It was visually established that the population information was confirmed. The CRD continued to act ”, assured S. Rimas.

This is likely the location of the Kaunas suburban mansion

Queries 15 minutes also sent to the State Land Planning and Construction Inspectorate (Construction Inspectorate), Kaunas City Municipality and the Department of Cultural Heritage (CRD). A response was received from the latter authority on March 30 confirming the possible significance of the findings and the fact that the builder was obliged to report but did not report.

“We received a notification on March 29 that fragments of ancient masonry had been unearthed on Žemalės street in Kaunas. We immediately went to the site and discovered that the remains of the brick vaulted cellars had been excavated during the works.

When evaluating the structure of the masonry and dating the archaeological finds found nearby: a fragment of a tile, fragments of a pot, a comb for drinking a glass of drink, a tile, fragments of tiles, we assume that this may be the 17th . century. Basements on the other side of the building. It is very likely that in this place there was one of the Kaunas estates “, 15 minutes Andrius Liakas, Chief Specialist of the Kaunas Section of the Department of Cultural Heritage reported.

Heritage conservationists, he said, contacted the director of a construction company at the site and demanded that no earthworks take place near the excavated basement fragments for 15 days. During this time, the site will be visited by archaeologists from the Center for Cultural Heritage, whose findings will lead to a decision on the inclusion of the newly discovered archaeological site in the Register of Cultural Heritage.

I had to report, but it probably won’t

A.Liakas confirmed that if valuable properties of archaeological value or real estate are discovered during construction or other works, the administrators or persons who carry out the works must notify the municipal heritage protection department.

“If you find finds that are similar to archaeological masonry or unearthed ancient red brick, we always encourage you to contact your municipal cultural heritage department or the cultural heritage department directly. Even from uploaded photos, preliminary conclusions about the value of the find can be drawn in a matter of minutes.

In this case, the excavators did not report the basement fragments detected. It is likely that they did not realize that the masonry fragments are so old and did not realize the archaeological finds in the lands. Žemalės street is not on the territory of a cultural heritage object or area, and there was no knowledge about the archaeological cultural heritage object in this place, ”said the representative of the CRD.

As no further excavation work is planned near the excavated basement fragments, heritage conservationists have only stopped excavation of the basement.

The excavation works did not report any basement fragments found.

“It is not possible to determine if part of the masonry was demolished during the excavation work and if there were archaeological finds in the removed land.

So far, there is no reason to believe that the builder has violated the Royal Cultural Heritage Protection Law. If it turns out that the violation was committed, the Kaunas section of the CRD will initiate the administrative justice procedure, ”said A. Liakas.

If this object is included, and, according to A. Liak, if it occurs, in the Register of Cultural Heritage, excavation work on its territory will only be possible after a prior archaeological investigation.

“Since no excavation work is currently planned in the uncovered basement, the temporary protective measures applied should not cause major inconvenience to the builder. Basements will likely be suitable for reburial after measurements and photo fixation. Its conservation and application is difficult not only because of its state but also because the wineries were found on the border of two plots ”, explained the interlocutor.