Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine

About

Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine is a building with a unique function as a medical training institution. Until 1864, the eclectic Neoclassical-style building housed the military wing of St. James’ Hospital, later the Junker School, and by 1919, the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine had moved in.

In 1934, the anatomy building, a rationalist-style structure, was completed, with the anatomy department housed within. Not only workers and students but also the university professor himself worked on its construction.

The anatomy building was constructed out of necessity to improve the learning conditions for medical students. The very function of the building had to be exceptional, for this reason, the architects had a precisely formulated task with specific requirements.

The building implemented innovations of its time: central heating and artificial ventilation. There was an electric elevator and a crematorium. Part of the anatomy building has a central core with a unique semicircular auditorium with amphitheater-style seating, and below it, there were supposed to be rooms for a museum.

The building remains unique to this day in its functional purpose and its rooms – the large auditorium, the prosectorium, reflecting the needs, technologies, and innovations of the early 20th century in the context of today.