The homestead of Juozas Čerkesas - Besparnis is surrounded by stories and legends and has a unique energy. Čerkesas was a patron, social worker, volunteer, self-taught creator, and active gardener. The concept of Pragiedruliai is based on the co-creation strategy and the personality of Čerkesas Besparnis.

The center is located in one of the oldest parks in Panevėžys - Skaistakalnis Park, surrounded by nature. The territory of the park was formed in pagan times, which is where the name of the park itself comes from. The word "skaistus" is associated with the word "holy" and denotes the sacred significance of the area.

After the First World War, Mr. Čerkesas returned from Russia with his family to Panevėžys, where he bought a 9-hectare plot of land and built a very modern house at the time. He planted many trees around and named his beloved homestead at the bend of the Žagienis stream - Pragiedruliai. During the interwar period, writers, lawyers, pedagogies, and other luminaries were happy to visit it. In the homestead, the paths of prominent people who created Lithuania crossed, ideas spread, art, creativity, and music flourished.

We offer daily activities like art, textile design, theater, audio-visual production, and alternative photography workshops. There’s also an exhibition space, community events, and an open forest garden for locals.

Creativity is deeply embedded in Panevėžys life. Our goal is to foster an environment where people can express themselves freely, embrace authenticity, and explore new ideas. We focus on innovation, personal growth, and entrepreneurship, while maintaining a strong connection to nature.

A decade ago, before infrastructure upgrades, Skaistakalnis Park received little community attention. However, following significant changes, it has become one of the most attractive spots in the city, says Gita Laurinavičiūtė, head of the creativity center "Pragiedruliai" in Panevėžys. "The park's natural environment not only inspires but also makes meaningful community work much more enjoyable and achievable."

For just over a year, the creativity center "Pragiedruliai" has been operating at the poet Juozas Čerkesas-Besparnis’s homestead, deep within Skaistakalnis Park, and officially opened its doors in May.

Urbanists restored and expanded the homestead spaces

The brick-built manor-style homestead, built in 1926, was a major gathering place for Panevėžys intelligentsia during the interwar period. During the Soviet era, the homestead was nationalized. Over time, the building’s residents and purpose changed, and it eventually fell into disrepair, with graffiti-covered walls, boarded windows, and park vegetation growing through the roofless structure.

The transformation began in 2017 when Panevėžys Municipality announced an architectural competition, won by the urbanist studio PUPA. They proposed a plan to restore the heritage site, expand it with a modern annex, and designate space for artist residencies and a contemporary creative industries center.

“The adaptation of the homestead for a cultural center consisted of two parts – the restoration of the old brick building, preserving the historic manor character, and the new annex, utilizing the terrain difference between the homestead and the Žagienis Stream,” explains Tadas Jonauskis, urbanist at PUPA.

According to him, the curved, glass-walled annex blends seamlessly with the trees and landscape of Skaistakalnis Park without overshadowing the historic homestead. Through its large windows, the park’s landscape merges with the building’s interior spaces.

“We designed the annex, which is nestled organically into the park and partially underground, to create more space in the cultural center. Architecturally, the annex complements the flowing stream and slope beautifully. In the historic brick building, the wall moldings and window frames were restored, now housing studios, while the modern annex accommodates workshop spaces,” Jonauskis describes.

Movement, costume restoration, and photography

According to Laurinavičiūtė, the idea behind "Pragiedruliai" was to offer the local community creative activities that hadn’t existed in Panevėžys before. The homestead’s activation is based on core principles encouraging community engagement, cultural entrepreneurship, historical and heritage significance, interdisciplinary interaction, adaptability for various studios and residencies, and sustainability and ecology.

The creativity center hosts five distinct art studios: visual arts, photography, applied theater, textile design, and audio-video. Each studio has a curator who opens their doors daily, introducing visitors to the unique aspects of their field.

The visual arts studio focuses on creativity and its cultivation, offering experiences in painting, graphic art, drawing, and introducing a variety of techniques. In the analog photography studio, the curator works and experiments with visitors in the photo lab.

“Panevėžys is known as a theater city, but we aim to adapt theater skills to develop useful everyday abilities. The studio offers movement and public speaking classes that, through basic theater skills, help to unlock creativity, teach self-presentation, and engage an audience. These sessions attract not only young people and students preparing for exams but also seniors who are unafraid to express themselves boldly,” says Laurinavičiūtė.

In "Pragiedruliai," there is a unique approach to textile application. Various activities take place in this studio, including traditional and modern batik, cyanotype (sun printing), clothing restoration, and discussions about personal style, sustainability, and harmony.

“If you answer ‘film’ to the question ‘Book or movie?’ then you already know what to expect in the audio-video studio. Here, you can not only be a camera operator, director, or producer but also learn teamwork, listening to others, and embracing different ideas,” Laurinavičiūtė explains.

The creativity center has a diverse audience – sessions are held for students, members of the University of the Third Age, and job seekers.

“It’s wonderful that with 'Pragiedruliai,' the park has come alive, often filled with people who enjoy an active lifestyle. Together with the community, we want to preserve what we have. We rejoice together, and we grow culturally and artistically,” says Laurinavičiūtė.

Photos by Aistė Rakauskaitė