Red Bricks in Šilutė: An Exhibition That Speaks About the Silenced History of the Klaipėda Region

On February 4 at 5:30 PM, the opening of the photography exhibition “Red Bricks of the Klaipėda Region” (Raudonos Klaipėdos krašto plytos) will take place at the Šilutė Hugo Scheu Museum (Šilutės Hugo Šojaus muziejus), Lietuvininkų St. 4, Šilutė (Lietuvininkų g. 4, Šilutė). Professor Vasilijus Safronovas of Klaipėda University will attend the event; his insights into the history and memory of the Klaipėda Region consistently attract great attention. The initiator of the exhibition, Edita Valinčienė, a native of Šilutė and head of the public institution “Raudonos plytos”, will also participate. The event will include a presentation of the exhibition and a short lecture with discussion.
Professor Vasilijus Safronovas of Klaipėda University will attend the event; his insights into the history and memory of the Klaipėda Region consistently attract great attention. The initiator of the exhibition, Edita Valinčienė, a native of Šilutė and head of the public institution “Raudonos plytos”, will also participate. The event will include a presentation of the exhibition and a short lecture with discussion.
“Red bricks are a symbol for us. Through them we tell stories not only about buildings but also about the culture of the Klaipėda Region, the reasons for its distinctiveness, historical turning points, and people’s destinies—especially after 1945, when the cultural continuity in the region was essentially disrupted,” says Edita Valinčienė (Vaškaitytė), originally from Šilutė.
The photographs capture public red-brick buildings of the Klaipėda Region—schools, Lutheran churches, railway stations, post offices—which today are often disappearing, yet remain important witnesses to what was lost and what can still be understood. “Buildings often outlast people; therefore, through them we can tell stories that we do not always find in books,” notes the initiator of the exhibition. Many of the photographs feature red-brick buildings located in the Šilutė district.
Historian Prof. Vasilijus Safronovas, who will speak at the opening event, will help visitors view the architecture of the Klaipėda Region as a mirror of the region’s historical experience: “Fired clay brick is generally a witness to a thousand-year-old construction tradition that began in ancient civilizations. In the Klaipėda Region, it connects us with the era when this region, during the Second Industrial Revolution, became part of a state that before the First World War turned into the world’s second-largest force in terms of production. Red-brick buildings also testify to what happened and continues to happen in the region after 1945—rejection, neglect, and a lack of understanding of value on the one hand, and appreciation, interest (sometimes superficial, yet still), and attachment on the other.”
E. Valinčienė emphasizes that today, as historic buildings continue to be lost and the region’s identity is often simplified, speaking about heritage becomes a matter of responsibility.
“If we still do not understand what red-brick buildings mean in the Klaipėda Region and what stories they carry, we risk losing not only the architecture but also the ability to fully understand the Klaipėda Region,” says E. Valinčienė.
The exhibition is initiated by the non-governmental organization public institution “Raudonos plytos”, which operates on a voluntary basis and educates the public about the culture of the Klaipėda Region, strengthening historical and cultural awareness, regional identity, and responsibility for the preservation of cultural heritage.
The photography exhibition “Red Bricks of the Klaipėda Region” (Raudonos Klaipėdos krašto plytos) at the Šilutė Hugo Scheu Museum (Šilutės Hugo Šojaus muziejus), Lietuvininkų St. 4, Šilutė (Lietuvininkų g. 4, Šilutė), will run until February 27. The opening event will take place on February 4 (Wednesday) at 5:30 PM.