INCH BY INCH

What connects the interwar capital of Lithuania with today’s European Capital of Culture? We invite you to seek the answer not by reading a history textbook or browsing the internet, but by embarking on a live, immersive journey through Žaliakalnis.

This performance-tour is not an ordinary guided walk. It is a performative event where history comes alive through dance, theatre, and music, and the audience becomes an active
participant. Each step is like a stair on the ladder of time, leading from interwar Kaunas to the present day.

The journey begins at the legendary Kaukas Stairs – one of the most prominent symbols of
interwar Kaunas. According to architectural historian J. Kančienė, they were once considered the most beautiful stairs in Lithuania. Legend has it that Kaukas – a small but mysterious figure from Lithuanian mythology – reigns here. Perhaps you will encounter him too?

Voices heard through headphones, authentic stories voiced by actors, and music specially
created for this project merge with the live action around you. The memories of Žaliakalnis
residents, documentary narratives, and contemporary artistic interpretation create a unique
experience in which the city’s past and present coexist simultaneously.

This is a collaborative work by the ULNA dance company and the project Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022 – an artistic cross-section of Kaunas’ “cell,” Žaliakalnis. Here, professional and emerging artists, community members, and the city’s history come together.

In this project, the audience does more than observe – it listens, moves, pauses, and
experiences. The city becomes a stage, and you become part of it. It is also a remarkable
example of community-based creation: the project was developed together with the people of the city, combining the experience of professional creators with local engagement. Around 100 people took part in the creative process, so every experience here breathes with the authentic voice of the community.