Daily life in Kaunas during the German occupation (1941–1944): housing, food and entertainment

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the features of daily life of Kaunas residents during the Nazi occupation (1941–1944), i.e. housing, nourishment problems and entertainment organization. It discusses how the daily life of Kaunas residents was controlled and how the local community adapted to occupation conditions in respect to both material and organizational aspects. A lack of housing, which was related to the German colonization policy, and the absence of construction were the major problems at that time. The provision of housing was strictly controlled by the highest Nazi officials and the local government. Other problems, first, fuel provision, which was seriously deficient during the war, were also solved in an organized way. When the front was approaching Lithuania in 1943 and the risk of air attacks increased, the regulations related to the rearrangement of housing into the hiding places prevailed. Kaunas residents felt a serious lack of food during the German occupation. Governmental institutions responsible for the provision of food operated in several directions: individual supply of fixed amount of food for local residents, and the establishment of canteens and garden colonies. Although the amount of food for Kaunas residents varied slightly in different periods, it was still insufficient to ensure vital needs of the residents. Despite the organizational activities of the local government, a lack of food remained a problem in Kaunas during the entire Nazi occupation period. Entertainment controlled by the government was also an integral part of the daily life of Kaunas residents. Different forms of control were applied on entertainment: ideological control (censorship or propaganda) and institutional control (activities of entertainment institutions). The organization of leisure activities focused on the combination of propaganda and entertaining aspects. [...]