The Juodkrantė ensemble of villas was complemented by “Flora” in 1868 by the initiative of the local entrepreneur Moris Becker. It remains one of the largest and most impressive old buildings of the resort to this day. We may observe tendencies of the early “Switzerland style” in the building’s architecture. The two three-storey corps are interconnected with each other by a lower part. Above the porch we may observe a balcony-gallery, usually seen in the larger examples of the style. The prominent protruding gabble roofs of the lateral parts (we may compare with the “Romeo” and “Juliet” villas in Palanga) are especially typical. The whole building is decorated abundantly: the profiled design of the cornice of the first floor and the cut through décor visible in the garret, porch and the gallery is particularly exceptional. The solution of slightly tapered windows arranged in triplicate and framed by profiled architrave give the building its expressiveness. Looking up closer we see a charming accent – the cornice separating the porch and the balcony is decorated with a row of lion heads of small relief. The decorated cornices continue to the lateral façades, where two rows of windows are placed vertically, replicating the windows seen on the main “face” of the building with their shape and architraves. The western façade is almost identical to the front one, just that the porch and gallery are replaced by enclosed parts. Here we can see less elements giving less representativeness – no lion heads, no expressive steps with a terrace. Going back to the side of the building facing towards the lagoon we can remember a little bit of history: one of the most important outdoor cafés were operating at the terrace and the ensemble was complemented by a fountain installed just in front of the villa, which has not survived to this day. The thoroughly restored building is sometimes referred to as the Juodkrantė kurhaus.
Kurhaus in Juodkrantė - Kalno g. 7, Juodkrantė 93102, Lietuva
