Kaunas, is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation it was the capital of Kovno Governorate from 1843 to 1915. It became the only temporary capital city in Europe during the Interwar period. Now it is the capital of Kaunas County, the seat of the Kaunas city municipality and the Kaunas district municipality. It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. Kaunas is located at the confluence of the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, and near the Kaunas Reservoir, the largest body of water entirely in Lithuania.
Soviet Re-occupation
Beginning in 1944, the Red Army began offensives that eventually took back all three of the Baltic states. Kaunas again became the major center of resistance against the Soviet regime. From the very start of the Lithuanian partisans war, the most important partisan districts were based around Kaunas. Although guerrilla warfare ended at the time of 1953, Lithuanian opposition to Soviet rule did not. In 1956 people in the Kaunas region supported the uprising in Hungary by rioting. On All Souls' Day in 1956, the first public anti-Soviet protest rally took place in Kaunas: citizens burned candles in the Kaunas military cemetery and sang national songs, resulting in clashes with the Militsiya.
On 14 May 1972, a 19 years old Romas Kalanta, having exclaimed "Freedom for Lithuania!", immolated himself in the garden of the Musical Theatre, after making a speech denouncing the Soviet suppression of national and religious rights. The event broke into a politically-charged riot, which was forcibly dispersed by the KGB and Militsiya. It led to new forms of resistance: passive resistance all around Lithuania. The continuous oppression of the Catholic Church and its resistance caused the appearance of The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. In strict conspiracy catholic priest Sigitas Tamkevičius (now the Archbishop Metropolitan of Kaunas) implemented this idea and its first issue was published in the Alytus district on 19 March 1972. The Kronika started a new phase of resistance in the life of Lithuania's Catholic Church and of all Lithuania fighting against the occupation by making known to the world the violation of the human rights and freedoms in Lithuania for almost two decades.[21] On 1 November 1987, a non-sanctioned rally took place near the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica, where people gathered to mark famous Lithuanian poet Maironis' 125th birthday anniversary. On 10 June 1988, the initiating group of the Kaunas movement of Sąjūdis was formed. On 9 October 1988, the Flag of Lithuania was raised above the tower of the Military Museum. Kaunas, along with Vilnius, became the scene of nearly constant demonstrations as the Lithuanians, embarked on a process of self-discovery. The bodies of Lithuanians who died in Siberian exile were brought back to their homeland for reburial, and the anniversaries of deportations as well as the important dates in Lithuanian history began to be noted with speeches and demonstrations. On 16 February 1989 Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius, for the first time, called for the independence of Lithuania in his sermon at the Kaunas Cathedral. After the services, 200,000 persons gathered in the center of Kaunas to participate in the dedication of a new monument to freedom to replace the monument that had been torn down by the Soviet authorities after the World War II.
Cityscape
Points of interest
Central Kaunas is defined by two pedestrian streets: the 2-km-long Laisvės alėja (Liberty Avenue), a central street of the city, lined by linden trees, and its continuation, Vilnius Street, leading to the oldest part - Old Town of Kaunas. Some of the most prominent features in Kaunas include:
the Kaunas Castle, a 14th century fortification;
the Vytautas' Church, one of the oldest churches in Lithuania and the oldest in Kaunas;
the St. Gertrude Church in Kaunas;
the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica, the largest Gothic building in Lithuania, with a late Baroque interior;
the St. George's Church, which was rumoured to have been turned into a dance studio during the Soviet Occupation;
the Pažaislis abbey, an impressive complex in Baroque style;
the St. Francis Xavier Church;
the massive Neo-Byzantine church of St. Michael the Archangel;
the Christ’s Resurrection Church with an unfolding panoramic view of the city;
Kaunas Zoo, the only state-operated zoo in Lithuania;
Kaunas Fortress, one of the largest defensive structures in Europe, occupying 65 km2 (25 sq mi), a 19-20th century military fortress, which includes a Holocaust site of the Ninth Fort;
Kaunas Botanical Garden;
Napoleon's Hill;
Kaunas Synagogue;
House of Perkūnas;
Kaunas Town Hall and the square;
Interbellum functionalism architecture complexes;
Two funiculars - Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway and the Aleksotas Funicular Railway;
Kaunas Mosque;
Ąžuolynas Park and the valley of Girstupis River named after Adam Mickiewicz;
the Memorial Petrašiūnai Cemetery;
the Lithuanian open-air Ethnographic Museum displaying the heritage of Lithuanian rural life in a vast collection of authentic resurrected buildings is situated east of Kaunas on the bank of Kaunas Reservoir in a town of Rumšiškės;
Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital;
The Marine aquarium in the Mega Shopping mall.
Museums
Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas
Kaunas is often called a city of museums, because of the abundance and variety of them. The museums in Kaunas include:
the War Museum of Vytautas the Great;
the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, commemorating the work of the early 20th century avant-garde artist M. K. Čiurlionis who sought to combine painting and music into a single artistic medium;
the Žmuidzinavičius Museum (best known as the Devils' Museum), which houses a collection of more than two thousand sculptures and carvings of devils from all over the world, most of them of folk provenance. Of particular interest are the Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin devils, together doing the dance of death over a playground littered with human bones;
Vytautas the Great War Museum
Lithuanian Aviation Museum;
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy;
Historical Presidential Palace, displaying exhibits from the interwar period
Kaunas Museum for the Blind;
Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments;
Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum;
Sugihara house-museum;
Communication History Museum;
The so-called ab underground printing house was a part of the nonviolent resistance press during the Soviet times. Now it is the branch of Kaunas War Museum, located 8 km north of Kaunas in a small Saliu village, near the town of Domeikava. Although the AB printing house worked regularly, it was never detected by KGB. It was included into the Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage Sites of Lithuania in 1999.
The apartments of some famous Kaunas natives, including Paulius Galaunė, Adam Mickiewicz, Juozas Grušas, Balys Sruoga, Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Salomėja Nėris, Juozas Zikaras, Vincentas Sladkevičius have been turned into public museums.
Theatres
Kaunas is notable for the diverse culture life. Kaunas Symphony Orchestra is the main venue for classical music concerts. There is an old circus tradition in Kaunas. There was established static circus in the Vytautas park of Kaunas in the beginning of 19th century. The only professional circus organization in Lithuania - Baltic Circus was founded in Kaunas in 1995. Kaunas theatres has played an important role in Lithuanian society. There are at least 7 professional theatres, lots of amateur theatres, ensembles, abundant groups of art and sports. Some of the best examples of culture life in Kaunas are theatres of various styles:
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas Pantomime Theatre
Kaunas Chamber Theatre
Kaunas Dance Theatre Aura
Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
All about Kaunas:
Soviet Re-occupation
Beginning in 1944, the Red Army began offensives that eventually took back all three of the Baltic states. Kaunas again became the major center of resistance against the Soviet regime. From the very start of the Lithuanian partisans war, the most important partisan districts were based around Kaunas. Although guerrilla warfare ended at the time of 1953, Lithuanian opposition to Soviet rule did not. In 1956 people in the Kaunas region supported the uprising in Hungary by rioting. On All Souls' Day in 1956, the first public anti-Soviet protest rally took place in Kaunas: citizens burned candles in the Kaunas military cemetery and sang national songs, resulting in clashes with the Militsiya.
On 14 May 1972, a 19 years old Romas Kalanta, having exclaimed "Freedom for Lithuania!", immolated himself in the garden of the Musical Theatre, after making a speech denouncing the Soviet suppression of national and religious rights. The event broke into a politically-charged riot, which was forcibly dispersed by the KGB and Militsiya. It led to new forms of resistance: passive resistance all around Lithuania. The continuous oppression of the Catholic Church and its resistance caused the appearance of The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. In strict conspiracy catholic priest Sigitas Tamkevičius (now the Archbishop Metropolitan of Kaunas) implemented this idea and its first issue was published in the Alytus district on 19 March 1972. The Kronika started a new phase of resistance in the life of Lithuania's Catholic Church and of all Lithuania fighting against the occupation by making known to the world the violation of the human rights and freedoms in Lithuania for almost two decades.[21] On 1 November 1987, a non-sanctioned rally took place near the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica, where people gathered to mark famous Lithuanian poet Maironis' 125th birthday anniversary. On 10 June 1988, the initiating group of the Kaunas movement of Sąjūdis was formed. On 9 October 1988, the Flag of Lithuania was raised above the tower of the Military Museum. Kaunas, along with Vilnius, became the scene of nearly constant demonstrations as the Lithuanians, embarked on a process of self-discovery. The bodies of Lithuanians who died in Siberian exile were brought back to their homeland for reburial, and the anniversaries of deportations as well as the important dates in Lithuanian history began to be noted with speeches and demonstrations. On 16 February 1989 Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius, for the first time, called for the independence of Lithuania in his sermon at the Kaunas Cathedral. After the services, 200,000 persons gathered in the center of Kaunas to participate in the dedication of a new monument to freedom to replace the monument that had been torn down by the Soviet authorities after the World War II.
Cityscape
Points of interest
Central Kaunas is defined by two pedestrian streets: the 2-km-long Laisvės alėja (Liberty Avenue), a central street of the city, lined by linden trees, and its continuation, Vilnius Street, leading to the oldest part - Old Town of Kaunas. Some of the most prominent features in Kaunas include:
the Kaunas Castle, a 14th century fortification;
the Vytautas' Church, one of the oldest churches in Lithuania and the oldest in Kaunas;
the St. Gertrude Church in Kaunas;
the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica, the largest Gothic building in Lithuania, with a late Baroque interior;
the St. George's Church, which was rumoured to have been turned into a dance studio during the Soviet Occupation;
the Pažaislis abbey, an impressive complex in Baroque style;
the St. Francis Xavier Church;
the massive Neo-Byzantine church of St. Michael the Archangel;
the Christ’s Resurrection Church with an unfolding panoramic view of the city;
Kaunas Zoo, the only state-operated zoo in Lithuania;
Kaunas Fortress, one of the largest defensive structures in Europe, occupying 65 km2 (25 sq mi), a 19-20th century military fortress, which includes a Holocaust site of the Ninth Fort;
Kaunas Botanical Garden;
Napoleon's Hill;
Kaunas Synagogue;
House of Perkūnas;
Kaunas Town Hall and the square;
Interbellum functionalism architecture complexes;
Two funiculars - Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway and the Aleksotas Funicular Railway;
Kaunas Mosque;
Ąžuolynas Park and the valley of Girstupis River named after Adam Mickiewicz;
the Memorial Petrašiūnai Cemetery;
the Lithuanian open-air Ethnographic Museum displaying the heritage of Lithuanian rural life in a vast collection of authentic resurrected buildings is situated east of Kaunas on the bank of Kaunas Reservoir in a town of Rumšiškės;
Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital;
The Marine aquarium in the Mega Shopping mall.
Museums
Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas
Kaunas is often called a city of museums, because of the abundance and variety of them. The museums in Kaunas include:
the War Museum of Vytautas the Great;
the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, commemorating the work of the early 20th century avant-garde artist M. K. Čiurlionis who sought to combine painting and music into a single artistic medium;
the Žmuidzinavičius Museum (best known as the Devils' Museum), which houses a collection of more than two thousand sculptures and carvings of devils from all over the world, most of them of folk provenance. Of particular interest are the Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin devils, together doing the dance of death over a playground littered with human bones;
Vytautas the Great War Museum
Lithuanian Aviation Museum;
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy;
Historical Presidential Palace, displaying exhibits from the interwar period
Kaunas Museum for the Blind;
Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments;
Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum;
Sugihara house-museum;
Communication History Museum;
The so-called ab underground printing house was a part of the nonviolent resistance press during the Soviet times. Now it is the branch of Kaunas War Museum, located 8 km north of Kaunas in a small Saliu village, near the town of Domeikava. Although the AB printing house worked regularly, it was never detected by KGB. It was included into the Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage Sites of Lithuania in 1999.
The apartments of some famous Kaunas natives, including Paulius Galaunė, Adam Mickiewicz, Juozas Grušas, Balys Sruoga, Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Salomėja Nėris, Juozas Zikaras, Vincentas Sladkevičius have been turned into public museums.
Theatres
Kaunas is notable for the diverse culture life. Kaunas Symphony Orchestra is the main venue for classical music concerts. There is an old circus tradition in Kaunas. There was established static circus in the Vytautas park of Kaunas in the beginning of 19th century. The only professional circus organization in Lithuania - Baltic Circus was founded in Kaunas in 1995. Kaunas theatres has played an important role in Lithuanian society. There are at least 7 professional theatres, lots of amateur theatres, ensembles, abundant groups of art and sports. Some of the best examples of culture life in Kaunas are theatres of various styles:
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas Pantomime Theatre
Kaunas Chamber Theatre
Kaunas Dance Theatre Aura
Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
All about Kaunas:
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