Where is kaunas city

The unique atmosphere of Kaunas can be explored, which is distinguished by the heritage of the painter and composer M. Kaunas is not only a city of old traditions, but also a large centre of business and industry. It can also lay claim to be a city of young people with over 35, students the largest number in Lithuania studying at one of the seven universities here.

Much of them was built after completely obliterating the previous suburbs that used to stand in their locations. She is considered a martyr by the Catholic church as she died for her moral beliefs. It consists of single-family homes rather than multistorey housing projects.

After independence these boroughs received new churches and retail buildings. All the major shopping malls save for "Akropolis" are located there. While an interesting free sight if you need shopping, it is not on par with foreign oceanariums. Another type of Soviet districts are the Industrial zones , located in eastern and western Kaunas.

Expecting World War 3, factories had extensive nuclear shelters built underneath. Global evolution of gas masks as seen in the Atomic Bunker museum. It has little to offer but is famous for its Cepelinai, the traditional Lithuanian meal is provided here far bigger than usual. People leave the city for private homes there: large self-designed mansions in the s and more modest yet elaborate today. Many of the new residential suburbs replace old "collective gardens", a uniquely Soviet program of allocating urban dwellers some suburban land to farm and spend summers at.

Vytautas Andziulis built it slowly and secretly under his garden greenhouse and managed to operate undetected from until independence, printing books with his Spartan machinery assembled underground using the parts government discharged.

The place now operates as a museum that unites well-hidden original "printing dungeon", pre-PC era printing machinery, Andziulis's symbolic art and the heroic-yet-tragic stories of Lithuanians who defied the occupational censorships they endured Russian Imperial, Nazi German and Soviet. Pre-arranging the visit at the War Museum may be necessary. A narrow ladder leads to the subterranean corridor and printing room. The entrance may be covered by a pool right by turning a crank left ; bells helped to keep contact.

Raudondvaris suburb west of Kaunas is famous for its "castle", actually a 17thth-century manor that has been built to look like one. No longer used for religion since a new church has been built uphill it is now an atmospheric venue for sporadic summer concerts hailed for great acoustics. Thanks to its location on the confluence of two major rivers Kaunas was important for trade since its establishment in the Medieval era.

By this time most of the trade went by rivers as there were no roads in Lithuania and everything was surrounded by lush forests. Unfortunately, rivers were also used by enemy forces and the main enemy of Lithuania in those days were the Teutonic Order.

Kaunas Castle was built in the 14th century to deter them from this strategic location. Kaunas of the s had German merchants of the Hanseatic League among its inhabitants. In this era, the first churches were built. After Lithuania's Christianisation, they were soon joined by more magnificent Gothic religious buildings in the early s as the city expanded still centered around the City Hall square.

Despite its mercantile importance, Kaunas was not a capital of any voivodship at the time. It was part of Trakai voivodship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and had a peak population of 10 Kaunas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania historical era.

At the time, just the area between Nemunas and Neris rivers was built up. The first time Kaunas came to political prominence was only after the demise of the Grand Duchy. In , the Russian Empire which has captured Kaunas in chose it as the capital of newly formed Kaunas Governorate that included approximately half of today's Lithuania. Moreover, Kaunas was made the seat of a Catholic diocese.

Political and religious importance was followed by military one as the Imperial government chosen the city as a site for a new class I fortress. With Nemunas then forming Russia's western boundary this was where the doomed invasion began. The city was transformed by massive construction.

Nine forts sprung up around the city in years - , with redoubts, batteries to support them and the Central Fortification as the inner ring of defense. To the east of the Old Town , the New Town was built with all the administration and housing for officers as well as the impressive Sobor and what is now known as the Freedom Avenue.

Many of them continue to lay there in cemeteries. In the fortress years, the entire city of Kaunas was surrounded by such barbed wire fence. The fortress was never completed with a new fort erected every few years. After the first outer circle of defense was completed seven forts by the government ordered the construction of a new one further from the city center.

However, the advent of modern warfare changed everything and when the war against Germany finally started the fortress was built mainly having such conflict in mind in the mighty Kaunas fortress fell after a siege that lasted only a couple of weeks No new fortresses of this size have been constructed in the world ever since.

In Lithuania became independent, but with the Polish occupation of Vilnius city Kaunas was declared "Provisional capital" and therefore the seat of government, parliament, and president. This was the golden age of Kaunas. Almost entire high society of Lithuania resided in Kaunas - the country's top politicians and army officers, artists and sportsmen, local and foreign diplomats.

It was a place of Lithuania's only international airport with flights to Koenigsberg, Riga, Smolensk and beyond; the home to Lithuania's sole opera theater, publishing houses, political intrigues and so on. Faculty of Physics and Chemistry of the Vytautas Magnus university, constructed in Sadly, this building was destroyed in World War 2. After the Soviet occupation of Kaunas and again after , the city's high society and the middle class faced heavy repressions.

Tens of thousands were killed or exiled to Siberia, many to their deaths, others were murdered outright. By the city population went down to 80 Despite heavy losses, Kaunas remained a center of Lithuanian culture it became between the World Wars. This was very important because in the Soviet Union Lithuanians had to learn the Russian language while Russians were not taught Lithuanian at schools thus making Russian the lingua franca for interethnic communication.

By this time, all the Lithuanian monuments in the Unity square, including the Freedom Statue, were destroyed by the Soviets. In some s, Kaunas was often regarded by Lithuanians to be more of a city than Vilnius as in Kaunas the lifestyle was urban, whereas, in Vilnius, not a true capital of the independent state for centuries, a more rural lifestyle prevailed with some of its residents herding chickens and pigs.

Other Lithuanians regarded people of Kaunas to be good entrepreneurs, something that was illegal in the Soviet Union. In the s it was in Kaunas where student Romas Kalanta self-immolated in protest against the Soviet rule triggering further student demonstrations. A protest in Kaunas after the self-immolation of Romas Kalanta.

Similar protests took place in the Lithuanian communities abroad. Continuing urbanization increased its population to in and in In Lithuania was re-established with the capital in Vilnius.

The importance of Kaunas somewhat declined since and its population numbers were hit hard, decreasing from in to a mere in A large share of the Kaunas elite moved to Vilnius and many emigrated abroad. Never-completed and abandoned Soviet hotels, that were an eyesore of s and s Kaunas. The economic growth warranted their demolition and replacement by modern buildings only in the s.

After Lithuania joined the European Union Ryanair started flying to Kaunas and brought in more tourists. In the 17 seat Kaunas Arena was opened and it was the place of the final matches of the European Basketball Championship. Being the major city closest to the center of Lithuania, Kaunas is easily accessible by car and bus. Both the Kaunas train station and Kaunas bus station are located in the New Town next to each other.

Double decker Vilnius-bound train at Kaunas station. These are the top passenger service in the otherwise rather outdated Lithuanian railroads, and the only one which is faster than buses. Kaunas International Airport is the 4th largest in the Baltic States after the three capital airports.

It became the Eastern Europe's first Ryanair hub in the year Ryanair dominates its passenger flights offering high-frequency flights to the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as scarcer routes to places like Germany or certain Southern European resorts. Unlike its Vilnius counterpart, the Kaunas airport is outside the city limits although it is still frequented both by city buses and more expensive private vans.

The suburb is best known for its extra-large cepelinai national meal eagerly gouged by emigrants returning for holidays. These are served at multiple restaurants; authentic cepelinai are smaller, however. Kaunas public transport consists of buses, trolleybuses, and micro-buses private vans.

You can find the bus timetables on the website: www. The place where 30, European Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their Lithuanian accomplices between and The Ninth Forth is a vital part of any trip to Kaunas.

On October 29, alone, a staggering 9, Jewish men, women and children were brought here from the Kovno Ghetto and shot. A vast memorial unveiled in marks the place where they were buried.

The main Vilnius Street is the most important street in Old Town Kaunas and many restaurants are located in its old authentic buildings. Smaller and less busy streets parallel to Vilnius Street are also great places to walk around and explore the Old Town of Kaunas which suffered less of the post-war Soviet destruction than its counterpart in Vilnius and is, therefore, more intact. The Devil Museum , included in the list of the world's most unique museums, houses about 3, horned exhibits from all over the world.

It is an opportunity to take a closer look at the mysterious mythical creature and various forms of its representation in no less than 70 countries around the world. The monastery, a 17th-century baroque gem, was built by the wealthy, influential and religious Pacas family.

Although the monastery was devastated several times during various wars, the works of art by Italian artists have survived the test of time. Located at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, the Kaunas castle was built in the 14th century to defend against enemies. It is not only one of the first stone castles in Lithuania but it is also the only one with two rows of defensive walls. Kaunas is worth seeing at any time of year. The rainiest months are October, July and August.

We recommend visiting Kaunas in the months of June, July, and August when the most beautiful colors of the city unfold. Uoksas was listed as one of the top 30 restaurants in the Baltics in and is sure to delight you with its creative cuisine.

The menu offers some incredible flavor combinations with dishes such as steamed buns with pork belly, fermented beetroot and honey, lamb shank and grilled mackerel with bulgur, black pudding and pears.

This newly-opened restaurant has quickly become a favorite in Kaunas. Lithuanians are long-lived people, so, if you have an opportunity to talk to people of older generation, you will bring back to your country many interesting stories and experiences. If you are tired of civilization, you will have an excellent opportunity for retreat from its pressures.

You only need to go away from the big cities and travel where your heart and mind can rest — to seemingly endless forests, lakes, scattered all over Lithuania, rivers that criss-cross the country or the unforgettably beautiful Curonian Spit bathed by the Baltic Sea.

There are numerous museums that have accumulated huge collections, national and private art galleries, the never-ending buzz of theatre and music halls, fascinating nightlife, a variety of entertainment options and sports events. Not to mention the national dishes and drinks, which must be tasted, if you like to come home with new experiences. Feel the surrounding green nature: meadows and hills are everywhere. Hear how the land is praised by singing birds. Five national parks are waiting for you.

Travel through refreshing forests, see cultural monuments: castles, mounds, churches, crosses. Hear the soughing of the sea, feel the grains of sand on your fingers as they disappear from your palm. Get a traditional amber necklace and bring a piece of Lithuania back home. Did you know that the name Lithuania is a thousand years old? Discover Lithuanian history and art.

Theatres, exhibitions, concerts, festivals — all for your entertainment. Taste Lithuania, literally.