Historians found the first mention of Kaunas in written sources in 1361. The city was then called Kovno and played an important role in the economy of the Baltic region, being a member of the Hanseatic League from the middle of the 15th century. Kaunas was also famous for its large river port. During its existence, the city managed to visit the role of the provincial center and the capital of the Republic of Lithuania. In the list of Kaunas attractions you will find castles and churches, churches and monasteries, fortresses and a botanical garden. When planning the route of the excursion and deciding what to see in Kaunas, do not forget about the city museums. One of the most memorable expositions is offered by the Ethnographic Museum on the shores of the Kaunas reservoir.
TOP-10 sights of Kaunas
Kaunas castle
The construction of this defensive structure dates back to the XIII century, when the inhabitants of the city had to hold the defense against the Teutonic Knights advancing on the Duchy of Lithuania. The castle is mentioned in the chronicle of 1361, but a few months after its writing, the fortress still fell under the onslaught of German knights.
A century later, the destroyed castle was restored by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt. Then a bastion was added to the round tower of the citadel.
The fortress fell into decay in the 17th century. and today it is only partially restored. Of all the buildings, a round tower is open for tourists to visit, but you can freely walk around the territory.
Coven Fortress
The system of fortifications built in Kaunas in 1879-1915 was intended to repel enemy attacks on the western borders of the Russian Empire. It received the name Kovno Fortress, as the city was then called Kovno.
The idea of building a fortress became especially acute after the war of 1812, during which Napoleon's army crossed the Neman to Kovno without hindrance. Then a railway line from St. Petersburg to Warsaw passed through the city, and the decision on the need for a fortress was made.
The complex received all the structures and fortifications necessary for a first-class fortress. The first seven forts have a similar design, while the later ones were built according to the latest designs. In 1908, work was carried out to strengthen the very first buildings, the fortress expanded and strong points appeared at a distance of several kilometers from the old towers.
During the First World War, the Kovno Fortress surrendered to the Germans after ten days of defense. The reason was the blunders in personnel policy. During the Great Patriotic War, the Germans who occupied Lithuania used the fortress for mass executions of Jews.
Today, a museum is opened in the IX fort of the fortress, and the whole complex is a unique monument and example of fortification architecture at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.
Church and monastery of St. George
The most beautiful architectural monument in the Gothic style appeared in Kaunas at the beginning of the 16th century. It was built to replace the earlier temple, which the Bernardine monks built from pine logs in 1463. In 1471, the mayor of Grodno, Sandzivojevich, assigned a large plot of land to the order, and the monks began to build a major church. Officially, the work was completed in 1504. The monastery became the final link in the architectural ensemble in the historical center of Kaunas at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers.
Although the church was repeatedly destroyed in fires and wars, the inhabitants of Kaunas managed to preserve the integral appearance of the temple, rich in Gothic details. Lancet windows with arched motifs and multi-stage buttresses deserve special attention.
In the interior, one should carefully consider baroque wooden altars with massive pylons and elaborate carvings, an organ tribune and 17th century paintings.
Church of the Holy Trinity
In the years 1624-1634.and by order of the Minsk governor Alexander Massalsky, a church in honor of the Holy Trinity was built at the Bernardine monastery. After just a few years, the temple was badly damaged in a fire and was rebuilt only in 1668.
The church was built in full accordance with the requirements of the late Renaissance style, however, an attentive researcher can easily notice Gothic elements in its architectural appearance. But the lush interior of the church is more reminiscent of luxurious buildings in the Rococo style. All nine of its altars are lavishly decorated with wood carvings and sculptural compositions.
In 1899, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out in the church, and since then its appearance has remained unchanged. Today the Trinity Church is part of the complex of the Kaunas Catholic Seminary. Its building was erected in the first third of the 20th century. at the site of the Bernardine cemetery.
Archcathedral
Everyone who came to the city for the first time comes to see the main church in Kaunas. The Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is called the most beautiful temple in Lithuania, in which you can see features of several architectural trends - the Renaissance, the Neo-Gothic, and the Baroque.
The church was completed in 1624. Previously, there was a temple on this site, dating from the beginning of the 15th century. The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is the only Lithuanian Gothic church built as a basilica. Inside you will find nine altars, and the author of the main one is the sculptor Podhaisky. Visitors' special attention is also drawn to the sacristy of the church, the vaults of which are made of crystal.
In the crypt of the Church of Peter and Paul and in the mausoleums attached to the church, there are burial places of famous people in Lithuania: the bishop and writer M. Valančius, the prelate Machiulis-Maironis and the first cardinal of Lithuania V. Sladkevičius.
Kaunas garrison church
Another very impressive temple was built in Kaunas at the very end of the 19th century. It was intended for the needs of parishioners serving in the Kaunas garrison and former Orthodox.
The building project was developed by military engineer Konstantin Limarenko. Under his leadership, construction work went on, and the temple was made in the neo-Byzantine style. The project was prepared and implemented very thoroughly:
- The foundation of the temple was laid to a depth of more than 4 m.
- The walls are almost one and a half meters thick.
- The bell tower is reinforced with reinforced concrete structures, and the diameter of the dome is 16 m.
The cathedral was consecrated in 1895 in honor of Saints Peter and Paul and given it the status of a cathedral. During the First World War, the Germans who occupied the city converted the temple into a Lutheran church. In 1919 the temple was transferred to the Kaunas military garrison and received the name of St. Michael the Archangel.
The cathedral is also famous for the fact that the 30s. XX century it hosted concerts of organ music and even performed well-known opera soloists.
In 1962, the church served the needs of the Art Museum, and a collection of stained-glass windows and sculptures was exhibited there.
Kaunas Town Hall
In the heart of the Old Town, on the main square, you will see the Town Hall building, which has been decorating Kaunas since the 16th century. Its construction began in 1542, and initially the Town Hall was a one-story building. Then the second floor was added to the main building and a tower was added. A prison was organized in the basement, but all the other premises of the Town Hall were used for much more pleasant reasons. They traded in it, kept archival documents, issued decrees, stored goods and registered various acts of civil status.
Over the years, Kaunas Town Hall housed a fire department and a municipality, an ammunition depot and an archive, a technical institute and even a ceramics museum.
Today this elegant white Baroque building with classicist features is called the "White Swan". In the Town Hall, solemn wedding ceremonies, meetings of official delegations are held and important agreements are signed.
House of Perkunas
In the old part of the city, you will see many unique and memorable buildings, but the House of Perkunas is a landmark that no one can pass by indifferently.
The building was built by Hanseatic merchants in the 15th century. and served as their office for almost a hundred years. Then in 1643 the Jesuits who bought the house opened a chapel in it and used the House of Perkunas as a prayer house. In the 19th century, the building was restored, partially rebuilt and a school was opened in it, and then a theater, where Adam Mickiewicz loved to attend performances. Actually, then the mansion receives the name House of Perkunas, the reason for which is the image of the pagan god of the same name found on one of the walls during the renovation, who was responsible for thunder and heaven among the Baltic peoples.
Today the museum of the poet Mitskevich is opened in the building, and the mansion is included in the Register of the country's cultural heritage.
Kaunas Botanical Garden
In the southern part of the city, on the territory of the old Upper Freda estate, you will find the Botanical Garden, founded in the 1920s and now owned by the University of Vitovt the Great.
The collection of the Kaunas Botanical Garden contains a huge number of plants belonging to 8800 groups. Here are the largest greenhouses in the country with rare and tropical representatives of the flora, among which there are many exotic. A century-old park with ponds where swans and ducks swim and bridges connecting the shores of reservoirs are carefully preserved in the garden.
In spring, on the territory of the Kaunas Botanical Garden, you can look at a collection of flowering tulips, numbering several hundred varieties.
Čiurlionis Museum
The name of the founder of professional Lithuanian music, composer and artist Mikolajus Čiurlionis bears the Kaunas National Art Museum. It is the oldest in the country: the first visitors crossed the threshold of the exposition in 1921. Now the collection is housed in a dozen branches and divisions, but the main building is located in Kaunas at the address: st. Putvinske, 55. In it you will see a collection of exhibits dedicated to the activities of Čiurlionis and his legacy. The museum often hosts exhibitions on a variety of topics, exhibits collections of foreign museums and art galleries.
Another branch of the museum that is popular with tourists is the Kaunas Picture Gallery. It is located in the building at st. Donelaichio 16. The gallery exhibits works of Lithuanian artists living in the country and abroad. The most famous authors, whose canvases are exhibited in the gallery, are J. Machiunas, T. Site and A. Mishkinis, known for his icon-painting works.
