Kaunas is the second biggest city of Lithuania. It is located where the rivers Neris and Nemunas merge.

This city is one of the only cities that kept his Lithuanian identity. It survived the World War II without too much damage.
In 1920 Poland occupied Vilnius, during that time Kaunas was the capital of Lithuania. During the 2 decennia that Kaunas was the capital it developed itself really fast. In no time Kaunas became a classy European city. All the impressive buildings are from that time. Nowadays Kaunas is the most important commercial centre of the country.

Rotušės aikštė (Council house square)

The historic centre of Kaunas is situated around this Square, in the middle you can see the Council house, build in late baroque style. The ground floor was built in 1542; the first floor and the 53m high tower were added in the late 16th century.
The basement under the tower was used as prison and storage room. The ground floor was preserved for traders and the prisoners guardians. On the first floor there was the magistrate’s office, the treasure room and the city’s archives.

Kauno Pilis

The castle of Kaunas is the oldest castle in Lithuania. It was built in the 13th century on the place zhere the river Nemunas and Neris merge. The castle was destroyed in 1362 by crusaders. In 1386 they start to build a second castle. After defeting the Teutonic knights in 1410 the castle knows a lot of glorie. The remains of the castle that was built by Vytautas in the beginning of the 15th century are still standing. The walls are 2 meters thick and 13 meters high.

Church of St Fransiscus

This church in baroque style was built in 1666. In 1787 the church was given to the Franciscans monks. In 1825 the church was made Orthodox and the name changed into the Alexander Nevske church. After the Second World War the church became in the hands of the Jesuits, but they had to give it to the Soviet in 1962. Since 1990 the church is used again by Jesuits.

Ninth fort

Before the Second World War there lived a lot of Jews in Kaunas. Many of them were killed or escaped. You can go and visit the ninth fort, this place used to be a ghetto, more than 40.000 Jews were killed there. In this museum you will get to know more about the faith of the Jewish people. This place is not suitable for children

Rumsiskes

On the highway from Kaunas to Vilnius you will see after 20 km a road sign to Rumsiskes. This is the biggest open air museum of Lithuania. On the 176 ha big area, you  can spend a whole day. There is no better way to get a idea of how the farmers used to live. There are houses, farms, but also a school and a mill. Definitely worth a visit.