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Kaunas is an old town which is dominated by houses built in Gothic and Renaissance architecture. With the center around the fine town hall square in the old town, pleasant streets lead in all directions, where you will find churches, monasteries, museums and Kaunas Castle. The town hall is in itself a great sight on the square.
To the east of the town hall you find the newer parts of the city, which offer both fine boulevards and beautiful buildings from the recent centuries. The Garrison Church stands as the centerpiece of this part of the city, which has the pedestrian street, Laisvės alėja, as its central axis and the connection between the church and the old town.
One of the most distinctive building in Kaunas is Christ’s Resurrection Church, built in functionalism, and it stands tall on one of the hills that you can easily reach on foot or by one of the city’s funicular railways, which is a fun and different mode of transport.
There are beautiful and interesting places in the vicinity of Kaunas; an open-air museum takes visitors to an atmosphere of historic Lithuania, and the city of Elektrenai offers and insight into Soviet urban planning. If you take a trip to Vilnius, you should also stop at the unique castle in Trakai, which gives the atmosphere of a bygone era when knights ruled the area.
First time mentioned
Kaunas, where the Neris and Nemunas rivers flow, and it is mentioned for the first time in written sources in 1361. However, due to its strategically located location, a settlement in the 9th century had already emerged, which in the following century became a real urban communities by that time scale.
Kaunas in the 1300s was built as a defense against the German Order, which ravaged the area on several occasions, and in 1362 the order conquered the city. When the Polish-Lithuanian forces, led by Vytautas the Great, won the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the city’s great rise in trade and culture began. On that occasion, Kaunas and, like Vilnius, acquired marketplace rights, which led to a greatly increased trade.
The Hanseatic era
Contact with Western Europe grew sharply from the 15th century. Kaunas was a major river port and the city was on the intersecting trade routes. In 1441, Kauna became a member of the Hanseatic League, which opened offices in the city. In the 16th century several large buildings were erected and many institutions established, making Kaunas one of the leading cities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Kaunas’ golden age
The Baroque building style has made its mark on many cities in Lithuania, including Kaunas, which can be seen in many church buildings, for example. It dates from the end of the 16th century and through the 17th century, and it was the golden age of Kaunas.
In 1665, Russian forces attacked Kaunas, and in 1701 Swedish armies invaded the area; including the city of Kaunas itself. It was also a period of plague (1657 and 1708) and great fires (1731 and 1732) that destroyed parts of the city.
The development of the 1700-1800s
With the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian state in 1795, Kaunas became part of the Russian Empire. By Napoleon’s French invasion of Russia in 1812, his armies came through the city twice, and in both cases brought great destruction.
There was an ongoing cultural and industrial development throughout the 19th century, when Kaunas was part of Russia. The building style was Russian inspired during this time; An example is the Byzantine church, which was erected for the Russian garrison, which was stationed in Kaunas in the mid-19th century.
It was also towards the end of the 19th century that the city was seriously expanded with new neighborhoods. Most notable was the site of the Laisves aleja alone, which extends as the main strip east of Kaunas old town, and around which many major public institutions are assembled.
The 20th century until today
Kaunas became Lithuania’s new capital between World War I and World War II, with Vilnius being part of Poland at that time. A number of new institutions and administrative buildings were founded in the city that remain visible; among other things, there is a presidential mansion here. The 1920s became an expansive time in the city, expanding to more than double the area before the period. Thousands of homes, bridges, roads, sewers, transport systems, and more were constructed to radically modernize and develop the city.
In the decades following World War II, Kaunas and the rest of Lithuania were one of the republics of the Soviet Union. During that time, there was renewed growth in the city with the establishment of power plants and a number of industries in the area. A new period of construction began as Lithuania became an independent country after the Soviet era, and today there are plenty of experiences in the beautiful city center with, among other things, prestigious museums, churches, pedestrian streets, shopping centers and good nature.
Overview of Kaunas
Kaunas is an old town which is dominated by houses built in Gothic and Renaissance architecture. With the center around the fine town hall square in the old town, pleasant streets lead in all directions, where you will find churches, monasteries, museums and Kaunas Castle. The town hall is in itself a great sight on the square.
To the east of the town hall you find the newer parts of the city, which offer both fine boulevards and beautiful buildings from the recent centuries. The Garrison Church stands as the centerpiece of this part of the city, which has the pedestrian street, Laisvės alėja, as its central axis and the connection between the church and the old town.
About the upcoming Kaunas travel guide
About the travel guide
The Kaunas travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Lithuanian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Kaunas is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Kaunas and Lithuania
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Kaunas you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Laisvės Alėja • Impressive Churches • Funiculars • Fine Museums
Overview of Kaunas
Kaunas is an old town which is dominated by houses built in Gothic and Renaissance architecture. With the center around the fine town hall square in the old town, pleasant streets lead in all directions, where you will find churches, monasteries, museums and Kaunas Castle. The town hall is in itself a great sight on the square.
To the east of the town hall you find the newer parts of the city, which offer both fine boulevards and beautiful buildings from the recent centuries. The Garrison Church stands as the centerpiece of this part of the city, which has the pedestrian street, Laisvės alėja, as its central axis and the connection between the church and the old town.
About the upcoming Kaunas travel guide
About the travel guide
The Kaunas travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Lithuanian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Kaunas is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Kaunas and Lithuania
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Kaunas you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
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