Kaunas and Ninth Fort – Lithuania’s Quirky Second City
Centrally located in the grassy plains of Lithuania, Kaunas is a suitable second city to a once great nation (and one one still worth visiting). My first introduction to the nation was through a novel by Lithuanian-Quebecois/Canadian author Alain Stanké called Des barbelés dans ma mémoire (Barbed Wire in my Memories), detailing his escape from Russian and then Nazi controlled Kaunas during the Second World War. My visit in 2019, years later, was one of considerable less turmoil. The city is clean, modern and quickly developing. Centrally located within the country, and the Baltic region, it is ideally placed for growth. The city is built on the Nemunas River, a major European river connecting much of inland Lithuania to the Baltic Sea and the Neris rivers – thus the city is at the confluence of these.
Hungry after a day on the road, I finished my last remaining Miglė, a Lithuanian chocolate (not my favorite!) and was on my way to find a patio and maybe even a beer!
Table of Contents
- A Brief History
- Arrival in Kaunas
- Exploring Kaunas
- Conclusion
A Brief History
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth
Established during the 10th century, Kaunas would not be mentioned in written sources until 1361, when the castle was constructed. Just a year later it was besieged an captured by the Teutonic Order, one of their few victories in Lithuanian Territory. The castle would be rebuilt in the 15th century.
In 1408 Vytautas the Great offered the city Magdeburg rights, thereby giving the city a certain level of autonomy and allowing it develop as a trading center and river port. By 1441 it had joined the Hanseatic League, a trading and defensive agreement between Baltic and Northern European cities. A Kontor (trading post) of the league was established in Kaunas, the only one in Lithuania.
The city was besieged by Russia in 1655 and captured for a time by Sweden in 1701.
Russian Empire
After the third (and final) partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city fell to Russia. In 1812 Napoleaon came through the city twice devastating it. In response, Russia would build the the Kaunas Fortress, at the time the largest fortification complex in the Russian Empire preventing access to western armies via Napoleon’s route. The city was renamed Kovno and a railway connected in to the German Empire, via Russia’s first underground rail tunnel. In 1898 Lithuania’s First Power Plant was constructed.
Lithuanian Republic
After the January uprising of 1863, the city became a hub for pro-Lithuanian activity and the Lithuanian language was reacquainted with the local populous, a revival of sorts. This period of time is called the Lithuanian National Revival.
In 1919, a Lithuanian Republic was declared and Vilnius, the historic capital of the nation was occupied by the Bolshevik Soviets. Poland would then annex that city and Kaunas was declared the new capital of the Lithuanian state until Vilnius was returned in 1939. The new constitution of the young nation was ratified in Kaunas in 1920. As the capital the city held a high standard of living, comparable to that in Western Europe. Many romantic and Art Deco buildings were constructed. The boulevards were grand and filled with stately buildings worthy of the new state. The lively intellectual scene and cafe culture. All this said, the city grew quickly, to become the largest in the nation.
Soviet and Modern Era
Prior to the Second World War the city was at least 25% Jewish (35% at the turn of the century). The war would greatly alter the racial makeup of the city. The country declared neutrality but it was no use. The young nation was bullied by Russia into accepting military garrisons, including in Kaunas. In 1940, Lithuania was quickly overwhelmed by Soviet Russia. Resistance was futile and the army stood down. Soon after high ranking figures in in the Lithuanian government went missing, sent to the gulag or just executed. During the June uprising against this brutal repression activists took the presidential palace and fired to the soviets killing 5000, the city was secured for independence and the anthem played.
In 1941, the government tried to strike a deal with the advancing Nazi’s for some degree of autonomy. Unlike the anti-semetic Lithuanian Activist Front, the Provisional government did not support the Holocaust yet they did nothing to stop it and member of the army eventually helped carry out the Holocaust. The Provisional government was quickly undermined (but not dismantled) by the Germans who would prove just as brutal as the soviets. In protest the Provisional Government refusing to be a puppet disbanded itself. Nazi’s established their first concentration camp at seventh fort and the expanded the operation at ninth fort, as it will be described later. During the 25–29 June 1941, the first days of occupation, the Kaunas pogrom took place.
During the soviet counteroffensive of 1944 by the Soviet Union, Kaunas once again became a resistance center to the Soviet regime. This lasted with partisan guerilla activity until 1953 with public anti-soviet riots supporting the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Throughout the 70’s and 80 it was the primary center of Lithuanian dissent along with Vilnius, especially as the bodies of Lithuanians from Siberia began returning home. Locals were particularly displeased with the treatment of the catholic church that had been so instrumental in maintaining the Lithuanian Identity in times of occupation. In 1989 a monument to independence was built to replace the previous one that was destroyed by the soviets upon their first run through. In 1990 independence was declared and protesters stormed the Sitkūnai Radio Station to protect it from the Soviet military. They were not to be silenced.
Since independence, Kaunas has rapidly grown as logistics such as road and railways connected it to the west. Once again Kaunas is a city at the crossroads of trade, something that can only improve with the completion of the high speed Rail Baltica ferovial link.
Arrival in Kaunas
The Wise Old Man
Crossing the border over from Latvia, I arrived in Kaunas and was dropped of just north-east of the Municipal parking lot, just north of the Castle. At the far end of the lot you will find one of the most iconic pieces of street art in the city, the wise old man.
On the south side of the parking lot you will find one of those generic signs with the name of the city on then, in this case a “Kaunas Sign”. Beside it stands a granite statue of a kanklės player, an wooden instrument native to Lithuania. I just refer to the statue as the funny Lithuanian man.
A Quick Note
Although it is located north of the old town, past the wise old man, is Benedictine Church of Saint Nicholas. It absolutely is worth checking out but usually gets missed due to its inconvenient location.
Exploring Kaunas
Kaunas is a small city and can we walk with relative ease. Enjoy the active patio/cafe culture and take your time to soak up the city. If you wish to visit either seventh or ninth fort transportation will be necessary.
Old Town of Kaunas
The old town of Kaunas still retains most of its Gothic charm, built mostly of ancient masonry and cobblestone streets.
Castle Point and Confluence Park
Little but a third of the original structure is left of Kaunas Castle, a fine old brick building built near the very tip of the confluence of both great rivers. The triangular shape of land has clearly been valued for its strategic control of the waterways and as such the building has endured many sieges, especially at the hands of the Teutonic Order. After the Battle of Grunwald (Tannburg) in 1410, the Teutons were thoroughly defeated and their power broken. The castle lost its importance and was used as a residence yet continued to be improved throughout the 17th century. The swedes used the castle to attack Poland during their occupation and in later years it served as a prison in the 18th century before being abandoned during Russian rule. Tsarists administrators allowed for houses to encroach on the property destroying parts of the castle, this was cleared in recent years and is why you will find a large green-space behind the massive bastion towe rand wall that remains today.
In the courtyard you will find a statue entitled Vyčio paminklas “Laisvės Karys” (Vytis monument “Warrior of Freedom”). The warrior on horseback is Vytis the man portrayed on the Lithuanian coat or arms.
On the south side of the castle moat you will find several attractive buildings including St. George the Martyr Church, a 15th century masonry buildings that is considered to be one of the best conserved Gothic buildings in the state. The building, along with many Gothic structures was completed by an architect from Danzig (now Gdansk).
In the buildings behind the church you will find a sports museum and the House of Basketball, Lithuanians love the sport and are one of the leading basketball nations in Europe.
Kaunas Town Hall Square
In the center of the old town stands town hall square, the very heart of old Kaunas and the location of a large Christmas tree during the holiday season. The public space is built around the town hall. Known for its distinctive central spire, it was conceived in the 16th century and reconstructed during the 18th. The Russians turned it into an Orthodox Church for a time and it is now a city museum and venue.
The square for its part is a lively space with terraces and restaurants on its eastern flank.. In the corner of this section you will notice the tower of the 15th century Kaunas Cathedral, a Gothic structure more stunning inside then out. Since it was a warm day I purchased an alcoholic slushy form one of the bars and began my exploration. Not far from the cathedral, on the north end of the square you will find the beautiful Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy.
On the south side of the square you will find the colourful Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier. Built in the 17th century it was also given to the Orthodox church for a time, although it is back to its catholic origin now.
Behind the town hall you will find what is possibly the most important building in Kaunas, the Priest Seminary school. A vital institution to the Lithuanian National Revival. Since the Diocese of Samogitia (than Kaunas is part of) did not produce its own priest, students had to be recruited from the Jesuit seminar in Vilnius. Eventually a school was established for this purpose in the 17th century and was moved to Kaunas in 1864. Due to its association with the Lithuanian clergy enrolment was limited during the Russian Empire. Antanas Baranauskas was an important teacher at the university and many of his students were book smugglers trying to revive the Lithuanian language (these were banned). It also published a newspaper in their native language. Maironis, a famous poet also taught at the school!
You can find Maironis’s home – the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum beside the seminary.
House of Perkūnas, The old Pier and the Church of Vytautas the Great
South of the Town Hall Square you will find the 15th century Gothic House of Perkūnas. Once home to Hanseatic merchants it was eventually left for ruin before becoming home to a Lithuanian Theater company. The famous polish poet of the Commonwealth, Adam Mickiewicz attended the school. The house has acquired its strange name, Perkūnas, one of the most important Lithuanian (pagan) gods, when a statue of the deity was found inside the walls during renovations.
The oldest religious structure in the city, the Church of Vytautas the Great is one of the most important gothic buildings in the country. Built in 1400, the iconic spire is thought to have been added later to help ships navigate the river and has suffered though both floods and burnings at the hands of the French. Its construction is linked with Vytautas the Great, the national hero of Lithuania. He ordered its construction to commemorate the Blessed Virgin Mary whom he credits for saving his life after in the Battle of the Vorskla River. Buried in the church crypt is Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas an important writer during the Lithuanian National Revival.
Descending the staircase, past the church of Vitautas, to the river you will find the Kaunas boat launches but there is little to see here.
Vilniaus Gatvė Road
Leading east from the Town Hall Square, you will take the cobbled and pedestrianized Vilniaus Gatve Road (leading to Vilnius from the city gate duhhh!).
Here you will find a wonderfully neoclassical main street filled with terraces
The Lithuanian sense of humor struck again with this one patio sign!
At the end of the street, when you reach Autoroute 130, the street turns into an underpass so that you do not cross at grade. I consider anything past this intersection to be the New Town. On the ledge is a strange bear like figure. Due to the rust it looks like he is peeing down the side, it gave me a chuckle. Kaunas is a strange place but I like it!
Aleksotas Hill
On the south side of the city, past the Church of Vitautas the Great and the river Nemunas (Neman), you will find a modest hill with a gymnasium and school at its peak. At its base is a funicular lift to take tourists to the top. From here a platform will afford visitors with a fantastic view of the old town and the confluence of the rivers itself.
If you look closely at the river embankment you will see the world “LIETUVA” spelled out, the word for Lithuania.
New Town of Kaunas
As mentioned in the history section, Kaunas grew quickly during the period of National Revival and as the capital of the new Lithuanian Republic. This is the space inhabited by the New Town, the land of eclectic architecture ranging from plain modern Functionalism, Neoclasical to Art Deco, a place of stately buildings and sweeping boulevards. This is the space of the modern Lithuanian State. I define this area as everything east of the 130 roadway that divides it from the Old Town.
Autoroute 130 (Presidential Palace)
Along the north end of the major roadway you will find the old Presidential Palace. The yellow neo-baroque building has been home to such drama that it is a shame to see it but a branch of the National Museum of Art today. Not far from the palace you will find a ruined Hasidic synagogue.
Liberty Avenue (Laisvės), Stately Buildings and the Devil’s Museum
A continuation of Vilniaus Gate Road in the Old Town, the tree lined pedestrian boulevard of Liberty Avenue is host to much of the stately interbellum architecture that you would expect from learning about the capital city of Kaunas during the Republican Period. One of the first monuments you will see is the 16th century masonry Church of St. Gertrude, the oldest relic in New Kaunas, the new structures surrounding it on all sides. Just to the south of the church you will find the Kaunas State Theatre, a stunning yellow painted music venue that played host to much of Lithuania’s modern plays and musical output. Furthermore to the north of that church, near route 140 you will find the Choral Synagogue, only one of two still operational in Lithuania (the other being in Vilnius).
Other buildings of note include the colonnaded Kaunas State Philharmonic Society, the Vytautas the Great War Museum and the Žmuidzinavičius Museum (Devils’ museum). The War museum is a great example of interbellum architecture particularly the strange mix of Art Deco and early functionalism. It was built in 1930 on the 500th anniversary of Vitautas and features a large collection of armemenets and the Lituanica, and airplane that was flown across the Atlantic Ocean in 1933 by ethnic Lithuanians (as a north American we think of the transatlantic race of Charles Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis in 1927, so it is cool to see other nations own races across and achievements). In front of that building you will find the eternal flame and the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Devil’s museum for its park is an interesting attractions, it contains over 3000 sculptures of devils from all over the world including some funny, fun, morbid and rather strange artistic creations!
Back on liberty avenue you will find the Kaunas Garrison Officers’ Club, an important interbelum era building from the formation of the modern Lithuanian armed forces that features symbolism and art from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At the end of the street you find the iconic St. Michael the Archangel Church. The Neo-Byzantine was built in the 19th century for use by the Russian garrison and features a mix of eastern and western features, the most curious of which is Corinthian columns to march the domes, an unusual choice. The basement of the church is home to the Kaunas Museum for the Blind.
East Kaunas
After you pass the Church of St. Michael Kaunas becomes fairly residential. There are two fascinating places to visit in in this part of the city (East Kaunas), Sugihara House and the “Stumbras” Museum.
Sugihara House
This house commemorates a truly remarkable individual! Named after Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese member of the Righteous Among Nations in Jerusalem for his role in saving Jews during the Holocaust. Taking advantage of his position as consul, he issued 6000 visa to Jews under the nose, and against orders from Tokyo. What he did took a great deal of courage as this directly contradicted Tokyo’s policy. He organized for them to transit though the Soviet Union on 10 day diplomatic visa’s to Japan. After the war he was thrown in a Soviet Gulag and in 1947 he was returned to Japan and dismissed from the diplomatic service “for that Lithuanian incident”. He died in relative obscurity, better known in Israel and Lithuania then in Japan where he dies in obscurity. A huble man he was better known after his funeral where it was attended by many member of the Jewish and Israeli communities.
Stumbras Museum
Kaunas is one the the big beer and liquor hubs in Lithuania, as such it should be no surprise that it is home to AB Stumbras, one of the older and largest distillers in Lithuania. Known for their Vodka, they also produce many other types of liquor. Strumba translates to Wisent (the European Bison) and the symbol of the company. Like the Poles, the Lithuanians have a long history with this proud beast. The complex was built primary during the 19th and 20th centuries and is host to a history museum with tastings of the famous product line.
Kaunas Fortress
After Napoleons Grand March in 1812, a series of 10 fortresses and batteries were built around Kaunas, making this the largest complex in the Russian empire by its completion. These fortresses are so imposing that they are like fortresses of their own, as such the term “Kaunas” fortress can be quite confusing. In this post we concentrate on two of these, Seventh Fort and Ninth Fort. The forts are number clockwise and can be found throughout the city.
Seventh Fort
The last masonry built fortification of the Kaunas fortress, Seventh Fort is one of the best surviving examples of a two-rampart fort, as well as a sublime example of a 19th-century Russian brick defensive structure. With all it has witnessed it is also still in relatively good condition.
It has the unfortunate distinction of being the first concentration camp constructed in in Nazi-occupied territories (post war with the Soviet Union). It also house Ukrainian prisoners, many of which died of cold. Mass graves were found during renovated but the exact number of dead in unknown.
Ninth Fort
The only fort complex in Kaunas that has been completely renovated and restored in the goal of creating a museum complex, Ninth fort is a horror story of the grandest order, few places in the annals of history has held so much human suffering. This is memorialized by a massive socialist realist sculpture of sharp blocks jutting out of the ground. It is built on a plateau off the highway overlooking the city below.
This spooky hangout was once the emplacement of large gun batteries and in 1924, the dark halls of the structure served as the Kaunas City prison. It was the place of haunting torture of dissidents at the hands of the NKDV during the Soviet occupation before they were transferred to the gulag.
It only became worst under Nazi rule. Here, 45-50000 Jews from the Knovo Ghetto were sumerly executed with the help of their Lithuanian collaborator. I feel it is important to note that the Kaunas massacre, as it is named, cound not have happened without the help/acceptance of the local population. The number of Nazi operatives left behind was too little to go against the full will of the population, it was the apathy that allowed them to carry out their plans. Jews were forced to burn their own dead and few survived. One bight sop was that in 1944, with the Soviets approaching, a squad of 62 people managed to escape the fortress.
This is a solemn space and should be regarded as such.
Other Forts
The other redoubts still exist in various states of ruin and many can be visited.
Conclusion
Kaunas may not be high on most tourists radars, but to bypass it would be a sin. The city is host to the founding events of the modern Lithuanian state and is a charming place to spend a few nights.
