THE MOST FAMOUS PLACES AT KAUNAS

THE OLD TOWN Kaunas enjoys a remarkable Old Town which is a concentration of ancient architectural monuments: the remnants of the 13th century Castle, the Cathedral, the Jesuit and ST. Trinity Churches as well as the Old Town Hall, nicknamed the "White Swan" for its charming architecture. The Old Town Hall Square, the most important architectural accent of the Old Town, is reminiscent of the Middle Ages with the early Gothic Vytautas Church and the late Gothic Perkunas House not far away. The Old Town squares and buildings of the surrounding streets are bricks with numerous restaurants, bars and cafes as well as art galleries and Lithuanian folk art souvenir shops, popular among tourists.

KAUNAS CASTLE The castle build in the 13th century, was Lithuania's first defensive bastion. The surrounding walls were over two metres wide and 13 meters high. In 1362 after thee weeks of siege, the crusaders destroyed it and by 1368 a second stronger castle was constructed. The castle had two towers but over the centuries they were washed away by the Neris and the northern walls with the towers collapsed. Yuo can examine the castle internally, but people to maintain that haunt in the castle.

CATHEDRAL The first church was supposedly built in the early 15th century. The naves were built in the 16th century and construction lasted until in 1775 in baroque style. Interesting neogothic chapel. In 1895 the church became a cathedral and was elevated to the rank of basilica in Tower 41,9 meters high. In one of the walls the bishop and writer Motiejus Valancius is buried.

TOWN HALL SQUARE The ancient heart of Kaunas is the Town Hall Square surrounded by a number of 16th century German merchants houses. In its centre towers the 53-metre high white Town Hall, late baroque in style, with elements of early classicism and gothic architecture, The construction started in 1542 and it was supposedly built as a one-storey building. The second floor and the tower were added at the end of the 16th century. The cellar of the tower served as a prison and a warehouse. The ground floor was reserved for traders and the prison guards. The first floor housed the magistrate, the treasury and the archives. Partly destroyed during the Swedish-Russian war ( ) it housed the municipality after reconstruction in Under the tsarist regime it was transformed into an orthodox church and it even served as the provisional residence of the Tsar in 1837.

VYTAUTAS CHURCH Built in the beginning of the 15th century, it originally belonged to the Franciscan monks. The church was constructed in the gothic style without a tower which was only added in the end of the 15th century White sober walls. During the Napoleonic war the French used it as an ammunition storage. In 1819 the renovation was financed through donations.

PERKUNAS (Thunderer’s) HOUSE Similar in style to St. Anne's church in Vilnius, the Perkunas house is one of the most original examples of late gothic in Lithuania. Interest in it increased in the 19th century as romantic minded historians announced it to be the tample of Perkunas, the God of Thunder. According to legend, during reconstruction work in 1818 workers found a small statue (27 cm) with a town, temples and three fishes in its hands which came to symbolize the Thunderer, but the statue was lost. Built the end 15th century it served either as a Jesuit chapel or a Hanse house. In 1722 Jesuits moved out and the building was deserted until reconstruction in the early 19th century when it served as a school. In 1844 the first Kaunas Drama Theatre was established here. After 1863 he brick building fell to ruins. The rich architecture of the house symbolized the economic power of the Hanse and German expansion.

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL Built in by Russian architects, the neo-byzantic style symmetrical building at the end of Laisves aleja was originally destined for the army of the Kaunas castle. The blue imposing catholic church is commonly called "soboras", since it has all the aspects of an orthodox church. Transformed into an art gallery during the Soviet period, it was recently reopened to public wor- ship although the interior is still unfinished.

MILITARY MUSEUM OF VYTAUTAS GREAT One of the most important museums in Lithuania, worth to be depicted on the 20 Litas bill. The museum depicts the History of Lithuania through the ages from the prehistoric times to present-day Lithuania. Of particular interest is the wreck of "Lithuanica", the plane in which the Lithuanian aviators Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas attempted in 1933 to fly non-stop from New York to Kaunas. Their plane crashed in Germany on the threshod of their homeland - you can see the two heroes on 10 Litas bill. Further exhibitions include the history of the Vytautas Magnus University founded in 1922, closed in 1940 and only reopened in1990.

PAŽAISLIS MONASTERY AND CHURCH Founded in 1662 by the Great Chancellor Krzysztof Zygmunt Pacfor Order of the Camaldolese Hermits, the main construction has been built until 1674 and further finished until The church was designed by Pietro Puttini, were directed by Carlo and Pietro Puttini, Giovanni Battista Frediani. The building of the towers and the dome after 1755 was funded by king's chambelain Michał Jan Pac. In 1832 the church was closed by Russians and later converted into an Russian Orthodox Church|Orthodox church. After 1920 the ruined church returned to Roman Catholics and was restored by sisters of the Lithuanian convent of St. Casimir. After World War II, the Soviet authorities converted the church and monastery into an archive, a psychiatric hospital and finally an art gallery (in 1966). In 1990s the complex was returned to the nuns of the convent and reconstruction work began.