Kaunas Old Town is the oldest part of
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
, next to the confluence of the
Nemunas
Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its southern channel. It drains ...
and
Neris
The river Neris () or Vilija (, ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman) from the right bank, at Kaunas, as its ma ...
rivers and Santaka Park. The Old Town had industry in the past, but it is primarily a residential, retail and leisure area in the 21st century.
The main street of the Old Town is
cobbled
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct from a ...
Vilniaus Street, which runs from
Kaunas Town Hall
The Town Hall of Kaunas () stands in the middle of the Town Hall Square at the heart of the Old Town, Kaunas, Lithuania.The structure dates from the 16th century. It houses a Museum of Ceramics.
History
The Town Hall is distinguished by its sle ...
to
Laisvės Avenue. Laisvės Avenue is one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe.
Landmarks
There are several landmarks in Kaunas old town, most notably:
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House of Perkūnas
The House of Perkūnas is one of the most original and Gothic secular buildings, located in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Originally built by Hanseatic merchants and served as their office from 1440 until 1532, it was sold in the 16th cen ...
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Town Hall, Kaunas
The Town Hall of Kaunas () stands in the middle of the Town Hall Square at the heart of the Old Town, Kaunas, Lithuania.The structure dates from the 16th century. It houses a Museum of Ceramics.
History
The Town Hall is distinguished by its sl ...
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Kaunas Castle
Kaunas Castle () is a medieval castle in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. Archeological evidence suggests that it was built during the mid-14th century in the Gothic style. Its site is strategic—a rise on the banks of the Nemunas ...
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Church of St. Francis Xavier, Kaunas
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Church of St. George the Martyr, Kaunas
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House of Basketball
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Church of St. Gertrude, Kaunas
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Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Kaunas
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Church of Vytautas the Great
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Kaunas Cathedral Basilica
Cathedral Basilica of apostles St. Peter and St. Paul of Kaunas () is a Roman Catholic cathedral basilica in Kaunas, Lithuania.
History
The exact date when the first Gothic style church dedicated to apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was ...
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Old Kaunas Ducal Palace
The Old Kaunas Ducal Palace () is a building complex at the corner of Aleksoto and Muitinės Streets in Kaunas Old Town, Lithuania. It was a psychiatric hospital, but is now owned by the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas Academy of Arts institute.
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Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum
The Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum () is located in the Siručiai Palace of Kaunas, Lithuania. It contains the former home of Lithuanian priest and poet Jonas Mačiulis-Maironis, who purchased the building in 1909. The museum opened in 193 ...
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Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...
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Communication History Museum
Former Communications History Museum was a museum supported by Teo LT AB, former AB Lietuvos Telekomas, in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. The building is an old merchant house, where were storages for grain to be exported. The building was ta ...
See also
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Vilnius Old Town
The Old Town of Vilnius (), one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe, as inscribed within UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has an area of 3.59 square kilometres (887 acres). It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and ...
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Neighborhoods of Kaunas
References
External links
{{Authority control
Neighbourhoods of Kaunas
Tourist attractions in Kaunas
Historic districts in Lithuania