Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

58 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp68–9

Lithuania’s second largest city, Kaunas stands at the

confluence of the Nemunas and Neris, the country’s
biggest rivers. A series of disasters hindered the city’s
development, including invasions by the Russians (1655),
Swedes (1701) and Napolean (1812). Rapid growth in
the 19th century culminated in Kaunas becoming the
temporary capital of newly independent Lithuania in

1919. Later, the city suffered under Nazi and Soviet
      occupations. Today, Kaunas is a modern city with a
      boulevard and a host of museums. The main historic
      sights are located in its well-preserved Old Town.

Kaunas 3

View of the bridge over the Nemunas river leading to the Old Town

R Church of the Holy Trinity

Rotušės aikštė 22. Tel (37) 323 734.

5 10am Sun.

Built for a Bernardine convent

in the late 1620s, this church

(Šventos Trejybės bažnyčia),

with its blend of Renaissance

and Gothic styles and its

pastel colours brightens up

the northwestern corner of the

Town Hall Square. The interior

was redesigned just before the

outbreak of World War II.

R Cathedral of

Sts Peter and Paul

Vilniaus 1. Tel (37) 324 093.

5 7am, 8am, 6pm daily; 9am

Sat–Sun, 10:30am, noon Sun.

Several reconstructions have

culminated in the Gothic and

Renaissance exterior of this

15th-century cathedral (šv

apaštalų Petro ir Pauliaus

arkikatedra bazilika). The late-

Baroque interior, how ever,

remains largely unchan ged

T Kaunas Castle

Pilies 17. Tel (37) 323 436.

# 10:30am–1pm Mon–Fri.

8 mandatory.

The ruins of Kaunas Castle

(Kauno pilis) are a reminder

of its strategic location,

between the rivers Neris and

Nemunas. Built in the 13th

century, it was dam aged by

the Teutonic knights in 1362.

Soon after its recon struc tion,

the knights were defeated by

Lithuanians in the Battle of

Grünwald in 1410. Thereafter

the castle lost its significance

as a military base and was

used for administra tive

purposes. It functioned as a

prison in the 18th century,

but was restored in the 1920s.

R Church of St George

Papilio 9. Tel (37) 224 659. 5 6pm

Mon–Fri, 10:30am Sun.

This 15th-century Gothic

church (šv Jurgio bažnyčia)

was destroyed twice by fire,

by the Russians in the 17th

century and in 1812 by

Napoleon’s soldiers. It

was finally returned to the

Bernardines in 1993.

The elegant façade of the Old
Town Hall

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Park St George Church of

Kaunas

Castle

Cathedral

of Sts Peter

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Perkūnas

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Vytautas

Church

Church of the

Holy Trinity Old

Town Hall

St Gertrude’s

Church

Nemunas

Neris

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P Old Town Hall
Rotušės aikštė.
Known locally as the “White
Swan” and resembling a
church with its single, tiered
tower, the Old Town Hall
(Kauno Rotušė) has been a
marriage registry office since
the 1970s. It continues to be a
photogenic backdrop for new-
lyweds. Built in the mid-16th
century, it has housed magis-
trates and the mayor, and has
been used as an ammu nition
store, clubhouse, fire station,
theatre and a subterranean
prison. Town Hall Square,
where it stands, was once a
busy marketplace and is still
the hub of the Old Town.