Kaunas
Kaunas - explore the old town and fortresses.
Kaunas is Lithuania's second city, with a population of around 300,000, and for many visitors the more rewarding of the two to explore. Less immediately famous than Vilnius, it rewards slower attention: a medieval Old Town, an extraordinary collection of interwar modernist architecture now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a cultural confidence earned through its role as European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Between the First and Second World Wars, Kaunas served as Lithuania's provisional capital after Vilnius was occupied by Poland. What emerged from that period was one of the most concentrated collections of interwar modernist architecture in Europe, built across two decades in styles ranging from Art Deco to Functionalism. Kaunas is the only European city on the UNESCO World Heritage List representing this kind of large-scale interwar urbanisation, and has held the title of UNESCO City of Design since 2017. Walking the streets of the New Town and Žaliakalnis district is one of the best ways to spend a morning here.
The Old Town, built largely between the 14th and 17th centuries, centres on Town Hall Square and spans Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. Kaunas Castle stands nearby at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers — one of the earliest stone castles in Lithuania, built in the 14th century to defend against the Teutonic Knights, and now a museum branch and cultural venue. Santaka Park, immediately beside the castle, marks the meeting point of the two rivers and is home to Pope Hill, where John Paul II celebrated Mass in 1993.
One of Kaunas's most distinctive stops is the Devils Museum, started by Lithuanian artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius from his personal collection and now holding more than 3,000 devil-themed exhibits from around 70 countries: sculptures, masks, and objects in wood, ceramic, stone, and paper. It is part of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum and spread across three floors. There is genuinely nothing else like it.
Kaunas is part of a remarkable cluster of Nordic and Baltic cities to have held the European Capital of Culture title. Read the full story: European Capitals of Culture in the Nordic and Baltic region
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