Kaunas (/ˈkaʊnəs/; Lithuanian: [ˈkɐʊˑnɐs] ( listen); also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the centre of a county in Trakai Municipality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. In the Russian Empire, it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915. It served as temporary capital of Lithuania during the interwar period, while the traditional capital of Vilnius was part of Poland between 1920 and 1939. During that period Kaunas has been nicknamed the Little Paris because of rich cultural and academic life, fashion, construction of countless Art Deco, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings as well as popular furniture, interior design of the time and widespread café culture. The city interwar architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and received the European Heritage Label, it also resulted in naming Kaunas the first city in Central and Eastern Europe as a UNESCO City of Design. In 2022, Kaunas will be the European Capital of Culture, together with the Luxembourgish city of Esch-sur-Alzette.
Restaurants in Kaunas
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Really nice cathedral and it was free to get in there. The alter statues are really beautiful. Definitely worth a visit.
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Soboras is a bastion church, referring to it's construction as a military base for Czarist occupation forces during times of social unrest as well as religious services during times of submissive subjugation. It's a gorgeous structure and a central piece of Kaunas architecture. Visible from any roof near by, the Soboras anchors the Eastern end of Laisves aleja, and in recent years has seen much development in the surrounding square and streets as gentrification sweeps Kaunas center and Old Town. Soboras is a can't miss structure to see while visiting Kaunas.
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The old Zapyškis Church of St. John the Baptist. A national heritage monument of the Republic of Lithuania. According to the ancient legends, in the distant past near the river Nemunas, where the plains of Zapyškis stretch today, there was an ancient Lithuanian temple with a stone altar. After the introduction of Christianity, the Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great built a Catholic shrine on the site of these ruins. It remained being called after him until the beginning of 20th century. However, the archaeological research indicated that the old church of St. John the Baptist was built in the 16th century by John and Paul Sapiega. It is a valuable Lithuanian Gothic monument, that suffered from the misfortunes of wars and floods. In 2020 after several years of reconstruction, the church has opened its doors to the public. The whole area is adapted for cultural activities, but the inside has the same medieval atmosphere.
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