Located 64 miles west of Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, Kaunas is a small city of less than half a million people that often goes unnoticed. But to those in the know, its interwar architecture is every bit as valuable as Riga’s Art Nouveau gems or Tallinn’s gothic beauties. This was validated in late 2023 when UNESCO added Modernist Kaunas to the World Heritage register and in 2022 when Kaunas was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture.
When Kaunas was chosen as Lithuania’s provisional capital in 1920, it ushered in two decades of rapid development, giving rise to an architectural golden age. The city’s history reaches much further back, however, and a survey of the skyline shows that Kaunas was able to embrace progress without turning its back on the past. Modernism flourished in the presence of gothic, baroque and neo-byzantine architecture, fusing the styles of the day with references to Lithuania’s rich vernacular.
To best discover the city’s architectural highlights, dedicate a full day to cover Kaunas’s core and the nearby Pažaislis Monastery on foot, calling on the funicular and trolleybus system as required.
Christ’s Resurrection Church
Start by orienting yourself with a sweeping view from the rooftop observation deck at Christ’s Resurrection Church. Positioned atop Žaliakalnis (‘Green Hill’), the largest basilica in the Baltic states deviates from other Roman Catholic designs with its sharp lines and soaring skyscraper-like verticality. Sketched out in the days following Lithuania’s independence from the Russian Empire in 1918, the church’s cornerstone was laid in 1934, though its construction was halted by the Soviet occupation two decades later. Repurposed as a radio factory, its long overdue consecration only came in 2004. On nearby Ožeškienės Street, the 1937 Evangelical Reformed Church is a scaled-down version of Christ’s Resurrection, complete with a miniature duplicate of its 230ft-tall tower.
One of the oldest and largest art museums in Lithuania, the MK Čiurlionis Museum of Art is one of the best places to become acquainted with Lithuanian and international art history and culture.
Photograph by Martynas Plepys
Putvinskio Street
Descend Žaliakalnis by funicular to Putvinskio Street, where Kaunas’s unique brand of modernism is on proud display. An assortment of buildings were constructed in the New Town between 1919 and 1939, with architects synthesising deco, Bauhaus and functionalist tenants to carve out their own oeuvre. An easy stroll down tree-lined Putvinskio reveals a gamut of notable addresses, many of them private apartment houses for prominent physicians, lawyers and city officials. Highlights include the imposing MK Čiurlionis Museum of Art, dedicated to the Lithuanian painter-composer, and the Antanas Žmuidzinavičius residence, which now displays its patron’s unusual sculpture collection under the auspices of the Devils’ Museum. Further along the street, The Kaunas Artists’ House, designed in 1930 by Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, features reading rooms and performance spaces.
The Amsterdam School Museum allows visitors to see how hard-working young people lived during the period of the First Lithuanian Republic, featuring inter-war Art Deco, Modernist and Amsterdam School furniture.
Photograph by Martynas Plepys
The Amsterdam School Museum
From the eastern end of Putvinskio Street, skirt the park to find another iconic edifice. A lone example of the Amsterdam School architectural style, this convex facade was erected in 1928 by Jakub Peras. Set inside one of its 1,464sq-ft apartments, the Amsterdam School Museum, established by Karolis Banys and Petras Gaidamavičius — the same duo behind the Art Deco Museum two blocks away — offers visitors a chance to cross the threshold and experience a preserved period interior. The five-room exhibition is a window onto life in the First Lithuanian Republic and the optimism of the interwar years. Set aside two hours for the tour — tickets should be purchased in advance.
Laisvės Avenue
Cross the road and head one block west to Laisvės (‘Liberty’) Avenue, one of Europe’s longest pedestrianised streets. Each step down this one-mile, tree-lined boulevard highlights a different side of Kaunas’s urban identity. Start with the neo-byzantine Church of St Michael the Archangel and culminate with the Central Post Office, another example of interwar architecture that artfully incorporates traditional Lithuanian flourishes including carved wooden windows. Pause for a pick-me-up at one of the sidewalk cafes then continue past the National Kaunas Drama Theatre, the Puppet Theatre and the spectacular State Musical Theatre. The latter was built in 1892 and reconstructed in 1925 with a neo-baroque style in mind.
Perkūnas House is one of the most valuable buildings of the late Gothic period in Lithuania, with ornate arches and turrets rippling from its brick facade.
Photograph by Kaunas IN
Perkūnas House
Leave the leafy avenues of the New Town behind and delve into the tightly wound cobbled streets of Kaunas Old Town. While here, make sure to visit the 14th-century, gothic Kaunas Castle, which houses an exhibition dedicated to its illustrious history. From here, pick a path through the low-rise buildings of the Old Town towards the riverfront, where the Perkūnas House immediately distinguishes itself with its ornamental red brick facade. Built in the late 15th century by merchants of the Hanseatic League, its name actually honours Lithuania’s pre-Christian traditions (Perkūnas being the Baltic god of thunder). The first drama theatre of Kaunas was established here in 1843, however at present Perkūnas House belongs to the Jesuit Gymnasium, who are still known to host occasional performances.
Pažaislis Monastery
To end the day, hop on a trolleybus and follow the Nemunas river east. Situated on a peninsula close to the Kaunas Reservoir, Pažaislis Monastery dates to 1667 and is a paragon of baroque ideals. Italian architect Giovanni Battista Frediani endowed the complex with its rich marble interiors, while the 140 surviving frescoes were painted by Florentine master Mikelios Arkangelo Palonio. The largest monastery ensemble in Lithuania, it contains various crypts, a museum and a hotel-restaurant all of which is surrounded by parklands with hiking trails and river beaches. Every summer, the Sisters of St Casimir, a Roman Catholic community of women founded in 1907, hold the Pažaislis Music Festival at the monastery. This is Lithuania’s biggest classical music gala, set to take place on 31 May until 25 August, 2024.
Plan your trip
Several airlines fly direct to Kaunas from London Luton airport. Alternatively, fly to Vilnius from London Luton or Stansted and connect to Kaunas by train (journey time around one hour). Once in the city, pick up a Kaunas City Gift Card which is redeemable at more than 100 restaurants and cultural venues. For more information, see visit.kaunas.lt
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