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Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This beautiful domed building closes off the prospect down Laisvės Aleja. Opened in 1895, it was built in neo-Byzantine style for Russian soldiers based here, and to remind the townsfolk who was in charge. However the main reason to visit is the Catacombs (accessible M-F 10:00-14:00). You descend a spiral staircase into total darkness then feel your way through an underground obstacle course, eventually re-ascending a similar staircase into the light. It started out as an art installation but is now run by the Museum for the Blind, donations welcome. Not for the fainthearted, small children or anyone with difficulty moving around.
St. Michael the Archangel's Church, also known as the Garrison Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, closing the perspective of the Laisvės alėja, the main pedestrian street. It was built between 1891 and 1895 when Kaunas was part of the Russian Empire, in Neo-Byzantine style largely for the use of the Russian Orthodox garrison of Kaunas Fortress.
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Grandiose chunk of interbellum architecture, built at huge cost in 1937. Part of the "Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919–1939" UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main façade is adorned by the granite sculpture Three Giants (Trys Milžinai) that became a symbol of the Club. The second floor is the piano nobile with the Grand Hall, Hall of Vytautas, Hall of Dukes and Hall of the President, festooned with chandeliers, paintings, frescoes, furniture, and stained glass. It's now an events venue.
Dinky little whitewashed brick mosque and minaret built in 1930. The city's first Muslims were Tatars in the 15th century, and this patch was their graveyard, hence the street name Totoriu. It was their quarter of Ramybė Park, which elsewhere interred Catholics, Lutherans and Orthodox. Eventually a wooden mosque, imam's house and school appeared on the site.
Mix of classical and contemporary drama.
Striking modern RC church, completed in 1940 but suppressed by the authorities, so it was only repaired and consecrated in 2004. You can climb the stairs or take the lift to the rooftop terrace.
Display of Kaunas' turbulent times from prehistory to the present day, with an immense collection of weapons and armour. One poignant highlight is the remains of Lituanica, a modified Bellanca Pacemaker in which Darius and Girenas flew east across the Atlantic in 1933; they were 650 km short of Kaunas when they crashed. You can climb the tower on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The Art Deco main branch of the museum was built in the 1930s and is next to the war museum. It showcases Lithuania's cultural heritage and especially the works of M K Čiurlionis (1875–1911), whose style ranged over symbolism, secessionism, abstractionism and romanticism. The building also houses the War Museum. It was designed by V Dubeneckis and is considered a significant example of Lithuanian modernist architecture; it is a candidate for UNESCO recognition.