Grizliai Plius

Kaunas Fortress was a military defensive complex encircling the city, with ten forts built by the Russians 1882-1915 to protect their empire from the growing power of Germany. But when World War I came, after 11 days of assault the forts surrendered, so the Fortress had impeded the enemy advance but proved far from impregnable. From 1920 much of it was demolished or turned over to other state use. The Ninth Fort was the best preserved and was put to horrific use during the Nazi occupation of 1941-44. You enter via the Exposition of Occupations which has the ticket office, and documents the wartime terrors, and the ensuing Soviet terror under Stalin. You then visit the 9th Fort and the 32-m-high memorial to the victims; the fort tunnels can only be seen by special tour.

By appointment only.

The first castle was built mid-14th century at the confluence of the rivers Nemunas and Neris. It was destroyed in 1401 and the new castle was constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is the oldest building in Kaunas. Today the round tower houses an art gallery, and the castle hosts occasional festivals. The tip of the confluence is Santakos Park.

A wooden church was built outside the castle in 1471, then rebuilt in Gothic redbrick from 1492. It's been much bashed about over the years.

The church is a fine 15th-century Gothic building.

This is first documented in 1413, in the reign of Vytautas the Great, but construction dragged on to 1624, nicely in time to get smashed up by the Russians and Swedes. It's 84 m long by 34 m wide and mostly red-brick Gothic, but refurbishment added Renaissance and Baroque features. It was promoted to a cathedral in 1895: notable burials include bishop and author Motiejus Valančius (1801-1875), poet Jonas Mačiulis (1862-1932) and Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius (1920-2000).