Centras (Kaunas)
Encyclopedia
Centras is an elderate in the city of Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas 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 center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, based on two neighbourhoods of Kaunas - the Old City and the New City. It lies at the confluence of two major Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris
Neris
Neris is a river rising in Belarus, flowing through Vilnius and becoming a tributary of the Neman River at Kaunas...
.
Kaunas Old Town - the oldest part of Kaunas town, located to the east of the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, occupies 144 hectares. There are a lot of surviving Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
buildings, especially in the western part of the Old Town. Many notable buildings and facilities are located in the Old Town, such as the Kaunas Town Hall, the Kaunas Castle
Kaunas Castle
Kaunas Castle is located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Archeological evidence suggests that it was originally built during the mid-14th century, in the Gothic style. Its site is strategic – a rise on the banks of the Nemunas River near its confluence with the Neris River...
and the Historical Presidential Palace
Historical Presidential Palace, Kaunas
The Historical Presidential Palace is a Neo-baroque building in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania that served as the Presidential Palace during the interwar years. Today, the palace is a branch of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum.-History:...
, House of Perkūnas
House of Perkunas
House of Perkūnas is one of the most original and archaic Gothic secular buildings, located in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Originally built by Hanseatic merchants and served as their office from 1440 till 1532, it was sold in the 16th century to the Jesuits who had established a chapel there...
, also the Kaunas Cathedral, the Church of St. Gertrude
Church of St. Gertrude, Kaunas
Church of St. Gertrude is located in the Old Town of Kaunas and is one of the oldest Brick Gothic churches in Lithuania. Located just off Laisvės alėja , the church is somewhat hidden away and can be accessed from Laisves aleja through a gate at a hotel which is located nearby the Court building...
, Vytautas' church
Vytautas' the Great Church
Vytautas' the Great Church of the Assumption of The Holy Virgin Mary is a Roman Catholic church in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania, and is one of the oldest churches in the city.-History:...
and many other churches. Great variety of museums, such as Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
The Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy is located in a restored 16th-century building at the Town Hall Square in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. It moved to its current location in 1987, although its history dates to 1936...
, Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments
Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments
The Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments is located in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Its permanent collection contains Lithuanian and international musical instruments, recordings, books, placards, photographs, and letters....
, Maironis
Maironis
Maironis is one of the most famous Lithuanian romantic poets. He was born in Pasandravys, Raseiniai district municipality, Lithuania. Maironis graduated from Kaunas high school and went on to study Literature at Kiev University. However, in 1884, after one year of studies at the university, he...
Lithuanian literature
Lithuanian literature
Lithuanian literature concerns the art of written works compiled by Lithuanians throughout their history.-Latin language:A wealth of Lithuanian literature was written in Latin, the main scholarly language in the Middle Ages.-Lithuanian language:...
Museum, Communication History Museum
Communication History Museum
Communications History Museum ia a museum supported by Teo LT AB, former AB Lietuvos Telekomas, in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. The building is an old merchant house, where were storages for grain to be exported. The building was taken in the use of the communications from 1830's in a form...
, Museum of Gemology
Gemology
Gemology or gemmology is the science dealing with natural and artificial gems and gemstones. It is considered a geoscience and a branch of mineralogy...
and Kaunas City Museum are situated. The largest seminary in Lithuania - Kaunas Priest Seminary
Kaunas Priest Seminary
Kaunas Priest Seminary is the largest seminary in Lithuania serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. It is part of the Faculty of Theology of Vytautas Magnus University. Its current rector is Aurelijus Žukauskas. As of 2007, the seminary had 35 students...
is located at the westernmost part of the Old Town.The seat of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kaunas is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Lithuania. It is based in Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It was established as the Diocese of Samogitia in 1417 with a seat in Medininkai according to...
is based nearby. The main Vilniaus street in the Old Town, and its continuation in the New Town - the pedestrian Laisvės Alėja
Laisves aleja
Laisvės Alėja is a prominent pedestrian street in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas...
runs across the elderate.
Kaunas' New Town - the district, located east of Old Town, began to develop from 1847, tzar-time type of the new rectangular structure of the city. The New Town of Kaunas occupies 314 hectares. The New Town is especially known for Interbellum functionalism architecture complexes when Kaunas became the Temporary capital of Lithuania
Temporary capital of Lithuania
The temporary capital of Lithuania was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius , which was under Polish control from 1920 until 1939...
. In the New Town Kaunas City Municipality, numerous business centers, hotels, and some shopping centers are situated. There are also the Kaunas Synagogue
Kaunas Synagogue
Kaunas Synagogue is one of two operating choral synagogues in Lithuania. It is located in Centras eldership, Kaunas. The Neo-Baroque synagogue was built in 1872...
, the St. Michael the Archangel Church and the only in Lithuania the Kaunas Mosque
Kaunas Mosque
Kaunas Mosque or Vytautas the Great Mosque is one of four remaining mosques in Lithuania. It is located in Centras eldership, Kaunas. It is the only brick mosque in Lithuania....
established in the New Town. Kaunas Red Cross Hospital
Kaunas Red Cross Hospital
Red Cross Hospital in Kaunas is the oldest still functioning hospital in the city and in Lithuania.-History:Hospital was founded November 29, 1908 and recently has celebrated its 100 years of activity....
is located in the Centre. On the bank of Nemunas River, in the island, the largest in the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
Žalgiris Arena is currently under the construction.
The Kaunas University of Medicine
Kaunas University of Medicine
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences ) is a medical school in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was founded in 1919 and from 1922 it was a Faculty of Medicine of University of Lithuania....
, the Vytautas Magnus University
Vytautas Magnus University
Vytautas Magnus University ) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university...
and the Kaunas University of Technology
Kaunas University of Technology
- KTU :Kaunas University of Technology is one of the largest technical universities in the Baltic States.In Webometrics Ranking of World Universities 2010 KTU took the highest ratings among Lithuanian higher education institutions as having the web of best presence, visibility and accessibility...
are located there, as well as numerous museums: the Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
The Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum was established in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1919 by Tadas Ivanauskas. The museum collects and exhibits various animals: hunting trophies, stuffed animals, insect collections, skeletons, dissections...
, the Žmuidzinavičius Museum
Žmuidzinavicius Museum
Žmuidzinavičius Museum, commonly known as the Devils' Museum , is a museum in Kaunas, Lithuania, dedicated to collecting and exhibiting sculptures and carvings of devils from all over the world. As of 2009, its holdings encompass about 3,000 exhibits. The collection was initiated by painter Antanas...
, the Vytautas the Great War Museum
Vytautas the Great War Museum
The Vytautas the Great War Museum is a museum in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was opened on 16 February 1936 and named after Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The museum displays historical artefacts pertaining to Lithuania and Kaunas from prehistoric times to the present day, including a...
and Kaunas Museum for the Blind
Kaunas Museum for the Blind
The Kaunas Museum for the Blind in Kaunas, Lithuania opened in 2005. It was the first museum for the blind in the Baltic States and one of the first in Eastern Europe.The museum, located in the catacombs underneath St...
. M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum
M. K. Ciurlionis National Art Museum
The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum is a group of museums based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is primarily dedicated to exhibiting and publicizing the works of the painter and musician M.K. Čiurlionis ....
based in central Kaunas, is primarily dedicated to exhibiting the works of Lithuanian painter and musician M.K. Čiurlionis. The downtown of Kaunas is connected with the neighbourhood of Žaliakalnis
Žaliakalnis
Žaliakalnis is an elderate in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Žaliakalnis is located north of the old town and the downtown area, between the Neris and Girstupis rivers...
by the Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway
Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway
Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway is a funicular railway in Kaunas, Lithuania. Built in 1931, it is the oldest funicular in Lithuania. The funicular is made of a wood-paneled coachwork and is serviced by a uniformed, English-speaking operator. The climb of up from behind the Vytautas the Great War...
constructed in 1930s.
The headquarters and some other administrative buildings of the Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress
Kaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
' commandant are still used for public needs. The central Kaunas is also well known for its public statuary.
The main culture institutions of the city are also located there, such as Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre
Kaunas State Musical Theatre is musical theatre in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was established on November 27, 1940 in former State Theatre hall adjoining the Laisvės Alėja. For some time it was playing mostly operettas.-The building:...
, Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
The Kaunas State Drama Theatre is the biggest theatre in Kaunas, and one of the oldest functioning theatres in Lithuania.-History :Its beginnings date to the 1920s, when the Lithuanian Artists' Association established drama and opera playhouses. The first play performed by the Kaunas Drama Theatre...
, Kaunas Chamber Theatre
Kaunas Chamber Theatre
Kaunas Chamber Theatre is drama theatre in Kaunas, Lithuania. The theatre was established in 1976 as Kaunas Youth Musical Studio. Founder and present-day leader of Kaunas Youth Musical Theatre-Studio is famous Lithuanian actor Stanislovas Rubinovas. The theatre obtained the status of a...
and Kaunas Symphony Orchestra.
The M. K. Čiurlionis Bridge
M. K. Ciurlionis Bridge
M. K. Čiurlionis Bridge is a bridge in Kaunas, Lithuania. It crosses the Nemunas River to connect Freda and Kaunas City center. The bridge is 475 meters in length and 29.4 meters in width. It carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction...
and Vytautas the Great Bridge
Vytautas the Great Bridge
Vytautas the Great Bridge, also known as Aleksotas Bridge before 1930 and from 1940 until 23 February 2008, crosses the Nemunas River to connect Aleksotas and Old Town in Kaunas, Lithuania. Its length exceeds 256 meters, and its width is of 16 meters. The means of payment for the building of the...
link the district to Aleksotas
Aleksotas
Aleksotas is an elderate in the southern section of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, bordering the left bank of the Neman River . Its population in 2006 was 21,694....
and Petras Vileišis Bridge links it to Vilijampolė
Vilijampole
Vilijampolė is an elderate in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, located on the right bank of the Neris River and the Nemunas River, near their confluence. The elderate covers 1,720 hectares and houses about 32,000 people....
. The New Town of Kaunas is well connected with Kaunas International Airport by developed public transportation. At the eastern edge of central Kaunas, central railway station
Kaunas Railway Station
Kaunas Railway Station is a Lithuanian Railways central railway station at the eastern edge of central part of Kaunas, Lithuania. Kaunas Railway Station was included into the Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage Sites of the Republic of Lithuania in 2003....
and Kaunas Railway Tunnel
Kaunas Railway Tunnel
Kaunas railway tunnel is one of the two tunnels existing in Lithuania and the only railway tunnel operating in the Baltic states. It connects Vilnius and Kaunas. The length of the tunnel is 1,285 metres , height – 6,6 metres, width – 8,8 metres...
are situated.