The Full Wiki



More info on Kaunas

Kaunas: Map
  
  
  
  
  

Wikipedia article:

Map showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article:


Kaunas ( , , also known by several other names, is the second largest city in Lithuaniamarker and a former temporary capital. It is served by the freeways Via Baltica and Vilnius-Klaipėda . Kaunas is located at the confluence of the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunasmarker and the Nerismarker, and near the Kaunas Reservoirmarker, the largest body of water entirely in Lithuania.

Etymology and other names

The city's name is of Lithuanian origins and most likely derives from a personal name.

Before Lithuania regained independence, the city was generally known in English as Kovno, the traditional Slavicized form of its name; the Polish name is Kowno; the Belarusian name is Koўнa. The traditional Russian name is Ковно, although Каунас has been used since 1940. The Yiddish name is Kovne (קאָװנע), while its names in German include Kaunas and Kauen. The city and its elderate also have names in other languages (see Names of Kaunas in other languages and names of Kaunas elderates in other languages).

Legend

One of the legends tells us, that Kaunas was established by Romans in ancient times. The head of this Romans group was the patrician Palemon, who had three sons: Barcus, Kunas and Sperus. Palemon went away from Rome, because he feared emperor Neron. So, he with his sons and other relatives came to Lithuania. After his death three sons shared out all Lithuania's lands. Kunas got lands, which now is standing city of Kaunas. Kunas build a castle near confluence of Nemunas ir Neris rivers and city was call - Kaunas from his name.

Coat of arms

In June 30, 1993 the historical coat of arms of Kaunas city was established by a special presidential decree. The coat of arms features a white aurochs with a golden cross between his horns, set against a deep red background. The aurochs is the original heraldic symbol of the city since 1400. The current emblem was the result of much study and discussion on the part of the Lithuanian Heraldry Commission, and realized by the artist Raimondas Miknevičius. An aurochs has replaced a wisent, depicted in the Sovietmarker era emblem, used since 1969.

History

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Kaunas' view in 19th century
179 px


On the site of the current Kaunas old town at the confluence of two large rivers, a settlement had been established by the tenth century AD. It is believed that the town was founded in 1030, but it is first mentioned in written sources in 1361. In the thirteenth century, a stone wall was built as protection from constant raids by the Teutonic Knights. In 1362, the town was captured by the Teutonic Knights, who destroyed the Kaunas Castlemarker. The castle was rebuilt at the beginning of the 15th century.

In 1408 the town was granted Magdeburg Rights by Vytautas the Great and became a center of Kaunas Powiat in Trakai Voivodeship in 1413. Kaunas then began to gain prominence, since it was at an intersection of trade routes and a river port. In 1441 Kaunas joined the Hanseatic League, and Hansa merchant offices were opened. By the 16th century, Kaunas had a public school, a hospital, and a drugstore, and was one of the best-formed towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In 1665, the Russianmarker army attacked the city several times, and in 1701 the city was occupied by the Swedish armymarker. The Black Death struck the area in 1657 and 1708, and fires destroyed parts of the city in 1731 and 1732.

Russian Empire

After the final partition of the Polish-Lithuanian state in 1795, the city was taken over by the Russian Empire and became a part of Vilna Governorate. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the Grand Army of Napoleon passed through Kaunas twice, devastating the city both times.

After the Partitions, Kaunas was one of the centres of the November Uprising (1830-1831) and the January Uprising (1863-1864). To suppress the local population, the Russianmarker authorities subsequently placed a huge military garrison in the town. The Russian military fortification from that time still survive throughout the town.

Kovno Governorate with a center in Kovno (Kaunas) was formed in 1843. In 1862 a railway connecting the Russian Empiremarker and Germanymarker was constructed, making Kaunas a significant railway hub with one of the first railway tunnels in the Empire, completed in 1861. In 1898 the first power plant started operating.

Up to the Second World War, like many other cities in Europe, Kaunas had a significant Jewish population: according to Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 70,900, Jews constituted 25,500 (so around 36% percent).

Inter-war Lithuania

After Vilniusmarker was occupied by the Russian Bolsheviks in 1919, the government of the Republic of Lithuania established its main base here. Later, when capital Vilnius was annexed to Polandmarker, Kaunas became the Temporary capital of Lithuania, a position it held until October 28, 1939, when the Red Army handed Vilnius to Lithuania.

Between the World Wars industry prospered in Kaunas; it was at the time the largest city in Lithuania. Under direction of the mayor Jonas Vileišis (1921-1931) Kaunas grew rapidly and was extensively modernised. A water and wastewater system, costing over 15 million Lithuanian litas, was put in place; the city expanded from 18 square kilometers to 40; more than 2,500 buildings were built, including three modern bridges over the Neris and Nemunas rivers. All the city streets were paved, horse-drawn transportation was replaced with modern bus lines, new suburbs were planned and built (Žaliakalnismarker neighborhood in particular), new parks and squares were established. The foundations for a social security system were laid, three new schools were built, and new public libraries, including the Vincas Kudirka library, were established. Vileišis maintained many contacts in other European cities, and as a result Kaunas was an active participant in European urban life.

During the inter-war period Kaunas had a Jewish population of 35,000-40,000, about one-fourth of the city's total population. Jews were concentrated in the city's commercial, artisan, and professional sectors. Kaunas was also a center of Jewish learning. The yeshiva in Slobodka (Vilijampolėmarker) was one of Europe's most prestigious institutions of higher Jewish learning. Kaunas had a rich and varied Jewish culture. The city had almost 100 Jewish organizations, 40 synagogues, many Yiddish schools, 4 Hebrew high schools, a Jewish hospital, and scores of Jewish-owned businesses. It was also an important Zionist center.

Soviet period

In 1940 Kaunas was annexed by the Soviet Unionmarker as part of the Lithuanian SSR. 14 June 1941 marked the beginning of mass arrests, executions and deportations of citizens to Siberiamarker and other parts of Russia. After the outbreak of German invasion into USSR on 23 June an uprising began in Kaunas and short-lived period of independence was proclaimed in Kaunas on June 23, 1941.

The Tragedy of Kaunas' Jews

Jewish life in Kaunas was first disrupted when the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in June 1940. The occupation was accompanied by arrests, confiscations, and the elimination of all free institutions. Jewish community organizations disappeared almost overnight. Soviet authorities confiscated the property of many Jews while hundreds were exiled to Siberiamarker. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Activist Front, founded by Lithuanian nationalist émigrés in Berlinmarker, disseminated anti-semitic literature in Lithuania. Among other themes, the literature blamed Jews for the Soviet occupation.

Following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Soviet forces fled Kaunas. Immediately before and following the German occupation of the city on June 25, the anti-Communist German organized insurgents began to attack Jews, blaming them for Soviet repressions, especially along Jurbarko and Kriščiukaičio streets. They murdered over three thousand eight hundred Jews and took hundreds more Jews to the Lietūkis garage, in the city center, and killed them there.

The Nazis eventually established the Kaunas Ghettomarker, which by the end of the war would be nearly completely liquidated.

Modern times

Aquarium in shopping mall "Mega"
After World War II Kaunas became the main industrial city of Lithuania – it produced about a quarter of Lithuania's industrial output.

After the proclamation of Lithuanian independence in 1991, Soviet attempts to suppress the rebellion focused on the Sitkūnai Radio Stationmarker,). They were defended by the citizenry of Kaunas.

Demography

Historical population

Year Inhabitants
1796 8,500
1813 3,000
1825 5,000
1840 8,500
1860 23,300
1897 71,000
1923 92,000
1940 154,000
1959 214,000
1966 275,000
1989 418,087
2001 378,943
2004 366,652
2005 361,274


Ethnic composition

Laisvės alėja is one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe


1897 Russian census revealed the following ethnic composition in the city (by mother tongue, out of 70,920):
  1. Jews 25,052 - 35%
  2. Russians 18,308 - 26%
  3. Poles 16,112 - 23%
  4. Lithuanians 4,092 - 6%
  5. Germans 3,340 - 4.5%
  6. Tatar 1,084 - 1.5%
  7. Other 2932 - 4%


Today, with almost 93 percent of its citizens being ethnic Lithuanians, Kaunas is one of the most Lithuanian cities in the country. Kaunas has a higher proportion of ethnic Lithuanians than Vilniusmarker, and more ethnic Lithuanians than Rigamarker has ethnic Latvians or Tallinnmarker has ethnic Estonians.

Kaunas city municipality main building
Ethnic composition in 2001, out of a total of 378,943:
  1. Lithuanians 352,051
  2. Russians 16,622
  3. Ukrainians 1,906
  4. Poles 1,600
  5. Other 6,764


Municipality council

Kaunas city municipalitymarker council is the governing body of the Kaunas city municipality. It is responsible for municipality laws. The council is composed of 41 member elected for four-year terms.

The council is the member of The Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania.

Mayors

  • 1990–1991 – Vidmantas Adomonis
  • 1991–1992 – Vilimas Čiurinskas
  • 1992–1995 – Arimantas Račkauskas
  • 1995 – Rimantas Tumosa
  • 1995–1997 – Vladas Katkevičius
  • 1997 – Alfonsas Andriuškevičius
  • 1997–2000 – Henrikas Tamulis
  • 2000 – Vytautas Šustauskas
  • 2000 – Gediminas Budnikas
  • 2001–2002 – Erikas Tamašauskas
  • 2002–2003 – Giedrius Donatas Ašmys
  • 2003–2007 – Arvydas Garbaravičius
  • since 2007 – Andrius Kupčinskas


Climate

Geography

The city covers 15,700 hectares. Parks, groves, gardens, nature reserves, and agricultural areas occupy 8,329 hectares.
Kaunas' elderates

Administrative divisions

Kaunas is divided into 11 elderates:



Neighborhoods

Cityscape

Points of interest

Central Kaunas is defined by two pedestrian streets: the 2-km-long Laisvės alėjamarker (Liberty Avenue), a central street of the city, lined by linden tree, and its continuation, Vilnius Street, leading to the oldest part of Kaunas. Some of the most prominent features in Kaunas include:



Museums

Kaunas is often called a city of museums, because of the abundance and variety of them. The museums in Kaunas include:



Theatres

Kaunas is notable for the diverse culture life. Kaunas Symphony Orchestra is the main venue for classical music concerts. Kaunas theatres has played an important role in Lithuanian society. There are at least 7 professionlas theatres, lots of amateur theatres, ensembles, abundant groups of art and sports. Kaunas is best known for the Kaunas Jazz Festival, Pažaislis music festivalmarker, which usually run from early June until late August each year. Probably the longest established festival is the International Modern Dance Festival, which first ran in 1989. Some of the best examples of culture life in Kaunas are:

Public art

A great deal of sculptuary is on display in the public areas of Kaunas.

File:unknown_sculpture_1.jpg|Sculptures in Vienybė Square

File:Vytautas 2006 07 09.jpg|Vytautas the Great statue near city municipality

Infrastructure

The city is located in the centre of Lithuania, making it highly significant from a logistical point of view.

Highways

Kaunas is linked to Vilniusmarker to its east and Klaipėdamarker, on the Baltic Seamarker,via the A1 highway.

Public transportation

Kaunas has 16 trolleybus routes, 49 bus routes ( Map), a wide shared taxi carrier network - see Kaunas Public Transport -, and it is also one of the major river ports in the Baltic States.

Airports

Kaunas International Airport marker is one of the biggest airports in the Baltic states. In 2008 it handled 410,000 passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo. The smaller S.marker Darius and S.marker Girėnas Airportmarker, established in 1915, is located about three kilometers south of the city center.

Bridges

Since Kaunas is located at the confluence of two rivers, there are 34 bridges in the city, including:

Sports

Kaunas is home to the Žalgiris basketball club, one of Europe's strongest, which plays home matches in Kaunas Sports Hallmarker. The city is also the birthplace or childhood home of many of the country's top basketball stars, among them Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Linas Kleiza and Šarūnas Jasikevičius. The main stadium of the city is S.Dariaus ir S.Girėno Sporto Centrasmarker (total capacity 9,000), which is also the Lithuanian soccer club FBK Kaunas's and Lithuanian national football team home stadium. Granitas Kaunas is a strongest men team handball club in Lithuania.

Education

Kaunas is often called a city of students; there are about 50,000 students enrolled in its universities.



Annual events



Notable residents





International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kaunas is twinned with:


Footnotes and references

  1. Joshua D. Zimmerman, Poles, Jews, and the politics of nationality, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2004, ISBN 0299194647, Google Print, p.16
  2. http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w5_show?p_r=4111&p_d=62825&p_k=2 Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. A Chronicle of the Events of January 1991 and Later Months which were a critical part of the remaining free media.
  3. http://www.toptravel.lt/lithuania/kaunas-facts-history/ Kaunas. Facts&History.
  4. Первая Всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Таблица XIII. Распределение населения по родному языку. Т.Т.1-50. С.-Петербург: 1903-1905
  5. 2001 Census - Lithuanian Government Department of Statistics
  6. Official website of the President of Lithuania
  7. Martin, Douglas. "Joseph Gurwin, Textile Manufacturer and Philanthropist, Dies at 89", The New York Times, September 26, 2009. Accessed September 29, 2009.


Notes

This article incorporates text from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museummarker, and has been released under the GFDL.


External links




Embed code:






Got something to say? Make a comment.
Your name
Your email address
Message