File:Kauno_senamiestis_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ4115712· pop 142· linked from 4,503 articles

Kaunas

Also known as Kovno, Kovne, Kovna, Kowno, Kauen

Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania (after Vilnius), the fourth-largest city in the Baltic States, and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a in the Duchy of Trakai of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Trakai Palatinate since 1413. In the Russian Empire, it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915.

OverviewAI-generated

Kaunas is a city and big city located in Lithuania. It serves as the capital of Lithuania and has at various times been the capital of the Kovensky Uyezd, Kovno Governorate, and Kaunas District Municipality. The city is situated within the Kaunas City Municipality and the Kaunas apskritis. Historically, it was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Kaunas was established on November 30, 1361, and is classified as a Hanseatic city.

The city has a population of 289380 and covers an area of 157. Its elevation above sea level is recorded as 48, 78, or 96 depending on the source. Kaunas is located at coordinates 54.9, 23.933333333333. It is twinned with Grenoble, Kaliningrad, Bila Tserkva, and Kharkiv. The local dialing code is 837, the postal code is LT-44001, and the licence plate code is K.

Synthesized by Vinony from 51 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Weather now

cached 50h ago

12°scattered clouds

82% 0.5 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality: Kaunas
Region: Kauno apskritis
Country: Lietuva
Population: 289,380
Timezone: Europe/Vilnius

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

35US AQIGood

PM2.5: 8.1 µg/m³
PM10: 9.5 µg/m³

As of 2026-08-11 03:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

Settlement.name: Kaunas
Settlement.nicknames: Laikinoji sostinė, The Little Paris of interwar
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.pushpin_map: Lithuania#Baltic states#Europe
Settlement.pushpin_relief: 1
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location within Lithuania##Location within the Baltics##Location within Europe
Settlement.image_flag: LTU Kaunas flag.svg
Settlement.image_shield: Coat of Arms of Kaunas.svg
Settlement.image_blank_emblem: Kaunas logo.png
Settlement.blank_emblem_type: Brandmark
Settlement.motto: Diligite justitiam qui judicatis terram(Latin: Cherish justice, you who judge the earth)
Settlement.mapframe: yes
Settlement.mapframe zoom: 10
Settlement.mapframe point: none
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Ethnographic region
Settlement.subdivision_type2: County
Settlement.subdivision_name2: Kaunas County

via Wikipedia infobox

Travel guide

Understand

thumb | 300px | Church of St Michael the Archangel

See

thumb | 300px | Kaunas city hall

City sightseeing tours are available, see Kaunas IN offerings. They also tout a Kaunastic card but this is simply a gift card for retail outlets, it doesn't grant entry to the sights or rides on the buses.

Do

thumb | 300px | LLB Museum in Rumšiškės

Buy

thumb | 300px | Šakotis or "poundcake"

Eat

Lithuanian food isn't easy to find elsewhere in the world so this is a good place to try it. Plenty of other cuisines are available.

Drink

thumb | 300px | "Stumbras" are European bison Beer is Alus in Lithuanian, think "ales". Popular local brands are Utenos, Švyturys and Horn. Kiemas is a beer garden at Petrausko g 33, west edge of Ąžuolynas Park near the sports complex. It's open Tu-Th 11:30-22:30, F 14:00-22:30. Genys Brewery is at Juozapavičiaus pr 7H by Panemunė Bridge, tours available. Distillery: Stumbras makes vodka, brandy and liqueurs - the name means bison. Tours can be arranged for groups of at least 10 at the distillery at Būgos 7, 500 m north of the railway station, no walk-up visits.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Aleksotas Funicular

Stay safe

Usual precautions about traffic, safeguarding valuables and avoiding damnfool drunks.

The station area can be rough at night.

Connect

As of Oct 2024, Kaunas and its approach highways have 5G from all Lithuanian carriers.

Wifi is widely available in public places in the city.

Go next

Vilnius is a must-see for its elegant old town. It can be done as a day-trip from Kaunas but deserves several days to explore. Birštonas is a spa resort 30 km south of Kaunas, set on a forested riverside. Zapyškis 17 km west has the Gothic St John Baptist Church, often used in summer for concerts and cultural events. Lokes peda or "Bear Foot" is an activity park 35 km northeast near Jonava. Druskininkai is a spa town 50 km south, near the border with Belarus.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~96 min read

Encyclopedic overview

50 sections

Contents

Name
Etymology
Folk history
Coat of arms
History
Early history
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Russian Empire
Interwar Lithuania
Soviet occupation and June Uprising
Nazi occupation and murder of Jews
Jewish community of Kaunas
Pogroms in Kaunas
Soviet administration
Restored independence
Geography
Administrative divisions
Climate
Religion
Culture
Museums
Theatres
Cityscape
Urbanism and architecture
Education
Primary and secondary education
Tertiary education
Libraries
Parks, leisure, and cemeteries
Economy
Demographics
Municipality council
Mayors
Transportation
Airports
Bus stations
Highways
Bridges
Railways
Hydrofoil
Public transportation
Sports
Annual events
Significant depictions in popular culture
Notable people
Twin towns – sister cities
Honours
See also
References
External links

Between 1920 and 1939, when Vilnius was seized and became part of Poland, Kaunas served as the temporary capital of Lithuania. During the interwar period Kaunas was celebrated for its rich cultural and academic life, fashion, construction of countless Art Deco and Lithuanian National Revival architectural-style buildings as well as popular furniture, interior design of the time, and a widespread café culture. The city's interwar architecture is regarded as among the finest examples of European Art Deco and has received the European Heritage Label. This contributed to Kaunas being designated as the first city in Central and Eastern Europe as a UNESCO City of Design, and also to its becoming a World Heritage Site in 2023 as the only European city displaying large-scale urbanization during the interwar period and a range of modernist architecture.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kaunas” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.