Senamiestis (Old Town) of Kaunas
Surrounded by rivers from three sides the medieval Old Town of Kaunas is located next to the confluence of two major rivers: Neris and Nemunas. This confluence, once important for trade, is still guarded by a tower of Kaunas castle (14th century) that you can climb.
Not far south from the tower lies the Rotušės (City Hall) square, the heart of the city and the location for any celebrations, be it the annual Hanseatic days that remember history of Kaunas as a trade center in era when Hansa Union dominated the Baltic trade, or the Christmas market, or military parades in the days gone-by.
In the center of the square stands the City Hall with a 53 m tall tower. Nowadays it is used for registering civil marriages.
The City Hall of Kaunas. Its current facade was completed in 1780. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.
Marriages are also common in the five churches that surround the square so every summer you can see many newlywed couples here. The tallest spire is that of Ascencion Church that is almost universally reffered to as Vytautas church after the Grand Duke who commissioned it in 1399. This oldest building of Kaunas lies to the south of the Rotušės Square next to a gothic residential building known as Perkūnas house.
On the square itself the southern flank is dominated by the Jesuit church. To the west of the square covered by other houses stands another large gothic church dedicated to Saint George and a nicely repaired priest seminary with its own Holy Trinity church. Beyond them there is a Santakos (Confluence) park at the point where Lithuania's two largest rivers converge.
There are many other nice old houses and manors surrounding the square, some of them housing mediocre museums (dedicated to communications, pharmacy, Lithuanian literature, ceramics, among others). To the east of the square is the red brick Kaunas Cathedral that is the largest gothic building in Lithuania.
Kaunas Cathedral at the northeast corner of Rotušės square has a gothic exterior but a baroque interior. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.
The main Vilniaus street beside the Cathedral leads eastwards from the Rotušės square towards the New Town. Today it is the most important street of Kaunas with many restaurants available in its old houses. Going east on Vilnius street you pass the baroque God's Body church facade (unfortunately its three towers and the interior was entirely destroyed by the Soviets and only a single room now is left for celebrating mass in what effectively became a multi-storey building).
Vilniaus street view towards Rotušės square (towers of the Jesuit church are visible in the background).
After passing the underground passage there is the President's residence of interwar Lithuania with a small park. Now it is a museum.
In a seemingly ordinary courtyard at the end of Vilniaus street a gothic Saint Gerthrude church is located. This small church dates to 1480.
St. Getrude church visible from a calm J. Gruodžio street.
Smaller and less busy streets parallel to the Vilniaus street are also a great place to stroll through and see the Old Town of Kaunas which suffered less of the post-war Soviet destruction than its counterpart in Vilnius and therefore is more intact.
Map of Senamiestis (Old Town) of Kaunas.