Lithuania's second city has a compact Old Town, an entertaining array of museums and plenty of vibrant, youthful energy provided by its large student population. A good time to visit is in late April, during the Kaunas Jazz Festival (www.kaunasjazz.lt), when homegrown and international artists perform in venues across the city.
The heart of Kaunas' lovely Old Town is Rotušės Aikštė, home of the city's former City Hall, now known as the 'Palace of Weddings', and surrounded by 15th- and 16th-century German merchants' houses.
St Francis Xavier Church & MonasteryCHURCH
The southern side of the main square, Rotušės Aikštė, is dominated by the twin-towered St Francis Xavier Church, college and Jesuit monastery complex, built between 1666 and 1720. Take a peek inside and then climb the tower for the best aerial views of Kaunas.
Sts Peter & Paul CathedralCATHEDRAL
With its single tower, this church owes much to baroque reconstruction, especially inside, but the original 15th-century Gothic shape of its windows remains. It was probably founded by Vytautas around 1410 and now has nine altars. The tomb of Maironis stands outside the south wall.
Laisvės alėja, a 1.7km-long pedestrian street lined with bars, shops and restaurants, runs east from Old Town to New Town, ending at the white, neo-Byzantine St Michael the Archangel Church.
MK Čiurlionis National Museum of ArtGALLERY
The Čiurlionis National Art Museum is Kaunas' leading museum. It has extensive collections of the romantic paintings of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911), one of Lithuania's greatest artists and composers, as well as Lithuanian folk art and 16th- to 20th-century European applied art.
Museum of DevilsMUSEUM
Diabolical is the best word to describe the collection of 2000-odd devil statuettes in this museum, collected over the years by landscape artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (1876–1966). While the commentary tries to put a pseudo-intellectual sheen on things by linking the devils to Lithuanian folklore, the fun of this museum is all about the spooky masks and stories. Great for kids.
Kaunas’ bus and train stations are located not far from each other, about 2km south of the city centre. From the bus station, frequent domestic buses leave for Klaipėda (€12, three hours, up to 16 daily) and Vilnius (€6, 1¾ hours, up to three per hour), From the train station there are several trains daily to Vilnius (€5.40, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, up to 17 daily).
0 comments:
Post a Comment