City break in Kaunas 2010

The historic old town of Kaunas is an ideal place to begin an excursion around the city. Lovingly restored medieval townhouses stand close to brick buildings from the so-called “Flaming” Gothic period. Kaunas’s Baroque town hall, various galleries and shopping opportunities can be found in the old town’s narrow lanes and spacious squares, surrounded by Lithuania’s largest rivers: the Nemunas (German: Memel) and the Neris border the peninsula, where, in fine weather, you can walk to the ruins of Kaunas’s medieval castle.
Kaunas’s roughly 360,000 residents are proud of their castle, where Mindaugas was crowned the first Lithuanian king in 1254. For this reason, celebrations featuring music, fairs and historical theatrical performances are held every year on 6 July. In the Middle Ages, the Lithuanian population built numerous castles and fortresses along the Memel to form a defensive line against attacks by the Teutonic Knights. This strategy proved successful: unlike some cities in neighbouring Latvia and Estonia, Kaunas was never occupied by the Teutonic Knights. Although the German knights were never able to capture Kaunas, they did transport goods along the Nemunas. This is commemorated to this day by the so-called Hanseatic Days: every August, a fair stretches for about 2,000 metres along the river and lasts a week and a half.
Kaunas is an ideal destination for a city break in 2010. Anyone wanting to learn more about the Baltic States and their history will be making the right choice with a city break in Kaunas.