Maironis was the pen name of Kaunas priest and poet Jonas Mačiulis (1862–1932) whose writings helped to awaken the country’s nationalist longings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Stalin banned his works.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.3 MILES
Lithuania's dark 20th-century history is poignantly told here, 7km north of Kaunas. Begin in the sombre, church-like gallery with striking stained glass…
MK Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
1.08 MILES
One of Lithuania's oldest and grandest galleries, Kaunas' leading art museum (founded 1921) is the place to acquaint yourself with the dreamlike paintings…
27.25 MILES
Housed inside a former 18th-century Carmelite monastery, this is a particularly thorough introduction to the history of the region and the town. Displays…
1.94 MILES
Kaunas-based Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara (1900–86) saved around 6000 Jewish lives between 1939 and 1940, issuing transit visas to stranded Polish…
1.07 MILES
This museum is devoted to the Devil, Lucifer, Satan, the fallen angel, the seducer, the cajoler, with over 3000 statuettes, carvings, masks and other…
0.83 MILES
Artist Vytenis Jakas moved into this courtyard over a decade ago and turned it into an ever-evolving art project, creating murals and transferring onto…
0.77 MILES
Built in 1871, the only functioning synagogue of those that survived since 1941, and one of the few remnants of Kaunas' once-strong Jewish community, this…
5.67 MILES
Built by Camaldolese monks in the 17th century, this striking baroque monastery lies 9km east of central Kaunas, on a promontory jutting into the Kauno…
Nearby Kaunas attractions
1. Maironis Lithuanian Literary Museum
0.02 MILES
Even travellers unenthused by turn-of-the-20th-century literature will be enchanted by this museum dedicated to Lithuanian luminary Maironis (aka Jonas…
0.05 MILES
Features Lithuanian ceramics and porcelain from the 20th century and earlier periods, and often houses temporary exhibitions.
0.05 MILES
Old Town's tallest tower (53m) rises from Kaunas' Town Hall, an elegant white layer-cake of a building. Built in the mid-16th century, the hall has served…
4. St Francis Xavier Church & Monastery
0.06 MILES
The southern side of Rotušės aikštė is dominated by rosy-pink late-Baroque facade of the St Francis Xavier Church, college and Jesuit monastery complex…
0.07 MILES
The western side of Rotušės aikštė is filled by the late-Renaissance (1624–34), terracotta-roofed Holy Trinity Church.
0.1 MILES
With ornate arches and turrets rippling from its brick facade, this late-15th-century mansion is a treasure of Kaunas' late-Gothic architecture. Built by…
0.11 MILES
This 15th-century church and monastery has been ruined and rebuilt several times over the centuries, and served both Napoleon and the Soviets as a…
8. Medicine & Pharmaceutical History Museum
0.13 MILES
Dating back to the 1930s, this fun museum details the progress of medical science in Lithuania over the centuries. There are also expositions on…