Meet the Middle Ages
BackKaunas
Kaunas lies in central Lithuania. Since it lies on the River Niemen it is an important port. Kaunas is mentioned in scriptures from the 11th century but was not granted a town charter until 1408. Earlier, there had been a stronghold here, and in the 14th century Kaunas was in the middle of the war between Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights. During the Middle Ages flax and fur was exported from Kaunas.
In the 16th century, Kaunas became a part of the unified Poland-Lithuania. When Poland was divided in 1795, Kaunas became Russian.
Many have fought over Kaunas in our century as well. In 1920 Kaunas became the capital of free Lithuania, only to be occupied in 1940 by Soviet troops and from 1941 to 1944 , by German soldiers. Between 1945 and 1991, Kaunas belonged to the Soviet Republic of Lithuania, but is now once again the capital of independent Lithuania.