In the Foo Tsteps of V Ic Tories
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Aukštaičių g. 39 12 km 33 6 km 10 9 5 km 4 km 43 11 31 32 19 51 THE CITY OF Jonavos g. 3 km 3 km 5 km Aukštaičių g. CHAMPIONS Žalioji g. Aušros g. Savanorių pr. 18 Žemaičių g. Jonavos g. V. Putvinskio g. K. Petrausko g. 44 A. Mackevičiaus g. 5 Radastų g. Kauko al. Benediktinių g. Šv. Gertrūdos g. A. Jakšto g. Maironio g. 46 K. Donelaičio g. A. Mickevičiaus g. A. Mackevičiaus g. 25 Savanorių pr. 8 Šv. Gertrūdos g. Gedimino g. Papilio g. 24 17 Kumelių g. E. Ožeškienės g. 4 Parodos g. M. Valančiaus g. A. Mapu g. Laisvės al. 22 15 16 Laisvės al. 7 45 Laisvės al. 13 Vilniaus g. J. Gruodžio g. 47 3 Vilniaus g. Rotušės a. 45 Nemuno g. 6 2 45 49 26 48 53 Santakos g. 14 20 D. Poškos g. Kęstučio g. Birštono g. Maironio g. M. Daukšos g. 52 Kęstučio g. Muitinės g. Kurpių g. Smalininkų g. 54 DaukantoS. g. Muziejaus g. T. Daugirdo g. Nemuno g. A. Mickevičiaus g. Gedimino g. Aleksoto g. Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. L. Zamenhofo g. I. Kanto g. Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. Druskininkų g. 21 50 42 16 km Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. Miško g. 38 1 ŽALGIRIO ARENA 7 ARVYDAS SABONIS’ HOME Perkūno al. Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50 Vytauto pr. Vytauto The largest multifunctional arena in the Baltic While it might be difficult to be the second-coming of Arvydas Sabonis, there’s still an opportunity to live in g. Trakų states and the home of the legendary Žalgiris 23 Vaižganto g. basketball team and its’ sea of thousands of fans. his shoes. As long as you can cough up the money, of Attendance records have been broken here, mo- course. Sabonis’ house in Žaliakalnis, built in 1991 and 37 mentous victories have been reached. This is the reconstructed in 2009, is for sale. If you’d finally decide to leave a palace like that, you could just put your slip- go-to place for a true spectacle of basketball, and 4 km 36 fans from all over Lithuania and abroad will be pers on and head to the game in the Sports Hall, much 34 like Arvydas. 35 there to attest to it. It is also a venue for the top 40 artists and musicians from all over the world and 2.5 km 1 hosts a number of different types of events. 2.5 km 2 km Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 1 41 8 KAUNAS TENNIS CLUB Vytauto pr. Bažnyčios g. Sporto g. 3 15 SANTAKA PARK 22 RŪTA MEILUTYTĖ LIME TREE 29 MONUMENTAL STONE TO THE KAUNAS SPORTS HALL Established in 1924 and brought back to life in 1989, the Laisvės al. 12 2 In the birthplace of Kaunas, where Nemunas and Neris OLYMPIANS Perkūno al. 5 Kaunas tennis club is one of the oldest organizations in Karo Ligoninės g. 4 km Just two weeks after Rūta Meilutytė’s fifteenth birthday, she A. Juozapavičiaus pr. (next to house 87) Girstupio g. Lithuania. Tennis was brought to the country around meet, you will meet people running or exercising at any The legendary sports hall came into existence at a struck gold in the 2012 London Olympics. In her honor, the the year 1900 by Count Tiškevičius, as the first court was time of the year. There is also a ramp for extreme sports record-breaking pace, as it was built in half a year citizens of Kaunas planted a lime tree right in front of a mon- After returning from Lithuania‘s debut at the 1924 Olym- built in Astravas manor. enthusiasts, the Lithuanian Sports Museum and the loca- before the 1939 EuroBasket. Some of the greatest tion of the planned House of Basketball. The sports aura ument to Grand Duke Vytautas the Great. Look down when pic Games in Paris, the athletes planted an oak in Šančiai. Šiaulių g. basketball victories in Lithuanian history were in Santakos Park is also complemented by artistic inclu- you’re in search of it, the tree is marked with a special plaque. Despite the fact that no medals were brought back home, Kaunakiemio g. achieved here, both during the First Republic pe- sions, with a sculpture of an old-style weight designed and they paved the way for future generations and were com- riod and during the Soviet occupation. The Žalgiris sculpted by Tadas Vosylius. The half-meter weight lays memorated 84 years later. The author of the monument legend was nurtured between these walls, and once stone is Arvydas Rymeikis. 9 NATIONAL FOOTBALL ACADEMY there with a weight of a ton. 23 the renovation is complete, it will continue hosting Aukštaičių g. 51 SIMONAS DAUKANTAS BRIDGE basketball, futsal and handball competitions. The monumental pedestrian bridge connecting the center Besides training budding talents, this is the go-to place LITHUANIAN AVIATION MUSEUM for professional and amateur teams in Kaunas to train. of Kaunas and the Nemunas Island was built in 1988 when 35 16 HOUSE OF BASKETBALL Lithuania had not yet regained its independence. Neverthe- 30 ŽALGIRIS KAUNAS YACHT CLUB Veiverių g. 132 The renovation of the academy in 2009 was completed Santakos park R. Kalantos g. 124 by unveiling the Lithuanian footballer sculpture. Right less, from the very beginning the bridge was decorated with Nearly 20 thousand exhibits help us appreciate the rich his- The pantheon of Lithuanian basketball is still on the symbols of our statehood. On the 4th of July in 1996 pilot Jur- 27 S. DARIUS IR S. GIRĖNAS beside the stadium, in Petras Vileišis square, stands a Did you know that Kaunas’ first yacht club operated in tory of our country’s aviation, both military, civilian and 3 composition called Festival, marking the location of the drawing board, but it is planned that this modern and gis Kairys legally flew under a bridge for the first time in the the very center of the city, on the Nemunas Island? After sportive. The museum is located in Lithuania’s oldest aero- STADIUM first Lithuanian Song Festival, held in 1924. majestic building will accommodate all the past and fu- world. He repeated his flight four years later, this time upside all, during the interwar period this was the location of a drome and draws in with exhibits such as ladybug-like glider M. K. Čiurlionio8 g.km Perkūno al. 5 ture basketball victories and will emerge in Santakos Park down. Right after his accomplishment, the pilot met up with winter port. Once the Kaunas Reservoir emerged with the inside or the steel birds outside of the exhibition. As soon as the stadium’s renovation is com- by 2020. Formula-1 pilot Mika Hakkinen on the bridge itself. damming of Nemunas, sails soon became an integral part 30 plete, Kaunas will boast a stadium of the highest of Kaunas’ landscape. (fourth) UEFA category. The historic stadium was first opened in 1925 and reconstructed soon after. KAUNAS BALTŲ AINIAI ICE 10 17 ANTANAS MARTINAITIS SCHOOL 36 JURGIS DOBKEVIČIUS In 1936, the first international football game was RINK PROGYMNASIUM played, as Lithuania defeated Estonia 2:0. It was the Aušros g. 42C OF ART 24 V. ADAMKUS PRESIDENTIAL Šv. Gertrūdos g. 33 31 KAUNAS SPORTS SCHOOL GAJA V. Čepinskio g. 7 host venue for the first Lithuanian National Olym- LIBRARY-MUSEUM Partizanų g. 180 Lithuania’s best figure skaters Povilas Vanagas and Mar- 28 piad and has hosted the World Lithuanian Games, The building of Antanas Martinatis School of Art has seen S. Daukanto g. 25 Jurgis Dobkevičius was still very young when he became Lieu- garita Drobiazko started their career in Žaliakalnis. It Kaunas’ largest sports school teaches as many as 15 sports: tenant and took the reigns of the Air Squadron. He was the World Lithuanian Song and Dance festival, Baltic everything throughout its’ years since being built in the The future President of Lithuania lived in Žaliakalnis during 2 km continues developing children who are looking to be- badminton, boxing, cycling, judo, fencing, wrestling, ori- first to carry out the death loop and constructed three planes. Sea Sports Games, European Athletics Champion- 18th century. In March, 1927 it marked the start of Lithu- the interwar period. As a kid, he was fascinated by the basket- come ice skaters or hockey players. Curling is also being enteering, table tennis, skeet shooting… The school’s his- Unfortunately, the third one ended up being a fatal plane for ships, the meeting of Pope John Paul II, Europe- anian table tennis history. Lithuania’s first game of table ball games in Kaunas Sports Hall, to which he would some- played here. Until the new arena comes to fruition, it is tory dates back to 1951, when a Complex Sports School for him. Dobkevičius died testing it in the Aleksotas aerodrome. an U19 Football Championship. Among the most tennis, organized by the Jewish sports association Makabi, times sneak in without a ticket. As he was in Germany during also the home of the Kaunas Hockey team. Children and Youth was established here. The next page A progymnasium nearby the crash site was named in his memorable football events were the Lithuanian was played here. A memorial plaque on the facade of the the war, he won a number of medals in the Games of the 29 1 km in the book dates to 1963, when the School of Sports Ex- honor and holds a memorial museum and a memorial stone National Team’s games against France and Spain, school marks the occasion. Suppressed Nations. You can get to know more about Valdas and FBK Kaunas’ pairing with Glasgow Rangers.