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Kaunas Castle is standing on a low hill state fought with the German Order and of Kaunas, as this name was first mentioned a march to the confluence of the Nemunas at the confluence of the rivers Nemunas the crusaders from Europe invited by it. In in the contemporaries’ texts. and Neris rivers. On reaching by vessels and and Neris. Its history is closely related with the 14th century, the German Order, having In 1361 Kaunas Castle still was totally land the environs of Kaunas, the Teutonic the history of the city of Kaunas, but the conquered Prussia, was invading Lithuania. new, possibly not even finished to construct. Knights clashed with the Lithuanians, lead Castle is slightly older. In the environs of One of the crucial directions of this invasion It was a castellum-type castle characteristic by Kęstutis, scattered them, and laid siege to the confluence the oldest traces of human was along the banks of the river Nemunas of Lithuania. It was built in a strategically Kaunas Castle on March 13. It was assaulted life date back to the 10th–9th millennium deep into Lithuania. Therefore Lithuanian important location and was supposed to several times using siege machinery. The B.C. Here wandered small communities of rulers strengthened the castles on the banks guard on the western side the core of the state Castle’s garrison, commanded by Kęstutis’ people hunting reindeers. A few thousand of the Nemunas and created their network. from probably the most dangerous enemy, the son Duke Vaidotas, stood at bay, sometimes years had passed before people here began Here stood the wooden Kolainiai, Veliuona, Teutonic Knights. The Castle, built at the went out of the castle to defend its forework leading a sedentary lifestyle. The environs of Pieštvė (Seredžius), Paštuva, Bisena and other turn of the 50’s and 60’s of the 14th century, towers, and hand-to-hand fighting would boil the confluence are scattered with hill-forts castles. Time and again, the Teutonic Knights was the first masonry one. Shortly afterwards, up. And yet on the eve of Easter on April 16, dating the 2nd–13th c.c., ample graveyards; launched attacks on them. The German Order masonry Krėva, Lyda, Medininkai castellum- one of the Castle’s walls fell pounded by the also, settlements are found. However, a lot of built its castles on the Nemunas, too. They type castles and wooden Eišiškių and Rodūnė attackers: the Knights invaded the Castle and time had elapsed before a castle or a sizeable were supposed to serve as its strongholds – castles were built that, like Kaunas Castle, its defenders did not withstand the invasion. settlement appeared here. like the castles of Georgenburg, Bayerburg, were supposed to guard the core of the state. Majority were killed, a few dozen were taken It was only in the mid-14th century that Mergenburg, etc., but it was not always that Kaunas Castle was highly inconvenient prisoners. great changes took place. The Lithuanian the Lithuanians hurried to demolish them for the German Order and in the spring The Lithuanians did not defend their new quickly. The Lithuania–Teutonic Knights of 1362, having summoned its abundant defense outpost from the Teutonic Knights; battlefield in the first half of the 14th century crusaders from different European lands Kaunas Castle turned into debris. It was a was approaching the confluence without and pooled its forces, the Order set off on great win of the German Order, which was restraint. Herald Wigand of Marburg of the German Reconstruction of the first Kaunas Castle in late 1361-early 1362 (drawing by V. Trečiokienė) Order described in his chronicle under the date 1361 one reconnaissance march of the Teutonic Knights as follows:”On order and permission by the senior officers, brother Henry of Schoningen [departed] with the masters sent to him to reconnoitre and establish the thickness, depth and height of Kaunas Castle and of its masonry, to erect machines, wall-breaking machinery, etc., and to communicate the data to the Master, as preparation for an assault on Kaunas next winter”. It is obvious that at the confluence, where just recently had been a small settlement, stood a masonry castle the name of which was Kaunas. The date 1361 is notable in the history state affairs. The earliest date of Vytautas’ 2/3 of the Castle’s brickwork and yard was 50 LITAS COIN DEDICATED LITHUANIAN visit in Kaunas recorded in sources is 24 May flooded away by the river). When Kaunas was TO THE KAUNAS CASTLE 1384. He paid visits regularly here, alone or occupied by the Russians in 1655 and retaken with Jogaila. by the Lithuanians in 1662, no more fights (FROM THE SERIES “HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTORS Vytautas’ successors visited Kaunas Castle took place in the Castle. MONUMENTS OF LITHUANIA”) on increasingly rarer occasions; it became the The Castle as it was stood until 1930. COINS centre of one of the State’s administrative- Then, commemorating the supposedly Silver Ag 925 territorial units, Kaunas Powiat. It was 900th anniversary of the city of Kaunas, the Quality proof the place of residence of elder of Kaunas; private buildings that stood in the yard of Diameter 38.61 mm occasionally, a sovereign’s court would arrive. the Castle were demolished, the ditches were Weight 28.28 g One of the Castle’s purposes became cleaned out, and the debris was taken The edge of the coin: a prison for nobles and war away. Scientific archaeological ISTORIJOS IR ARCHITEKTŪROS PAMINKLAI Kaunas Castle – Lithuanians’ (HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS OF LITHUANIA) Kaunas at the beginning of the 17th century. Engraving by T. Makowski captives. In the early 16th research started (1926 – Designed by Giedrius Paulauskis bastion in wars with the century, the Tartar Arkadijus Preisas, 1930 – Mintage 10.000 pcs Teutonic Knights, a witness described in all its chronicles and Livonian Kaunas elders, but also Lithuanian rulers khan Shih Ahmat, Eduardas Volteris, Issue 2008 to the historical destiny of the chronicles, and also appeared in German who paid frequent visits to Kaunas, as well captives of wars with 1938 – A. Virbickas). Lithuanian state, security and chronicles. as for different envoys to stay at. One of the the Russian State, The Castle’s research adornment of Kaunas At the turn of the 14th–15th c.c. Lithuania Castle’s wall towers could be adapted for including those taken work was renewed and the German Order began normalizing living, possibly even more than one. There in the famous Battle f rom 195 4 . T he their relationship. In 1404, Jogaila and were four of them in the Castle. It is known of Orsha in 1513 were major contributor to Vytautas concluded the Treaty of Raciąž. that the south–eastern tower was rounded, imprisoned here. the work was Karolis While the wars did not end yet, there were south–western – quadrangle and both of The Castle’s defensive Mekas, and from the last no battles near Kaunas until 1655. Wars them were four–storeyed. Upon completion qualities became a focus of decades of the 20th century began to be replaced by trading. While there of construction the Castle was adapted for concern in the mid-16th century, when – Algirdas Žalnierius. In the 1950’s, Information is available at the Bank of Lithuania was no peace until the victory in the Battle withstanding the most up-to-date in those a military conflict about Livonia matured the remnants of the Castle were subject Tel. +370 5 268 0316 of Grunwald in 1410 and Kaunas Castle was times wall breaking technique. and broke up quickly, and preparations were to conservation according to the project Fax +370 5 268 0314 rebuilt in the 1400’s, a garrison of 600 soldiers The quickly built Castle was not attacked made for a possible invasion of the Russians. of the architect Žibartas Simanavičius www.lb.lt was already stationed in it in 1409. by the enemy in the 15th century. After the It was namely at that time that a round wall (Simonaitis). New walls of the Castle were erected on Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the German enclosing the south-eastern tower was erected, The ruins of Kaunas Castle and its restored the foundations of the old one, thickened Order did not march to Lithuania any more. the width of which at the foundation was south-eastern tower loom reminding us of the The coin was minted at the to 3–3.5 metres and lifted to over 10 metres. Assumingly, when all dangers passed, the 4 metres, the height – 10 metres. Between Lithuanians’ fights with the Teutonic Knights, UAB Lithuanian Mint The walls were thickened by widening the Castle was given less care, but in the 15-16th the tower and this wall a firing gallery was the heroic defense of the Castle in 1362, and www.lithuanian-mint.lt foundations outwards, as the intention c.c. it was looked after, repaired, and care was installed. the Lithuanian rulers who visited it. Lithuanian Collectors Coins was not to diminish the yard of the Castle. taken of its environment. As the defensive However, attention to the Castle soon The latter was supposed to accommodate functions of Kaunas Castle gradually faded; it was derelict. In the 1600’s, the river Dr. Zigmantas Kiaupa © Lietuvos bankas, 2008 Photographs by Rolandas Ginaitis and Rimantas Kraujalis (Department of Cultural Heritage under not only living premises, warehouses, but weakened, its other purposes became more Neris flooded a large part of it (by 1930, about the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania) Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr.

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