39 SLABODKA 26 YESHIVA VILIJAMPOLĖ Vaisių g. Aukštaičių g. JEWISH ŽALIAKALNIS CEMETERY 29 SYNAGOGUE PETRAS ŽALIAKALNIS 24 BAUBLYS g. Linkuvos 40 JEWISH NINTH ESTHER 43 STOLPERSTEINE CEMETERY 5,6 km 1,5 km THE LITVAK g. Lopšelio 37 FORT 18 LURIE (1913-1998) 19 1 km Aušros g. LANDSCAPE K. Petrausko g. Žalioji g. 1 km Savanorių pr. SEVENTH Raudondvario pl. Panerių g. 36 FORT EPHRAIM OSHRY (1914–2003) Žemaičių g. EMMANUEL Jurbarko g. 8 LEVINAS RABBI (1906-1995) 23 14 ZALMAN V. Putvinskio g. 25 OSOVSKY A. Kriščiukaičio g. A. Mackevičiaus g. LEON Savanorių pr. 5 BRAMSON SOFIJA (1869-1941) KIPRAS PETRAUSKAS BINKIENĖ Kauko al. and ELENA and KAZYS PETRAUSKIENĖ BINKIS Šv. Gertrūdos g. Benediktinių g. E. Ožeškienės g. 42 YARD GALLERY K. Donelaičio g. Maironio g. Radastų g. A. Mackevičiaus g. AVRAHAM CHORAL TORY 17 A. Jakšto g. A. MARTINAITIS 27 SYNAGOGUE K. Donelaičio (1909-2002)g. 35 ART SCHOOL HASIDIC 43 STOLPERSTEINE BIKUR CHOLIM Perkūno al. JEWISH 28 SYNAGOGUE 32 Gedimino g. HOSPITAL ABRAHAM MAPU 1,2 km 1 (1808–1867) KAUNAS 6 Papilio g. JEWISH CHIUNE EMMA 8 A. Mickevičiaus g. GYMNASIUM 21 SUGIHARA GOLDMAN THE BUTCHERS JEWISH (1900-1986) (1869-1940) Kumelių g. 45 SYNAGOGUE 30 BANK KAUNAS MOISHE M. Valančiaus g. STATE 44 15 HOFMEKLER ARCHIVE (1898–1965) ANATOLIJUS 22 COUNTY Laisvės al. ROZENBLIUMAS 10 34 COURT Parodos g. (1902-1973) Vilniaus g. 9 20 KAZYS GRINIUS 16 Laisvės al. Vilniaus g. and KRISTINA J. Gruodžio g. GRINIUVIENĖ A. Mapu g. 2 11 43 STOLPERSTEINE TOWN HALL Nemuno g. Rotušės a. Vilniaus g. JAN DANIEL ZWARTENDIJK POMERANZ M. Daukšos g. DANIELIUS (1886-1976) Santakos g. g. Palangos DOLSKIS (1904–1981) Birštono g. RABBI YITZCHAK NURSING ELCHANAN 33 HOUSE D. Poškos g. Kęstučio g. (1891–1931) NEEMIJA SPEKTOR ARBITBLATAS/ DR. (1817–1896) CHAIM ARBIT BLATAS 7 ELCHANAN Muitinės g. 13 NACHMAN Kęstučio g. (1908–1999) ELKES I. Kanto g. ŠAPIRO 3 Maironio g. (1879–1944) OZE HEALTH (1894–1943) 31 HOUSE Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. L. Zamenhofo g. LEAH T. Daugirdo g. Aleksoto g. 12 GOLDBERG LUDWIK LAZARUS (1911-1970) ZAMENHOF Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 8 (1859-1917) Druskininkų g. A. Mickevičiaus g. S. DaukantoS. g. Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. Spaustuvininkų g. Miško g. Trakų g. Vaižganto g. EMMANUEL 43 STOLPERSTEINE LEVINAS (1906-1995) FROM KOVNO KOVNO Gedimino g. Vytauto pr. Vytauto H. ir O. Minkovskių g. CHIUNE 21 SUGIHARA TO KAUNAS (1900-1986) 4 HERMANN MINKOWSKI (1864-1909) AND OSKAR KAUNAS MINKOWSKI (1858-1931) Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. Welcome to Kaunas, or Kovno, as this might be the name you are more Bažnyčios g. used to hear. Kovno was very different 80 or 90 years ago from what THE FUTURE ALEKSOTAS 38 JEWISH Vytauto pr. Kaunas is today. Back then, it was the provisional capital of Lithuania, CEMETERY Karo Ligoninės g. a new country on the map that had declared its independence in 1918. Correct things take time to Girstupio g. The economics was growing and many other factors were actually happen and the time has already the same as they are now. The streets were the same as today, a lot INTERNATIONAL CENTRE Kaunakiemio g. come. With this map, we are FOR LITVAK PHOTOGRAPHY of the houses were the same, it was lively and full of people. But it H. ir O. Minskovskių g. was a different city. The landscape was different. The ambience was inviting you to visit Kaunas. Come litvakphoto.org facebook.com/litvakphoto different. Music, theatre, cafes, private businesses and factories, here, touch the history, meet the CHIUNE The International Centre for Litvak Photography is a 21 SUGIHARA schools and universities. Still here today but different. residents of today, shake hands, politically and religiously independent organisation that (1900-1986) share ideas, point out what else uses photography as a way of remembering and preserving Due to various circumstances, both local and global, it’s only now that can be done, and think about the immense diversity of Litvak history and culture. Run by we are starting to finally assemble the puzzle that was left after the someone who’s neither Jewish nor Lithuanian, its portfolio possible means to continue what of original projects includes everything from commissioning Second World War and the Holocaust and then frozen by the Soviet a 75-year-long piece of music commemorating the 75th Occupation of the country. It took a couple of decades following the was brutally destroyed more than anniversary of the establishment of the Kaunas Ghetto to PANEMUNĖ 5 km M. K. Čiurlionio g. 41 JEWISH restoration of our independence to accept the history and to once 75 years ago. That would be very organising unusual photography walks to a long-term plan CEMETERY again remind ourselves it cannot be repeated. to buy an abandoned synagogue and return it to the city as kaunastic of you. a world-class centre of memory, culture and education. BEFORE THE HOLOCAUST THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF LITHUANIA MACEVA / THE IT’S KAUNASTIC www.lzb.lt facebook.com/kaunastic Approximately 37 thousand Jews lived in Kaunas in 1933 – that’s about 25% of the LITVAK CEMETERY population. In the interwar period, there were about 40 synagogues and prayer houses, The Jewish national rebirth in Lithuania coincided with the Lithuanian struggle for CATALOGUE The Litvak Landscape is part of as well as a great number schools, in the city. The community was deeply involved liberation from Soviet occupation. On August 25, 1988, it was officially decided to create litvak-cemetery.info the It’s Kaunastic project started in the cultural, political and social life of Kaunas. Jewish people were merchants, real a Lithuanian Jewish Cultural Society; the founding meeting took place on March 5, 1989. in 2015. The idea sprung off a estate contractors, doctors, engineers, factory owners, craftsmen, shoemakers, tailors, The mission of the Community is to unite the Litvaks around the world, to celebrate A small group of dedicated individuals involved word play turning “fantastic” into in maintaining and documenting, through musicians, painters… Anything you can name, really. A huge number of buildings Jewishness and to preserve the Litvak culture. The Chairwoman of The Jewish Commu- “kaunastic”. The project, consisting THE LITVAK LANDSCAPE IS, TO START WITH, A MAP included in today’s list of cultural heritage were either designed, constructed, contracted, nity of Lithuania is Faina Kukliansky. photographs, the last remaining Jewish of printed maps offering different owned, or lived by the members of the community. The first private art gallery, the cemeteries in Lithuania, established a non- routes (the Sugihara route, Baltic MIXING DIFFERENT CHAPTERS AND LAYERS OF THE HIS- first recordings of Lithuanian music, the first Olympian of Lithuania or the best sports governmental, non-profit organization called history, gastronomic guide and the TORY OF KAUNAS. IT CONNECTS PEOPLE AND THEIR arena in Europe and many other achievements – none of this would have been possible THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF KAUNAS “Maceva” in 2011. The Litvak cemetery catalogue likes), a blog and its social media IDEAS, BUILDINGS AND THEIR RESIDENTS, LITVAKS AND without the people we have included in the Litvak Landscape. is available online for those looking for profiles, reflects the vivid history LITHUANIANS, THE PAST AND THE PRESENT – AND IT’S Led by Gercas Žakas, the local Jewish community preserves the Litvak culture and information about the resting places of their and today of Kaunas and is aimed celebrates the most important Jewish days. Members of the community organize and loved ones. “Maceva” is actively involved in the at the international audience. ALSO INVITING TO COLLABORATE IN THE FUTURE. THE KAUNAS GHETTO attend various cultural events as well as initiate the remembrance of events and people restoration of the Žaliakalnis Jewish cemetery. important in the history of the Jewish community in Kaunas and Lithuania. AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, NAMES, As it was mentioned before, around 37 thousand Jews lived in Kaunas before the second PROFESSIONS, DEEDS, DATES AND EVENTS, SCATTERED world war. Only around 3000 of them survived. The Kaunas Ghetto in the Slabodka district, a neighbourhood inhabited by Jews for AROUND IN BOOKS, ARCHIVES, NEWSPAPERS AND many centuries, was officially established on August 15th, 1941, a couple of months after TOURISM INFORMATION WEBPAGES, WERE DISCOVERED WHEN COMPILING THE the Kaunas pogrom during which more than 3000 people were killed. 10 thousand people THE SUGIHARA HOUSE “KAUNAS IN” LIST OF THE STOPS IN THE ROUTE – AND THE PROCESS from the ghetto were murdered in the Ninth Fort on October 29th of the same year. The www.sugiharahouse.com WAS HEART-BREAKING, TO SAY THE LEAST, AT TIMES. Rotušės a. 15, Kaunas | +370 616 50991 ghetto was turned into a concentration camp in Autumn 1943. It was burned in July 1944. IT WASN’T POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING THAT IS Around 5000 people were transferred to concentration camps and only a few hundred One of the stops in the map is The Sugihara House-Museum at the former Japanese [email protected] | visit.kaunas.lt managed to escape. Consulate in the Žaliakalnis district. It’s definitely a very good place to start if it’s #kaunastic #visitkaunas #kaunas2022 OUT THERE, BUT THE PREPARATION DEFINITELY LAID It was one of the longest-running ghettoes in Lithuania. It was also the most photographed your first attempt to clean some dust off history books or your first visit to Kaunas. GROUND FOR A BIGGER PROJECT SOMETIME IN THE one in Europe. The director of the museum, Simonas Dovidavičius, contributed greatly to the Litvak FUTURE. The archives of the Kaunas ghetto Jewish police are kept in the Central State Archive of Landscape project as if it was his own and we can’t be thankful enough for everything Lithuania.