Kaunas

The city's name is of Lithuanian origin and most likely derives from a personal name, however the exact person is unknown and it is believed that he was the ruler of Kaunas Castle. The personal name Kaunas is derived from an adjective kaunus which means "who likes to fight". Other possible meaning of the name of the city of Kaunas is that it is derived from an old adjective which is not in use anymore and which meant "deep", "low", "located in the valley". Before Lithuania regained independence, the city was generally known in English as Kovno, the traditional Slavicized form of its name. The Polish name is Kowno [ˈkɔvnɔ], and the names in Belarusian include Koўна (Kowna [ˈkou̯nɐ]) and Каўнас (Kawnas [ˈkau̯nɐs]). The Yiddish name is קאָװנע Kovne, and the names in German include Kaunas and Kauen. On Carta marina from 1539, the city was named Cavm. …

According to the archeological excavations, the richest collections of ceramics and other artifacts found at the confluence of the Nemunas and the Neris rivers are from the second and first millennium BC. During that time, people settled in some territories of the present Kaunas: the confluence of the two longest rivers of Lithuania area, Eiguliai, Lampėdžiai, Linkuva, Kaniūkai, Marvelė, Pajiesys, Romainiai, Petrašiūnai, Sargėnai, and Veršvai sites. A settlement was established on the site of what is now Kaunas Old Town, at the confluence of two large rivers, by at latest the 10th century AD and more settlements developed in the 11th century AD. Kaunas was first mentioned in written sources in 1361 and at the end of the 13th century the brick Kaunas Castle was constructed to defend the residents from attacks by the Teutonic Order. …

The city covers 15,700 hectares. Parks, groves, gardens, nature reserves, and agricultural areas occupy 8,329 hectares. The city follows in suit of the country and is lowland. Kaunas is known for its landscape complexes of rivers and stream valleys as the city is located at the confluence of Neris and Nemunas rivers. In Kaunas there are 16 urban parks (Ąžuolyno, A.Šančių ąžuolynas, Dainavos, Draugystės, Kalniečių, Santakos, Vilijos, Nepriklausomybės, Santarvės, Marvos dvaro, Girstupio, Gričiupio, Kovo 11-osios, Neries krantinės, Antakalnio g., Sargėnų dvaro) which total territory is 1080 hectares. Moreover, there are three forest parks (Panemunės, Kleboniškio, Lampėdžių), three landscape reserves (Jiesios, Veršvos, Nevėžio), one regional park (Kauno Marios Regional Park), five teriological reserves, and one ornithological reserve. …

Following the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387 which marked the Lithuanians' shift from the Lithuanian paganism to Catholicism, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great in ~1400 had funded the establishment of the Church of Vytautas the Great to possibly give thanks to the God for saving his life during the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Subsequently, in a period before 1413, Vytautas the Great established a parish church of St. Peter which in the 15th century already had the highest status in Kaunas and is the basis of the Cathedral Basilica of Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. In 1471, the Church of St. …

The Kaunas Mint produced coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 17 October 1665 to 15 January 1667 during the reign of Grand Duke John II Casimir Vasa. During the interwar period, the Kaunas Mint was reestablished in 1936 and produced coins of the Republic of Lithuania. Kaunas is a large center of industry, trade, and services in Lithuania. The most developed industries in Kaunas are amongst the food and beverage industries, textile and light industries, chemical industry, publishing and processing, pharmaceuticals, metal industry, wood processing and furniture industry. Recently information technology and electronics have become part of the business activities taking place in Kaunas. In addition, the city also has large construction industry which includes, but is not limited to commercial, housing and road construction. …

Kaunas International Airport (KUN) is the second-busiest airport in Lithuania and the fourth-busiest airport in the Baltic states. In 2016, it handled 740,448 passengers (in addition to 2,488 tons of cargo), down from the peak of 872,618 passengers in 2011. Irish low-cost airline Ryanair announced Kaunas Airport as their 40th base and first in Central Europe in February 2010. The smaller S. Darius and S. Girėnas Airport, established in 1915, is located about three kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the city centre. It is one of the oldest still functioning airports in Europe used for tourism and air sports purposes and now hosts the Lithuanian Aviation Museum. Kaunas bus station went through a major renovation and reopened in 2017. The bus station services domestic and international bus lines. After reconstruction, the bus station has multiple shops and cafes. …