Kaunas Ninth Fort
A nineteenth-century fortress on the edge of Kaunas, kept as a memorial and museum, with a large concrete monument above it.
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The Ninth Fort was built between 1902 and 1913 as the last of a ring of forts defending Kaunas, and it is the best preserved of them. During the 1940s it was used as a killing site, and it has been kept since as a memorial. The old brick casemates and cells are open, a museum building holds the documentation, and a concrete monument of 1984, thirty-two metres high, stands on the ridge above the fort.
What you actually see
- The memorial - the vast concrete monument to the victims on the field above.
- The fort and cells - the tsarist fortress and the prison rooms.
- The museum - the exhibition on the killings and the occupations.
- The killing fields - the ground where the murders took place.
When to go
Year-round; it is a place for reflection rather than a season. Allow time and come in a frame of mind for a heavy, important visit.
Honest expectations
This is a Holocaust and occupation memorial, deeply sombre, and not a conventional sightseeing stop - go prepared for its weight. It sits on the edge of the city, a short trip out. Treat the whole site, especially the killing fields, with the gravity it demands.
Nearby
Central Kaunas and its modernist architecture are a short ride back; the Sugihara House tells a related story of rescue.
What to pack for Kaunas Ninth Fort
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
