Photo: Kaunofortas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kauno tvirtovės VII fortas

The last brick fort of the Kaunas Fortress, on Žaliakalnis, where a concentration camp operated in 1941; guided tours and educational programmes are offered.

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About the museum

The Kauno tvirtovės VII fortas (Fort VII of the Kaunas Fortress) is on Žaliakalnis, opposite the Kaunas Clinics. It was the last brick fort of the Kaunas Fortress, built in the era of the Russian Empire. The fort's structure is asymmetrical, its barracks are smaller than those of the other forts, and its distinctive feature is four casemates for guns beneath the traverse. During the First World War the fort was not shelled, and in 1915 German troops entered it without resistance.

From 1924 to 1940 the Central State Archives (Centralinis valstybės archyvas) operated in the fort, and the adaptation project was prepared by the architect Vladimiras Dubeneckis. At the end of June 1941 a concentration camp was set up in the fort, where between 3,000 and 5,000 people, most of them Jews from Kaunas, were murdered by 10 August. Later, Soviet prisoners of war were held here, and during the Soviet period the fort was used by the army.

In 2009 the fort was transferred to the public institution “Karo paveldo centras” (Military Heritage Centre). The fort opened to visitors on 2 June 2011. It is now used for cultural, scientific and public activities: museum exhibitions are being created in the barrack casemates, guided tours are offered, and educational programmes and living history events are held.