When the Nazis took control of Lithuania in July 1941, they forced the Jews of Kėdainiai, Šėta and Žeimiai communities to move into a closed ghetto. On 28 August 1941, the vast majority – 2076 Jews – was brutally murdered here and dumped in the ravine. Today the spot is marked by a metal board, imprinted with the names of the dead, and a small stone memorial, flanked with candles. It's signposted off Rte 144, 15km northwest of town.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.76 MILES
Lithuania's dark 20th-century history is poignantly told here, 7km north of Kaunas. Begin in the sombre, church-like gallery with striking stained glass…
MK Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
27.62 MILES
One of Lithuania's oldest and grandest galleries, Kaunas' leading art museum (founded 1921) is the place to acquaint yourself with the dreamlike paintings…
1.1 MILES
Housed inside a former 18th-century Carmelite monastery, this is a particularly thorough introduction to the history of the region and the town. Displays…
28.1 MILES
Kaunas-based Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara (1900–86) saved around 6000 Jewish lives between 1939 and 1940, issuing transit visas to stranded Polish…
27.59 MILES
This museum is devoted to the Devil, Lucifer, Satan, the fallen angel, the seducer, the cajoler, with over 3000 statuettes, carvings, masks and other…
27.7 MILES
Artist Vytenis Jakas moved into this courtyard over a decade ago and turned it into an ever-evolving art project, creating murals and transferring onto…
27.75 MILES
Built in 1871, the only functioning synagogue of those that survived since 1941, and one of the few remnants of Kaunas' once-strong Jewish community, this…
29.27 MILES
Built by Camaldolese monks in the 17th century, this striking baroque monastery lies 9km east of central Kaunas, on a promontory jutting into the Kauno…
Nearby attractions
1. Janina Monkutė-Marks Museum-Gallery
0.87 MILES
Born in Radviliškis, artist Janina Monkutė-Marks grew up in Kėdainiai and this museum showcases a permanent collection of her vibrant, joyful paintings…
1.1 MILES
Housed inside a former 18th-century Carmelite monastery, this is a particularly thorough introduction to the history of the region and the town. Displays…
1.17 MILES
Kėdainiai's Jewish community originally settled off this 15th-century market square in the first half of the 17th century. A wooden synagogue, built in…
1.24 MILES
This 17th-century building was once owned by the Scottish merchant John Arnett and now hosts craft demonstrations. Come here to learn about the…
1.26 MILES
The square is overlooked by a particularly photogenic trio of 17th-century merchants' houses as well as the impressive town hall with a rococo sun dial in…
24.76 MILES
Lithuania's dark 20th-century history is poignantly told here, 7km north of Kaunas. Begin in the sombre, church-like gallery with striking stained glass…
7. Christ's Resurrection Basilica
27.4 MILES
There's an austerity, symmetry and simplicity to this white-washed concrete cathedral, built over a period of 70 years from 1934 onwards, though its…