Discovering Lithuania’s past at Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum

By Nane Steinhoff | Photos: Martynas Plepys

Inside Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum, in the heart of Lithuania, every stone and every corridor reveals Lithuania’s layered history and invites visitors to reflect and discover at every turn. This remarkable, 50-hectare site, shaped by war, memory and resilience, offers a varied line-up of immersive exhibitions through the nation’s most transformative 20th century stories.

Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum is a dialogue between the past and the present. A place where history and memory are etched into concrete and steel. The Ninth Fort has stood witness to Lithuania’s most turbulent chapters. Its century-old walls have seen the chaos of war, the suffering of prisoners, and the horrors of Nazi occupation. Each transformation, from military stronghold to labour prison, transfer station, and ultimately a site of mass murder, has left its mark on the structure.

Constructed in 1913 as part of Kaunas Fortress, it was transferred to the Ministry of National Defence in 1918. From 1924 to 1940, it served as a division of Kaunas Hard Labour Prison, before becoming a transfer point for political prisoners sent to forced labour camps during the Soviet occupation 1940–1941. The darkest period followed between 1941 and 1944, when approximately 50,000 people, including 30,000 Jews, were murdered. In 1959, the Ninth Fort was transformed into a museum and in 1984, the memorial complex and monument were established to commemorate the victims. The fort’s underground was opened to the public in 1997, marking a new chapter in its role as a site of remembrance and education.

Discovering Lithuania’s past at Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum

Today, the authentic historical site of the Ninth Fort features original architectural elements such as the underground galleries and invites visitors to retrace the steps of those who suffered and resisted. Museum director Marius Pečiulis says: “Our spaces allow visitors not only to learn history but to experience it firsthand. Today, the museum strives to merge architecture and memory into a living dialogue that invites us to reconsider the past and its meaning in the contemporary world.”

The defensive wall of the Ninth Fort.

A living dialogue

Exploring Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum allows visitors to engage with four significant eras of history, each vividly preserved within the fort’s structure. Presented in the original Ninth Fort, which was completed in 1913, the four primary themes are communicated through an elaborate programme of permanent exhibitions.

The Nazi Occupation exhibitions powerfully document the horrors endured from 1941 to 1944 and commemorate Holocaust victims from Lithuania and other countries. They highlight the tragic fate of the Kaunas Ghetto, honour saviours of Jews and recount the escape from the Ninth Fort, carried out by 64 prisoners during Christmas in 1943.

The Soviet Occupation exhibition, on the other hand, highlights the fort’s use as a holding site for political prisoners (1940–1941) and features documents, photographs, letters and personal items.

The Kaunas Hard Labour Prison exhibitions reveal the fort’s use as a prison during the interwar period (1924–1940). Criminal and political inmates, including women from 1934, faced strict routines and harsh conditions. Visitors can discover original punishment cells and recreated walking yards.

Last but not least, the Kaunas Fortress exhibition transports visitors into the Ninth Fort’s original barracks and semi-caponier, highlighting the fort’s construction and its wider military significance. Guided tours explore underground galleries, showcasing the positions of the artillery guns and garrison, providing an immersive experience and a direct connection to Kaunas’s military past.

The Ninth Fort and the Monument to Commemorate the Victims of Nazism. Photo: Andrius Aleksandravičius

An immersive approach

For those seeking to learn even more about the fort’s history, the innovative guided tours offer unique journeys and showcases even more details for those interested in a particular subject. Visitors can explore the fort’s varied history, learn more about the Holocaust and mass murder, discover underground galleries and fortification mechanisms, gain insights into its role as a hard labour prison, and much more.

Through these exhibitions and guided tours, the museum fosters a deeper understanding of Lithuania’s traumatic past and its relevance to modern society.

As one of the largest monumental sites in Europe, Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum helps visitors reflect on the past and appreciate its relevance today. As Pečiulis emphasises: “Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum is a place where every visitor will have the opportunity to explore, learn, understand and, most importantly, directly touch history.” Ultimately, he says, memory here is not passive. It is active and immersive. The Ninth Fort invites all to become participants in its story, ensuring that the architecture of remembrance continues to shape Lithuania’s present and future.