Ninth Fort
Kauno apskritis
The Ninth Fort, part of the Kaunas Fortress complex in Lithuania, is a significant historical site and museum located in the northern part of Kaunas city. Constructed between 1903 and 1913 as the most modern fortification of the Kaunas defensive ring, it played a strategic role in protecting the city. During the interwar period, it was converted into a prison and a heavy labor colony. Under Soviet control, it served as a transit point for prisoners sent to Gulag camps. During the Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944, the Ninth Fort became a site of mass executions where approximately 50,000 people, including Jews from across Europe, were murdered. Today, the museum operates in the historic fort and a memorial building, presenting exhibitions on the fort's military history, Nazi crimes, and Soviet repression. The fort features pentagonal concrete casemates, defensive ditches, and well-preserved military architecture including barracks with firing slits and original fixtures. The museum offers educational programs, guided tours, and thematic exhibitions that provide a profound insight into the fort's complex and tragic past.
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Tip: Visitors should plan to visit during weekends when guided tours are available in both Lithuanian and English. Advance ticket purchase is recommended to secure a spot, especially for thematic and extended tours. The museum offers discounts for certain groups. Avoid visiting on major holidays when the museum is closed. Combining the visit with the educational program "Cipher: Prison Secret" can enrich the experience, especially for families and groups.
Interesting facts
- •The Ninth Fort was the site of the largest mass execution in Lithuania during the Nazi occupation, where over 9,000 Jews were killed in a single day during the "Great Action" on October 29, 1941.
- •The fort was equipped with advanced military technologies for its time, including wired telephones, electric lighting powered by generators, and ventilation systems.
- •Approximately 50,000 people were executed at the Ninth Fort, including victims from Germany, Austria, France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, not only local residents.
- •The museum opened in 1959, initially displaying exhibits in four former prison cells dedicated to Nazi crimes.
- •The fort's defensive design includes a pentagonal shape with concrete casemates and a surrounding defensive ditch with counterscarp walls.
History
The Ninth Fort was built between 1903 and 1913 as part of the Kaunas Fortress's defensive ring of nine forts and ten stationary batteries.
It was designed by Professor Konstantinas Velička in a pentagonal shape with thick concrete walls and modern military innovations for its time, such as wired telephones and electric lighting.
After Lithuania regained independence in 1918, the fort was repurposed as a prison and labor colony under the Ministry of Justice.
During the Soviet occupation starting in 1940, it served as a transit point for political prisoners sent to labor camps.
Under Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944, the fort was used for mass executions, notably the "Great Action" in October 1941, when thousands of Kaunas Ghetto Jews were murdered.
Post-WWII, the site was used by Soviet repressive agencies before becoming a museum in 1959 dedicated to documenting Nazi crimes and the history of occupation.
Place Guide
Defensive Walls and Casemates1903-1913
The fort's pentagonal concrete casemates with 1.5 to 2.1 meter thick walls form the main defensive structure, featuring firing slits and a surrounding defensive ditch with counterscarp walls and embrasures.
Barracks Building1903-1913
A two-story wavy-profiled barracks building with windows and firing slits, originally housing the fort's garrison and facilities such as kitchen, dining room, storages, and infirmary.
Memorial Building1984
Constructed in 1984, this building hosts the museum's memorial exhibitions dedicated to the history of occupations, Nazi crimes, and Soviet repression.
Mass Execution Site1941-1944
The open area within the fort grounds where mass executions took place during the Nazi occupation, notably the killing of approximately 50,000 victims including the 'Great Action' massacre.
Contact
Phone: (0-686) 26243
