One is able to trace the names of streets of Kaunas all the way back to 16th century. The houses were numbered in 1790. Due to our dynamic history, new rulers often tried to erase the past by renaming the street network. The last major changes happened after we regained our independence. A lot of the streets are named after important people – and that can cause a discussion. But let’s leave that aside for a while. Here are a few music-themed streets in Kaunas. Put on your headphones and go visit them!
Trimito street
Trimitas means trumpet, and, coincidentally, the street is actually near J. Gruodžio street where a conservatoire of the same name is located. As Trimito st. is actually very quiet (residential, mostly) and narrow, it’s advised not to blow any trumpets there. Better visit the neighbouring art-deco style Fire Department building designed by Edmundas Frykas and Pranas Markūnas in late 1920s.
Fragment of Fire Department / Photo by Mantas Matulionis
J. Gruodžio street
Juozas Gruodis was a famous Lithuanian classic, composer, educator and professor. His biography is fascinating and the best way to discover it is by visiting the J. Gruodis house in Žaliakalnis. The street named after him is, as we have just mentioned above, the J. Gruodis Conservatoire is located. You can hear the students practising every day, and you can even visit a piano installation.
Photo by Sandra Kubiliūtė
Music speaks louder than words, right?
Sopranų / Tenorų / Baritonų / Dainos streets
Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun... Well, in fact, nobody affiliated with mafia resides on the Sopranų (Sopranos) street. The streets named after baritones, tenors and simply a song run alongside the Sopranų. The residential block, including K. Būgos st. and Trakų st. that are wrapped around all of the above, is worth visiting if you want to take some snapshots of art deco and wooden architecture. The only brick mosque in Lithuania (and one of the four remaining in general) is located just a few steps away.
Muzikos street
This is it! A street dedicated to music itself. It will take you to the VMU Kaunas Botanical Garden and, if you’re into poetry, do stroll around and check the streets of Sorrow, Beauty, Nature, and Hope, all located nearby. There’s also Muzikos road in Raudondvaris, a neighbouring town, just in case you just can’t get enough.
K. Petrausko street
Kipras Petrauskas, the interwar opera star, was so famous a street where he lived was named after him while he was still alive. Imagine that! Petrauskas and his wife were both recognised as Righteous among the Nations in 1999. Mikas, the older brother of Kipras, was also a singer and a composer. The family house is now the M. and K. Petrauskai Lithuanian Music Museum (branch of the Kaunas City Museum).
The Petrauskai house / Photo by Indrė Mikšaitė
Kipras Petrauskas was so famous his personality was used to promote soap in interwar Lithuania
L. Zamenhofo street
While Ludwik Zamenhof himself is famous for inventing Esperanto language, the street named after him in Kaunas is also important for musical reasons. Visit the Lithuanian folk music history museum (branch of Kaunas City Museum) on L. Zamenhofo g. 12 to discover kanklės, a historic instrument, and much more.
Photo by Giedrė Jankauskienė
Photo by Giedrė Jankauskienė
