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Kaunas, Lithuania

Kaunas
City
Top to bottom, left to right: Kaunas Castle, House of Perkūnas, Kaunas Town Hall, Kaunas Reservoir, Vytautas the Great War Museum and Church of Saint Michael the Archangel
Flag of Kaunas
Flag
Coat of arms of Kaunas
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Laikinoji sostinė, Heart of Lithuania
Motto: Diligite justitiam qui judicatis terram
(Latin: Cherish justice, you who judge the earth)
Location of Kaunas
Location of Kaunas
Coordinates: 54°53′50″N 23°53′10″E / 54.89722°N 23.88611°E / 54.89722; 23.88611Coordinates: 54°53′50″N 23°53′10″E / 54.89722°N 23.88611°E / 54.89722; 23.88611
Country Lithuania
County Kaunas County
Municipality Kaunas city municipality
Capital of Kaunas County
First mentioned 1361
Granted city rights 1408
Elderships
Government
 • Type City council
 • Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis
Area
 • City 157 km2 (61 sq mi)
 • Metro 8,089 km2 (3,123 sq mi)
Elevation 48 m (157 ft)
Population (2017-01-11)
 • City 292,677
 • Density 1,935/km2 (5,010/sq mi)
 • Metro 570,163
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 44xxx - 52xxx
Area code(s) (+370) 37
Vehicle registration K
GDP (nominal),
Kaunas county
2015
 - Total €7.4 billion
 - Per capita €12,700
Website kaunas.lt

Kaunas (/ˈknəs/; Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈkɐʊˑn̪ɐs̪]; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the centre of a county in Trakai Municipality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. In the Russian Empire it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915. It became the only temporary capital city in Europe during the interwar period. Now it is the capital of Kaunas County, the seat of the Kaunas city municipality and the Kaunas District Municipality. It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. Kaunas is located at the confluence of the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, and near the Kaunas Reservoir, the largest body of water entirely in Lithuania.

The city's name is of Lithuanian origins and most likely derives from a personal name.


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