At beginning of 2002 the population of Kaunas town municipality was 378 900 (Kaunas county 701 000)

Distance from Vilnius - 102 km.
Kaunas is the second largest industrial, scientific and cultural centre of Lithuania. Kaunas is also a university town.

Kaunas was fated to become the capital of Lithuania in the 20th year of the last century, which can be considered the Gold Age of the city governed by its first Burgomaster Jonas Vileisis. History tells that even before this date the city, situated at the confluence of the rivers Neris and Nemunas, experienced more than one Age of Gold. Kaunas lived through prosperous times and years of devastation, but it came up again replacing ruins with new white-towered buildings, the magnificence of which became known in the most distant lands.

In 1408, Magdeburg rights were granted to the city of Kaunas by the privilege of Vytautas the Great. In accordance with the current privilege, we aim to turn our city into a modern place with the developed economy and high culture.

Kaunas with its 400 thousand inhabitants is one of the most significant cities of the country these days. It is not only the city of old traditions, but also a large centre of business and industry. Indeed, Kaunas is the city of youth with over 24 thousands students studying in five Universities of Kaunas.

One of Kaunas architectural attractions, its Town Hall, and impressive white building with a tower 53 meters high, built in the 16th century in the Gothic style with baroque elements, is popularly known as the White Swan. Other splendid architectural monuments to be found in the vicinity of the Town Hall Square include the St. George Church ensemble dating back to the 16th century, Vytautas Church (15th century),the Cathedral, Lithuania's largest house of worship, and the Perkunas House, one of the most exquisite examples of late Gothic architecture in Lithuania.

The Picture Gallery, one of the largest in Lithuania, has over 800 works in its collection, including paintings by Rubens, Raphael, Rembrandt, Goya, Murillo, Velasques and other masters.

Among the museums in Kaunas, mention should be made of Ceramics Museum, Literary Museum, Zoology Museum, but the most popular is, without doubt, the State Art Museum named after M.K. Ciurlionis, the famous Lithuanian painter and composer. Alongside the works by M.K. Ciurlionis, the Museum boasts a large collection of Lithuanian, Russian and West European paintings and applied art of the 16th - 20th centuries.