WELCOME TO VILIJAMPOLĖ, A HISTORICAL DISTRICT IN KAUNAS. IT OFFICIALLY BECAME PART OF THE CITY IN 1919. FOR MANY YEARS, IT WAS CALLED “SLOBODKA”. THIS NAME DERIVES FROM A SLAVIC WORD “SLABADA” WHICH MEANT A VILLAGE FREE FROM SERFDOM. THE FIRST OFFICIAL MENTIONING OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WAS FOUND IN DOCUMENTS DATING 1663 – “SLOBODA WILIAMPOLSKA”. THIS IS AROUND THE SAME TIME WHEN THE FIRST JEWS MOVED HERE, AS IT WAS FORBIDDEN FOR THEM TO SETTLE IN THE CITY. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPERIENCED FAST GROWTH IN THE 19TH CENTURY.

PUBLISHED: 2018

THE LITVAK LANDSCAPEThis map is a more detailed part of The Litvak Landscape, a route covering Kaunas as a whole. The long-running project aims to connect pictures and names, buildings and their residents, Litvaks and Lithuanians, the past and the present – and it’s also inviting to collaborate in the future. It’s a map mixing different chapters and layers of the history of Kaunas that’s open for improvements and further investigations.

FROM SLOBODKA TO VILIJAMPOLĖ

“KAUNAS IN“

THE LITVAKS OF SLOBODKA

THE KAUNAS GHETTOAround 37 thousand Jews lived in Kaunas before the second world war. Only about 3000 of them survived.The Kaunas Ghetto was officially established on August 15th, 1941, a couple of months after the Kaunas pogrom during which approximately 800 people were killed. 10 thousand people from the ghetto were murdered in the Ninth Fort on October 29th of the same year. The ghetto was turned into a concentration camp in Autumn 1943. It was burned in July 1944. Around 5000 people were transferred to concentration camps, and only a few hundred managed to escape.

It was one of the longest-running ghettos in Lithuania. It was probably one of the most photographed one in Europe. The archives of the Kaunas ghetto Jewish police are kept in the Central State Archive of Lithuania.

THE PEOPLE

ABRAHAM MAPU (1808-1867)

Abraham Mapu, born in Slobodka, Kaunas, is considered the first Hebrew novelist. It’s probably true that he wrote his novels about life in ancient Israel in a gazebo on the Aleksotas hill, making the district a popular yet romantic getaway destina-tion for later generations of Jews in Kaunas. The books of Mapu library on Ožeškienės g., established in 1908, were lost during the Holocaust. The Mapu street in the Old Town received its name in 1919 – it was changed during the Soviet occupation, but the correct version was implemented again in 1989. What’s today a youth literature and music library on A. Mapu g. 18 was built as a Jewish community canteen at the beginning of the 20th century and later used as headquarters for the Jewish Inde-pendence Fighters Union and the editorial office of “Apžvalga” newspaper. In the courtyard of A. Mapu g. 20, a statue of the writer designed by Martynas Gaubas was erected in 2018.

AVRAHAM TORY (1909-2002)

Born as Avraham Golubas in Lazdijai, Tory emigrat-ed to the US only to come back in 1933 and receive a law degree in the Kaunas university and later work there. In the Kaunas Ghetto, he, serving as secretary of the Jewish Council of Elders, wrote a meticulous diary detailing three years of Nazi rule. The journal was later used as evidence in war crimes trials “I am hiding in this crate what I have written, noted and collected, with thrill and anxiety, so that it may serve as material evidence accusing testimony when the Day of Judgment comes”, he wrote in the notebooks before burying them. Tory escaped the ghetto with his future wife, Pnina Sheinzon, and managed to recover the hidden notebooks after the war. His book “Surviving the Holocaust: The Kovno Ghetto Diary” was first published in Hebrew in 1998.

ESTHER LURIE (1913-1998)

Born in Liepaja, Latvia, the artist Esther Lurie emi-grated to Palestine in 1934 but continued to return to the Baltic States to exhibit her works. The 2nd World War broke out while she was in Lithuania. The artist survived the Kaunas Ghetto and Stutthof concentration camp, and so did her works created during the time in the Ghetto. The drawings were saved by Avraham Tory. One of the many drawings she did was the one of the Kaunas Ghetto Gate. The artist returned to Israel in July 1945.

EPHRAIM OSHRY (1914–2003)

Oshry was one of the few European rabbis to survive the Holocaust. During his time in the Kaunas Ghetto and concentration camp, he wrote a response regarding the Holocaust which he buried and later retrieved. His book, “The Annihilation of Lithu-anian Jewry”, relates in detail how the Jews were murdered by Nazis and their Lithuanian collabora-tors and also reflects the spiritual life in the ghetto. After the war, he opened a yeshiva for orphans in Rome and two yeshivas in New York.

DANIEL POMERANZ (1904–1981) AND MOISHE HOFMEKLER (1898–1965)

The two musicians were the leaders of the hottest orchestras of the interwar Kaunas. Both of them were imprisoned in Kaunas ghetto, where, together with a few dozen of likeminded artists, they es-tablished an orchestra. The daughter of Pomeranz was saved from the Ghetto by the family of Kip-ras Petrauskas, the famous interwar opera singer and only reunited with her family decades later. Both Pomeranz and Hofmekler were transferred to Dachau and both continued their musician careers after the war. Pomeranz finally emigrated to Cana-da, and Hofmekler settled in Munich, Germany.

ELCHANAN ELKES (1879–1944)

Born into a rabbi family in Kalvarija, Elchanan Elkes worked as a personal doctor of the German ambassador in Kaunas for many years. He also healed people in the Bikur Cholim hospital. In 1941, he was elected as the Head of the Judenrat in the Kaunas Ghetto and, accepting it with great reluctance, did all he could to save as many lives as possible. In 1944, Elkes died in Landsberg, a sub-camp of Dachau, after a hunger strike as he refused to participate in the “selections”. “Let the truth be always before you and under your feet. The truth will guide you and show you the path of life”, he wrote in one of his last letters to his son Joel and daughter Sarah. His wife Miriam survived Stutthof and moved to Israel after the war. His son who had left Lithuania in 1930 to study in London was one of the most important researchers in the field of schizophrenia in the 20th century.

RAV ZALMAN OSOVSKYThe white-tiled house next to the bus stop on Jurbarko g. is where the Rabbi of Slobodka, Zalman Osovsky, very popular among the youth, lived. On the night of June 26th, 1941, during the Kaunas pogrom, a gang led by Jonas Klimaitis came into the house and cut off Osovski’s head. They then put it into the window for everyone to see.

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KAUNASTICIT’S

Danielius Pomerancas

Ephraim Oshry

TOURISM INFORMATIONRotušės a. 15, Kaunas +370 616 50991 info@kaunasin.lt visit.kaunas.lt#kaunastic #visitkaunas #kaunas2022

Medžiai

EPHRAIM OSHRY(1914–2003)

Vilijampolės žydų kapinėsKalnų g. / Lopšelio g. Slabados Ješiva

Panerių g. 51

Esther Lurie Emma Goldman Ephraim Oshry Avraham Tory Abraomas Mapu

VILIJAMPOLĖS DIDŽIOJI SINAGOGA Neries krantinė, ties „Dailės“ verslo centru

Demokratų aikštėVytenio g. / Demokratų g.

GETO TARYBOS PASTATAS (neišlikęs)Varnių g. 49

GETO TILTAS (neišlikęs)Radvilų dvaro g. (per Panerių gatvę) GETO VARTAI

Linkuvos g. / A. Kriščiukaičio g. GETO KAPINĖSNeries krantinė/Varnių g.

VAIKŲ NAMAI(dabar vaikų reabilitacijos ligoninė „Lopšelis“)

Lopšelio g. 10

Sąjungos aikštė SLABADOS JEŠIVOS KANCELIARIJAKernavės g. / Panerių g.

TALMUD TORA Neries krantinė, už tiltoA. Krikščiukaičio g. 12

Pastatytas XIX a. pab. – XX a. pradžioje.

B. VOLFO ALAUS BRAVORASRadvilėnų dv. 2A

APŽVALGOS AIKŠTELĖTvėrių g. 23

IX FORTASŽemaičių pl. 73

MAŽOJO GETO PIRMOJI ŽYDŲ INFEKCINĖ LIGONINĖ

A. Goštauto g. 36

Danielius Pomerancas

Moišė Hofmekleris

Elchanas ElkesasRabinas Zalmanas Osovskis

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THE GHETTO GATELinkuvos g. / A. Kriščiukaičio g.

On 15 August 1941 the 2 sq. km territory of Kaunas ghetto was fenced with barbed wire and isolated. The most important department of the ghetto, the Labour Department, was established at the gate. Its employees received orders from the Nazi powers and divided the tasks between the prisoners of the ghetto. In 2018, Vytenis Jakas, a Kaunas-based artist and founder of the celebrated Backyard Gallery, present-ed an idea for the run-down building that once was the Labour Department. With an artistic interven-tion called “Burning Stones”, Jakas aims to enhance the ghetto gate memorial and to add some positive emotional connotations, as well as emphasise the meaning of the Lithuanian point of view to the im-portance of Jewish cultural and historical legacy.

TALMUD TORAH The red brick building, Neries kr.

Education has always been crucial in Jewish com-munities – in fact, it was a common concern. Boys as young as 3 or 4 would be sent to private religious schools called cheders. The Slobodka cheder – Talmud Torah – was financed by the community so that kids from poor families could also receive an education. After graduating from Talmud Torah, one would either learn a craft or continue religious studies in a Beth Midrash and later yeshiva.

GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF VILIJAMPOLĖ (demolished)Neris riverside (near “Dailė“ business centre)

Mosheand Avraham Soloveichik, sons of Rabbi Isaac, built a synagogue – most probably designed by an Italian architect – on the right bank of Neris river in the second half of 18th century. It’s thought that the tsar government wouldn’t allow to rebuilt the synagogue when it was destroyed by fire at the end of the 19th century. Even though there were no restrictions for building synagogues in the interwar period, and historians teamed up with architects on offering to restore this one, it was utterly demolished after 1930.

SĄJUNGOS SQUAREAt the end of the 19th century, a Catholic ceme-tery was established in what today is Sąjungos square. In 1929, when Vilijampolė was already part of Kaunas, a renowned architect Edmundas Fry-kas prepared its development plan. Three hous-ing blocks were proposed in the territory of the square, but later it was decided to grow a park. All of the ideas were cancelled due to WW2. On Sep-tember 17, 1941, the prisoners of the Kaunas ghetto were called to the square. Their fates were not de-cided on that particular day, but on September 26 the people again were forced into the square. 1000 of them were taken to the 9th fort and killed by shooting.

DEMOKRATŲ SQUAREVytenio g. / Demokratų g.

On October 28th, 1941, on the site where a grocery store stands today, a mass selection took place. It later became known as “The Big Action”. Each and every prisoner of the Kaunas ghetto was ordered to stand in the square early in the morning. The selection divided the people either to the left or to the right. Those on the right went home in the evening. Those on the left – around 9200 men, women and children – were moved to the 9th fort the next morning and killed by shooting.

There is no memorial plaque in this place. In 2017, Jenny Kagan, a British artist, presented her way of commemorating the Big Action as part of the Kau-nas Biennial. She provided the shop with plastic bags – some of them had the word “left” written on them, some had “right”.

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THE PLACES

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GETO KAPINĖSNeries krantinė/Varnių g.

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GETO TILTAS (neišlikęs)Radvilų dvaro g. (per Panerių gatvę)

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Vilijampolės žydų kapinėsKalnų g. / Lopšelio g.

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Rabinas Zalmanas Osovskis

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Abraomas Mapu

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Elchanas ElkesasMoišė Hofmekleris

Danielius Pomerancas21

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GHETTO CEMETERY Neris riverside / Varnių g.

A cemetery was a necessity inside the Kaunas ghetto because a lot of people died from diseases or famine; fires were a common fatali-ty. The ghetto cemetery was established in 1941. The final chapter of their history was written in 1978 when a bridge over the Neris river was built. 888 single graves were discovered at that time, as well as a mass grave. Some of the graves were transferred to the Aleksotas Jewish cemetery. A memorial stone marking the place of the ghetto cemetery was opened on July 15th, 1994.

GHETTO ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (demolished)Currently Varnių g. 38

The Ghetto administration (Judenrat) was re-sponsible for the errands of the ghetto, such as relocating, catering, healthcare, education, em-ployment etc. The administrators paid a lot of attention to the productivity of prisoners, as they believed the ghetto wouldn’t be liquidated as long as it would be beneficial to the Nazis. Elchanan Elkes was elected as Head of the Judenrat; Avra-ham Tory was the secretary. You can find both of their stories below.

NINTH FORTŽemaičių pl. 73

In 1882, the Russian Empire started to build a first-class fortress complex in Kaunas. The Ninth Fort was finished in 1913. It was practically undamaged during the WWI. From 1924 on, the Ninth Fort was used as the Kaunas City prison. During the Soviet occupa-tion of 1940-1941, it was used to house political pris-oners before they were transferred to forced labour camps. During the Nazi occupation, the area near the fort was a place of mass murder. At least 50 thou-sand people, mostly Jews taken from the Kaunas Ghetto, were killed here by Nazis and local collabo-rators. A museum was established here in 1958. A 32 m high memorial to the victims of Nazism, designed by Alfonsas Vincentas Ambraziūnas, Gediminas Baravykas and Vytautas Vielius, was erected here in 1984. Today, The Ninth Fort museum contains col-lections of historical artefacts related both to Soviet atrocities and the Nazi genocide, as well as materials related to the earlier history of Kaunas and Ninth Fort. In 2003, a copy of a bas-relief in Venice ghetto by Arbit Blatas was donated to the museum by the Kaunas-born artist’s widow.

EIGHTH FORTPryšmančių g.

One more stop before the Ninth Fort would be the Eight Fort. As the name suggests, it’s also part of the Kaunas Fortress that was de-signed in the 19th century, when Kaunas was part of Russian Empire (more on it below). After decades of neglecting, the fort is finally receiving attention from the local community and the Kaunas team of Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union.

THE FIRST JEWISH HOSPITAL OF THE SMALL GHETTO (demolished)Currently Goštautų g. 4

The prisoners of Kaunas ghetto believed in the power of spiritual resistance. Schools and workshops operated, as well as a local orchestra. Of course, a hospital, too – in a wooden two-storey building. The Nazi soldiers executed all of the patients and personnel by arson – the doors of the hospital were kept locked. Head of the hospital Dr Moses Brauns remained alive by some miracle. A memorial stone was placed here in 1994.

OBSERVATION DECK Tvėrių g. 23

Stop at the historic Žemaičiai road on your way to the Ninth Fort. There’s an observation deck on the Milikoniai hill that offers a comprehensive view of the city of Kaunas, including the former territory of Kaunas Ghetto. Can you point the ghetto gate or the Demokratai square?

B. VOLFAS BREWERY Radvilų dvaro g. 2A

In 1953, a local merchant Rafail Volf became a pi-oneering brewer in the West of Russian Empire, as he opened a brewery that ran on a steam engine. His son Iser Ber Volf took over the business, and his name became the brewery name. Together with Engelman, the legacy of Volf remains vital in contemporary Kaunas and is visible in the name of one of the largest breweries in the country

SLOBODKA YESHIVA Panerių g. 51

The Slobodka Yeshiva was opened in 1882 by Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel. Around 300 students studied here in the turn of the centuries. A 1924 proclama-tion requiring enlistment in the military or ad-ditional secular studies in the Yeshiva led a large number of students in the Slobodka Yeshiva to relocate to Palestine. The Slobodka Yeshiva ceased operation during the first Soviet occupation. Its new building had been just finished but was never used for the original reason. Instead, the Soviets opened a sewing factory there after the war.

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GHETTO BRIDGE (demolished Radvilų dvaro g. (across Panerių street)

More than 30 000 people were imprisoned in the 2 sq. km. sized ghetto. It was separated to the main ghetto and the small ghetto (liquidated in October 1941) – the two were connected by a bridge over Panerių street.

ORPHANAGE(Currently Children Rehabilitation Hospital)Lopšelio g. 10

In the 1940s, Petras Baublys served as the general manager of an orphanage, located in the same part of Kaunas as the ghetto. Between 1942 and 1944, the orphanage was used as a temporary place of ref-uge for Jewish children before they were moved to safer locations. Tens of babies were admitted into the orphanage while only a few trusted members of the staff were aware of the activities. Baublys, a gifted and very popular pediatrician, tragically died in a plane crash in 1973 and was posthumously recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1977. A memorial plaque was installed on the hospital building on Lopšelio g. where the orphanage once was.

HISTORIC JEWISH CEMETERYKalnų g. / Lopšelio g.

The oldest cemetery in Kaunas dates back to the 18th century. In the 19th century, some of the gravestones were used for building the Kaunas fortress. The graveyard was eradicated in 1952, during the Soviet occupation. Some of the graves were moved to Aleksotas Jewish cemetery, and the remaining gravestones were destroyed. Two mon-uments mark the place of the former cemetery.

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