Ninth Fort, Kaunas: Hours, Address, Ninth Fort Reviews: 4.5/5
Ninth Fort
Ninth Fort
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
468 reviews
Excellent
303
Very good
129
Average
29
Poor
3
Terrible
4
&Tilly
Bratislava, Slovakia159 contributions
Couples
You can walk around the place even if the musem is closed. It takes at least 30 min to see everything just from the outside - and it’s nice to go after hours - less crowded and you get to see it anyway.
The area is large, clean and cared for. From the top of the fort (it looks like a little hill) there is a nice view over the city, though it’s a very sad place, knowing that tens of thousands souls ceased the exist here, and the remains lay under your feet.
P.S. Dogs are not allowed at all, and there are no trash bins on the site.
The area is large, clean and cared for. From the top of the fort (it looks like a little hill) there is a nice view over the city, though it’s a very sad place, knowing that tens of thousands souls ceased the exist here, and the remains lay under your feet.
P.S. Dogs are not allowed at all, and there are no trash bins on the site.
Written July 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Steve_Grant1
Oldham, UK1,346 contributions
Went here on the bus from Kaunas. Make sure that you get the one that goes to the site. We did not, the other buss on the route stop short so Google maps was a god send. The site is historic and a must visit alongside the monunent.
Written December 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
gtsak
Vrilissia, Greece580 contributions
This place is a must when visit kaunas.A fort-museum is very impressive and smells death...This is one more place that Nazi’s killed many people. You can spend many hours there walking around the park and visiting the fort museum.A great statue is there to remind us those very bad years.
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
sirtopper
Havant, UK70 contributions
Solo
An interesting place, reminds me of Brest fortress quite a lot - some linked histories here.
Unfortunately, a lot does seem to be run down (of the park itself), but to be expected with anything Soviet in these times.
FYI - The buses are NOT frequent especially around lunchtime. Get a cab or wait for the next bus rather than walk, it’s a hike along the motorway!
Unfortunately, a lot does seem to be run down (of the park itself), but to be expected with anything Soviet in these times.
FYI - The buses are NOT frequent especially around lunchtime. Get a cab or wait for the next bus rather than walk, it’s a hike along the motorway!
Written June 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Audrey F
kirkcaldy,scotland412 contributions
We went here by bus from Kaunas centre, hourly service. Very informative and tragic that this was used as a prison and execution place for Jews during the Occupation. The memorial is very significant and brings hope for the future, an amazing structure.
Written November 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Genady B
Haifa, Israel57 contributions
Visited April 22. We had booked the tour named "THE HISTORY OF THE NINTH FORT". Our guide was Olga. Very interesting tour that covers place history from Tzar till Holocaust. Olga showed deep knowledge of the subject and answered our questions beyond the tour content.
Written April 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
snabjab
Brooklyn, NY23 contributions
The Ninth Fort is an essential stop for anyone visiting Kaunas with an interest in the Holocaust and/or Lithuanian history. The Soviet built museum had had a makeover in terms of content and the recently done exhibits have many interesting artifacts on display (and, importantly, descriptions in English). The focus of the main museum building is on the suffering of Lithuanians (and Lithuanian nationalists in particular) at the hands of the Russians. The comparatively short section on the Holocaust (bear in mind that here I am referring to the main museum building) does not do justice to that period of Lithuanian history. Of course the subject is always a challenging one and the surrounding exhibits' focus on Lithuanian victimhood makes for a difficult intersection with the the history of the Holocaust (considering the participation of Lithuanian antisemitic nationalists). In any case, artifacts from the Germans' Lithuanian Jewish victims and the Russians' victims put the groups' suffering in human terms. The second part of the museum is housed in the fort itself and the focus of most of the various exhibits is the Holocaust. The exhibits do an excellent job of conveying the horror. The history of the Ninth Fort also lends itself well to investigating the international scope of the Holocaust; French and German Jews murdered here have special sections devoted to their stories. Those interested in looking at every exhibit in great detail could easily spend 2-3 hours at the site. The grounds don't offer much beyond the gigantic monument as there is not much left of the fort apart from the building housing the second part of the museum. Beware: the Ninth Fort is challenging to find. This is partly because none of the official sites offer directions, and partly just because of it's awkward location amidst a highway interchange. In any case, do not make my mistake and assume it will be easy to find without having the proper directions or a map which actually includes the Ninth Fort (the maps included with In Your Pocket Kaunas do not). If you call, as I did, the museum personnel will tell you in their very basic English to take the 23 or 35 bus to the 9th fort museum bus stop. The buses I was on all had displays indicating which stop you're at, making this the easy part. The challenge is finding the museum once you're there. To do so, cross the street (assuming you got off the bus coming from the center of town rather than the outside of town) and walk back in the direction you came from. You won't walk far before you're back at the crazy highway interchange that you passed through while on the bus. The road continues straight ahead underneath an overpass, but you should instead follow alongside the road which turns off to your right (it is a ramp onto a major highway and there is no sidewalk, so be smarter than me by looking at the satellite photo to find out how to do this without walking next to the highway). A few hundred feet later you're get to a set of stairs taking you to a tunnel which takes you underneath the highway straight to the museum. I would strongly advise looking at the satellite photos on Google Maps ahead of time if you want to find it with no doubts about where you're headed. I have found Lithuanians to be exceptionally friendly and helpful in general but you can't count on them having the English necessary to give difficult directions. To locate the site with a satellite image, locate the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas at the center of town and then look directly north a ways for the snarling mess of a traffic interchange. The fort is just northwest of this spot and the bus will drop you off on Vandziogalos gatve in Sargenai. No signs there will indicate where to go and the woman with surprisingly excellent English selling fruit not 500 meters from the museum (and DIRECTLY at the 9th fort museum bus stop!!!!!!) may assume you're thinking of the fort two bus stops in the direction you came from and send you there (even if you show her a sheet of paper with the name of the fort written in Lithuanian).
Written May 18, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Hawk470
Baltimore, MD2,545 contributions
The Ninth Fort, completed by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as the final piece in the Kaunas defensive perimeter, tells a tragic history of endless oppression. The walls cry out in anguish from Communist torture and the courtyards and surrounding fields echo from the streams of Fascist gunfire slaughtering men, women and children. Political undesirables under the Tsar, prisoners sentenced to hard labor between wars, Socialists, Liberals, Intelligentsia, Lithuanian political prisoners and clergy readied for shipment to the Gulag under the Soviets; all experienced the wrath of their oppressors within these walls. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, from its completion on the eve of World War I until the Nazi conquest in 1941 and the unspeakable mass murder which followed. And after the war, new rounds of Soviet oppression.
Under German occupation, Jews from Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe were lined up and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators here. Row upon row, day after day. 45,000-50,000, largely from the Kaunas Ghetto, but also decorated German-Jewish veterans of World War I and Jews from as far away as France; nearly 10,000 on October 29, 1941 alone, including more than 4,200 children. Who can fathom such evil? How can one make sense of the many tragedies permeating one place?
Perhaps it can only be expressed through art. Designed by A. Ambraziunas and erected in 1984, the massive twisted and tormented metal memorial sculpture reaching skyward from the killing ground embodies the boundless pain and perhaps offers a modicum of grace through its commemoration of those who met their tragic fates here.
The Ninth Fort contains two main exhibit structures – the museum building and the fort. Each tells several stories – all informative, most moving and profusely illustrated with photographs, installations and text in Lithuanian and English.
In the museum building you learn about the fort itself, and then the mass deportations, murders and terror of the first Soviet occupation of Lithuania 1940-1941 as a result of the non-aggression pact between Hitler and Stalin and the post-Second World War Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania. According to the exhibit, more than 115,000 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia during the first and second occupations and about half returned to Lithuania. The Nazi imprisonment of Lithuanian political leaders and others is described in this section as well.
The fort itself contains recreations of the prison cells and exhibits about what happened to various groups deported here, including the Kaunas Ghetto in Viljampole and its liquidation, the “Great Action” of October 29, 1941 when thousands were murdered, and Convoy 73 -- the May 15, 1944 deportation of 878 French Jews, including 66 teenagers, from the Drancy concentration camp outside Paris to the Baltic states. 600 were unloaded in Kaunas and murdered in the Ninth Fort. The photos of the murdered and the captions almost bring them back to life. Some of their final inscriptions, as well as those of other prisoners, are still visible on the walls. 22 of those deported from Drancy survived. The fort also has an extensive exhibit about the Chiune Sugihara and other Righteous Among the Nations – Lithuanians and from other European countries -- who saved Jews from their horrific fate, as well as the post-war lives of some who survived
Outside the exhibit area, you pass through the prison courtyard lined with Kaunas native Nehemia Arbit Blatas’ astounding and gripping bronzes of the stages of the Holocaust and make your way to the vast killing field where 50,000 are buried in mass graves. From there, you approach A. Ambraziunas’ monumental memorial sculpture.
If you are fortunate, as we were, you may be lucky enough to see everything under glorious Baltic clouds. They do not diminish the memory of those murdered, which is vitally important to keep in mind, but the sky and the clouds will show that there still is beauty in the world; even one in which so much evil has found a home.
Under German occupation, Jews from Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe were lined up and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators here. Row upon row, day after day. 45,000-50,000, largely from the Kaunas Ghetto, but also decorated German-Jewish veterans of World War I and Jews from as far away as France; nearly 10,000 on October 29, 1941 alone, including more than 4,200 children. Who can fathom such evil? How can one make sense of the many tragedies permeating one place?
Perhaps it can only be expressed through art. Designed by A. Ambraziunas and erected in 1984, the massive twisted and tormented metal memorial sculpture reaching skyward from the killing ground embodies the boundless pain and perhaps offers a modicum of grace through its commemoration of those who met their tragic fates here.
The Ninth Fort contains two main exhibit structures – the museum building and the fort. Each tells several stories – all informative, most moving and profusely illustrated with photographs, installations and text in Lithuanian and English.
In the museum building you learn about the fort itself, and then the mass deportations, murders and terror of the first Soviet occupation of Lithuania 1940-1941 as a result of the non-aggression pact between Hitler and Stalin and the post-Second World War Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania. According to the exhibit, more than 115,000 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia during the first and second occupations and about half returned to Lithuania. The Nazi imprisonment of Lithuanian political leaders and others is described in this section as well.
The fort itself contains recreations of the prison cells and exhibits about what happened to various groups deported here, including the Kaunas Ghetto in Viljampole and its liquidation, the “Great Action” of October 29, 1941 when thousands were murdered, and Convoy 73 -- the May 15, 1944 deportation of 878 French Jews, including 66 teenagers, from the Drancy concentration camp outside Paris to the Baltic states. 600 were unloaded in Kaunas and murdered in the Ninth Fort. The photos of the murdered and the captions almost bring them back to life. Some of their final inscriptions, as well as those of other prisoners, are still visible on the walls. 22 of those deported from Drancy survived. The fort also has an extensive exhibit about the Chiune Sugihara and other Righteous Among the Nations – Lithuanians and from other European countries -- who saved Jews from their horrific fate, as well as the post-war lives of some who survived
Outside the exhibit area, you pass through the prison courtyard lined with Kaunas native Nehemia Arbit Blatas’ astounding and gripping bronzes of the stages of the Holocaust and make your way to the vast killing field where 50,000 are buried in mass graves. From there, you approach A. Ambraziunas’ monumental memorial sculpture.
If you are fortunate, as we were, you may be lucky enough to see everything under glorious Baltic clouds. They do not diminish the memory of those murdered, which is vitally important to keep in mind, but the sky and the clouds will show that there still is beauty in the world; even one in which so much evil has found a home.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Me_n_my_rucksack
Yorkshire, UK6,084 contributions
Firstly despite studying Google earth and having a car it took ages to find the place, despite it being close to main roads - websites or advertising could do so much more in the way of directions.
The attraction is in three parts.
Firstly a large soviet era, soviet style museum which was built to commemorate the evil doings of the Nazis. The staff, still endowed with a Sovet mentality were incredibly miserable and for some reason could or wouldnt issue a ticket for my camera, and walked around 5 ft behind us ensuring I didnt take photos in the concrete coffin of a museum.
Secondly there is the fort its self which is a marvelous intact example of Tzarist millitary archetecture. The equally miserable staff here went hyper that I did not have a camera pass - if I didnt really want to see the place I would have left - quite insulting treatment ! A real throw back to the soviet attitude where the individual is an embuggerance to a well ordered system. BUT a wonderfull English Speaking tour guide employed by the fort appeared, smoothed the situation over and gave us a fantastic tour of the fortress - cannot praise this young man enough - enthusiastic knowledgeable funny - the whole package. The fort on its own is a wonderfull attraction but this chap really brought it alive. The building has fascets of Russian Lithuanian and German history - wonderfull well maintained well presented displays.
Thirdly there is a massive soviet (ie unsubtle but nontheleee imprssive) memorial to the victims of Nazi attrcities at the site. A moving and solemn spot.
So a mixed bag really. Some of the worst, and the best, I have come across in touring !
The attraction is in three parts.
Firstly a large soviet era, soviet style museum which was built to commemorate the evil doings of the Nazis. The staff, still endowed with a Sovet mentality were incredibly miserable and for some reason could or wouldnt issue a ticket for my camera, and walked around 5 ft behind us ensuring I didnt take photos in the concrete coffin of a museum.
Secondly there is the fort its self which is a marvelous intact example of Tzarist millitary archetecture. The equally miserable staff here went hyper that I did not have a camera pass - if I didnt really want to see the place I would have left - quite insulting treatment ! A real throw back to the soviet attitude where the individual is an embuggerance to a well ordered system. BUT a wonderfull English Speaking tour guide employed by the fort appeared, smoothed the situation over and gave us a fantastic tour of the fortress - cannot praise this young man enough - enthusiastic knowledgeable funny - the whole package. The fort on its own is a wonderfull attraction but this chap really brought it alive. The building has fascets of Russian Lithuanian and German history - wonderfull well maintained well presented displays.
Thirdly there is a massive soviet (ie unsubtle but nontheleee imprssive) memorial to the victims of Nazi attrcities at the site. A moving and solemn spot.
So a mixed bag really. Some of the worst, and the best, I have come across in touring !
Written February 27, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jayfromma
jayfromma28 contributions
The Ninth Fort is a must stop if you have any interest in world history. If possible, hire a tour guide to show you around.
A couple things you must do at the Fort to gain more appreciation:
-Go through the tunnels under the fort
-Be locked in the room beneath the main staircase and have some run up and down the stairs
-Climb the look out towers
Don't go in the winter, as there is no heat and some sections may be closed. The summer offers the best experience.
A couple things you must do at the Fort to gain more appreciation:
-Go through the tunnels under the fort
-Be locked in the room beneath the main staircase and have some run up and down the stairs
-Climb the look out towers
Don't go in the winter, as there is no heat and some sections may be closed. The summer offers the best experience.
Written November 22, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
There is a Symbol of Remembrance in the museum, with glas, coloured light and soil of the execution site. What's the artists name? It didn't say....
mojca k
Vienna, Austria3 contributions
I will be travelling with my kids, 9 and 6 years old. Is the museum or parts of it suitable for their age? They know about the holocaust in theory, we have visited many mass grave sites. My concern is, if there are any pictures of the horrors of the war? I assume there are and I don`t want them to see that at their age. Perhaps we can just walk around the premises?
twowardspain
Barbarroja, Spain164 contributions
As we said, this 'attraction' is in a very isolated area and there is little more to see outside than the memorial monument, in itself very imposing, and the stark buildings of the fort...which might appear a little more pleasant in the summer. We visited in February and everything was extremely bleak and covered in deep snow. We also wouldn't recommend a visit inside, certainly for the 6 year old. The evidence is almost totally photographic and little has changed from the times when it was actually a prison, so the general atmosphere is quite foreboding.
Jtraveler85
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia144 contributions
Hello,
I will be traveling to Kaunas from Klaipeda. I was thinking of getting off at the ninth fort stop and go directly to the place. My concern is my luggage. Is there a place nearby or at the ninth fort where I can store my luggage?
twowardspain
Barbarroja, Spain164 contributions
I can only suggest asking the office staff to hold it for you; the ninth fort is pretty isolated and we're not sure there would be anywhere else to deposit it. Remember it will be a fairly good walk to the nearest main road and public transport.
TravelMom070211
Ottawa, Canada35 contributions
The museum will be closed on a Tuesday in November when we can drive through here. Is there anything to do outside of the museum? Is it still worth the trip?
Jan Herman M
Utrecht, The Netherlands73 contributions
Just go there to walk in the spacious park area, to see the monument and the fort from the outside. Keep the words freedom and independence in mind when you are there.
William B
1 contribution
How do I pre-purchase guided tour tickets?
Jimmyp2525
Cedar Park, TX35 contributions
They had a english guide on site when we went there.
alexwright2018
London, UK
Hi, Does anyone know if there is a cafe there or near by? I'm planning on spending the day there and it would be good to know if I need to take food/drink with me. Many thanks.
warra69
tasmania154 contributions
There was no cafe when we went last year. Take a couple of snacks and some water with you. You could easily spend anywhere between 3-5 hours there.
bydakoproyect
Murcia, Spain91 contributions
hey.
I'm planning to go for spend the morning there.
is there any coffe or restaurant where refuel after visited?
RICHIEGIBBOY
Brentwood, UK233 contributions
hi does the bus from Kaunas bus station have bus stops come up inside the bus ? did you buy the bus tickets from bus driver ?thanks
Henry L
Streetsville, Canada557 contributions
I took bus #23 from the train station. There is no bus stopping at the museum itself. The closest stop is "9-ojo forto muziejus". You will then have to find a walking path that crosses under the divided expressway to get to the other side. A GPS might come in handy .
Yes, you can pay on board. The driver can give you change. In June 2016, the fare was 0.80EUR.
Monika V
Vilnius, Lithuania9 contributions
What is recommended visit time? How much time it might take to visit it all incl. guided tour to dungeons?
Jovyde J
Scotter, England, United Kingdom31 contributions
They don't work on Tuesdays, sometimes on Mondays, too. They are open from 10 am. If you want to visit dungeons, you will have to get a guide. Therefore, I offer to call them in advance. It can take from an hour up to two. It all depends how curious you are about all that they have on display. You might even spend the whole day just reading the stories in the first part of the museum :)
PeterDane
Denmark329 contributions
I will be visiting Kaunas next month and this is a must see for me. I would like to ask which days it is open, if I have a guided tour do I have to book this? Is it in English? What is the cost?
Inga P
Kaunas, Lithuania91 contributions
Opening hours of the IXth fort: Monday, Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Admission fee : 2,30 € adult. Most things are labelled in English and guided tours can also be booked in English. I suggest you to book guided tour in advance, it can be done by email: muziejus@9fortomuziejus.lt, highly suggest English speaking guide Karolis - he is very professional.
If you plane to travel to the museum by public transportation from the city center, so take a bus Nr. 23 (Domeikava direction) and leave the bus at a bus stop named „9-ojo forto muziejus“, then cross the street and turn left towards the motorway and cross the under-crossing. From the city center to the museum it take about 20-25 minutes by bus.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ninth Fort
- Ninth Fort is open:
- Wed - Sun 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking Ninth Fort tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 Ninth Fort tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Ninth Fort:
- (3.21 mi) Algiro Hotel
- (3.44 mi) Kaunas City Hotel
- (3.60 mi) Radisson Hotel Kaunas
- (3.48 mi) Kaunas Hotel
- (3.62 mi) The Monk's Bunk Kaunas
- Restaurants near Ninth Fort:
- (0.73 mi) Manami
- (3.30 mi) Agave
- (3.54 mi) Restoranas DIA
- (3.53 mi) MOMO Grill Kaunas
- (3.45 mi) uoksas