From Freedom Avenue to Freedom: A Wartime Walk Through Kaunas

(33 reviews)

Kaunas audio tour: From Freedom Avenue to Freedom: A Wartime Walk Through Kaunas

This is a 1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 40 mins to complete.

Kaunas

Lithuania

Free

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About the Tour

In the summer of 1940, as Nazi forces swept across Europe and Soviet troops occupied Lithuania, two diplomats took bold and courageous action and saved thousands of lives.

On this walking tour through Kaunas, you’ll trace the footsteps of those who were saved. You’ll hear how in just a few weeks – working independently of one other – Jan Zwartendijk, Honorary Consul of the Netherlands, and Chiune Sugihara, Consul of Japan, opened a path to safety for more than 2,000 Jewish refugees.

Starting in front of the historical city fountain on Laisvės Alėja (Freedom Avenue), you’ll learn about the pivotal moment when individual acts of conscience stood against a tide of global indifference. Through carefully crafted soundscapes and survivor testimonies, you’ll hear urgent, whispered conversations between fleeing refugees, and sense the mounting tension as Soviet troops occupied the city. The tour ends in front of Sugihara House, where Sugihara worked frantically until the last moment, issuing visas before being forced to leave Lithuania.

On this 40-minute walk, you’ll also:

Be introduced to the main characters in Sugihara and Zwartendijk’s stories
Experience the sounds of interwar Kaunas
Re-trace the journey that the refugees took in their quest for visas
Pass historical sights including the former KGB headquarters, the former Dutch consulate, and the former Soviet Embassy
Hear perspectives from contemporary figures including the current Dutch Ambassador to Lithuania
Listen to archival voices from the past sharing fragments of their stories
And finally arrive at Sugihara House Museum, where you can visit the exhibition and learn more about all aspects of this piece of history

Created by British artists Jenny Kagan and Louise K Wilson, this tour uses a mix of binaural sound, archive recordings, and storytelling to take you on a journey like no other.

Tour Producer

Sugihara House & Dutch Embassy

2 tours

(English below)
Daugiau nei muziejus, Sugiharos namai yra gyvas pasakojimas apie laiką, kai vienas parašas galėjo lemti gyvybę ar mirtį.

Šiame name nuo 1939 m. lapkričio iki 1940 m. rugpjūčio veikė Japonijos konsulatas Lietuvoje. Čia Čijunė Sugihara, neturėdamas aiškaus savo vyriausybės leidimo, išdavė daugiau nei 2 000 tranzitinių vizų per Japoniją. Taip jis išsaugojo daugybės žmonių gyvybes, gelbėdamas juos nuo sovietinės priespaudos ir nacių siaubo. Šiam žygdarbiui įamžinti Sugiharos fondas – „Diplomatai už gyvybę" (privati ne pelno organizacija) 1999 m. čia įsteigė Sugiharos namų muziejų.

Partneriai: Kaunas IN, Nacionalinis Kauno dramos teatras

More than a museum, Sugihara House is a living story of a time when a single signature could determine life or death.

The Japanese Consulate in Lithuania was located in this house from November 1939 to August 1940. Here, Chiune Sugihara issued more than 2,000 transit visas through Japan without explicit government authorisation. In doing so, he saved the lives of countless people who were fleeing Soviet oppression and impending Nazi atrocities. To commemorate this feat, the Sugihara Foundation, a non-profit private organisation, established the Sugihara House Museum here in 1999.

Partners: Kaunas IN, National Kaunas Drama Theatre

Preview Location

Location 5

At the Church

And now stop.

Turn around.

Take a last look back down the length of this extraordinary avenue. Until I tell you it’s time for us to go, Imagine we are fixed to the ground - allow the sounds of the city to wash over us. Time skips backwards - forwards - lands on that d... Read More

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Major Landmarks

Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Kaunas
Diplomats for Life
Romuva
Vytautas Park

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
S. Daukanto ir Laisvės alėjos kampas, 44309 Kaunas, Lithuania
Total distance

2km
Final location
Vaižganto g. 23, 44230 Kaunas, Lithuania
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at the Fountain on Laisves Aleja. From the tourist office turn right - you will find the fountain around 5 minutes walk along the avenue.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

If you'd like to take a break during the tour there are benches all along the centre of Laisves Aleja to take a rest and watch the world go by, or once you are in the park, benches where you can sit and listen the birds.

Best time of day

The walk can be taken at any time - but if you intend to visit the museum when you arrive, please check the opening times before you set off using this link

Precautions

A section of the walk involves climbing a long but shallow staircase up through the park. There around 150 steps but there are places to rest along the way and you can walk at your own pace.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”