The face of modern Kaunas reflects not only history: discover the innovations that glorify the name of Lithuania | Life

Kaunas, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with its interwar buildings, the Avenue of Liberty equivalent to the Champs-Élysées and green routes around Kaunas, invites you to discover the behind-the-scenes of innovation and a renovated cultural object in Žiežmariai in May.

On May 17, Žiežmariai Synagogue (Vilniaus st. 6., Žiežmariai, Kaišiadorių district sav.) will host one of the events in the series of events “Take your eyes” – a tour of the synagogue and an orientation game, which will start from the synagogue and will take place throughout the town of Žiežmariai. Visitors who complete tasks will be rewarded.

On May 24, visitors are invited to evaluate the seaworthy Nemunas at the Kaunas passenger pier (Raudondvarios pl. 107), and on May 31, those interested in the development of innovative products are welcome behind the scenes of the innovations of the Elinta Motors company (Terminalo st. 5, Biruliškės., Kaunas district) During the tour, prototypes and equipment financed by EU funds will be opened to the public and shown.

You can find a detailed program and registration for free events on the website Esinvesticijos.lt.

So, if you are going from Vilnius to Kaunas, make sure to stop in Žiežmariai, to appreciate the renovated wooden synagogue that is over a hundred years old, visit Žaslii for culinary heritage, and look for green routes in the vicinity of Kaunas.

European investments have contributed a lot to positive changes here, and don’t miss the Kaunas Champs Elysées.

The pride of Žiežmarii is the hundred-year-old synagogue

On the way from Vilnius to Kaunas, it is very convenient to stop for acquaintance with the Žiežmarii Synagogue, which previously served not only as a Jewish prayer house, but also as a learning institution for their community.

According to Domantė Šinkūnienė, cultural events coordinator and organizer of the Žiežmarii Cultural Center, it is very possible that Lithuania is the only country in the world where wooden synagogues have survived. You can visit one of these – quite recently restored in Žiežmariai.

The interviewer does not hide that precisely because of the renovated synagogue, queues of visitors stretch from May to autumn in Žiežmariai: both Lithuanians and guests from Israel come to the guided tours in her synagogue.

At that time, the head of the Žiežmarii Cultural Center, Irena Taukinaitienė, remembers that the current synagogue was rebuilt in 1920, on the site of the old synagogue that burned down.

“This place was not always a house of prayer – in Soviet times it served as a warehouse. Only after the restoration of independence, Dr. On the initiative of Marija Rupeikienė, detailed studies of the synagogue were carried out, which led to its preservation,” said the interviewer.

in 2017 the project of rebuilding and adapting the synagogue to the needs and culture of the community was started. Raised from the ashes and renovated, the building serves as a cultural space that brings together locals and visitors, excursions, educations, and concert music are often held here.

The synagogue is an important part of the identity of Žiežmariai: in the past, Jews made up about 60% of the population in Žiežmariai. local residents – their relatives still come here, guided by memories or in search of their roots.

There is a cinema next to the renovated wooden synagogue, and visitors from Žiežmarii often visit Žāslii, where culinary education awaits them.

The company operating on the outskirts of Kaunas is making Lithuania famous in the world

The charging stations for electric cars created by the company “Elinta” in the free economic zone (LEZ) on the outskirts of Kaunas are used all over the world. Foot scanners developed by Kaunas are used by the US football league, and electric car engines are tested by a specially assembled sports electric car.

The founder of “Elinta” company Dr. Vytautas Jokužis says that first prototypes are created in the company, then trial and testing batches, and only then the already guaranteed production is put into production.

Currently, more than 60 employees of the company are developing systems according to the European project, the weight of which varies from 7.5 tons to 18 tons. This will allow vehicles to run without emitting CO2.

The interviewee, who studied electronics engineering at KTU, says that the most difficult thing is to stay in the market now because of cheap production from China. But believe that quality will be more appreciated.

If you drive from Vilnius to Kaunas, stop in Žiežmariai to appreciate the restored, hundred-year-old wooden synagogue, visit Žaslii for culinary heritage, and look for green routes in Kaunas surroundings.

Everyone who wants to get to know the company’s activities will be able to get acquainted with the company’s activities already in May – then the company will hold an open day.

V. Jokužis, the founder of the company group, who is among the 500 richest businessmen in the country, thinks that he often gets the impression that the high technologies they create and develop are more needed abroad than in Lithuania.

However, the interlocutor of Kaunu is proud, he assures that the city has improved and beautified a lot in the last five years.

According to him, everyone is surprised, without exception, by the reconstructed Laisvės avenue and the Art Deco-style buildings here and next to it, the picturesque confluence of the Neris and Nemunas with the old town that has preserved the breath of history.

“Although the city is small, there are more than enough places to walk,” says the interviewer.

“UžmESk akės” is a series of open-door events initiated by CPVA, dedicated to celebrating the 20th anniversary of Lithuania’s membership in the European Union. On three weekends in May, representatives of both the public and private sectors, who have successfully used and are using the opportunities provided by EU investments, will open the doors of their companies and institutions. The events are funded by the European Union.