House of Perkunas, Kaunas, Lithuania

House of Perkūnas is one of the most original and archaic Gothic secular buildings, located in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Originally built by Hanseatic merchants and served as their office from 1440 till 1532, it was sold in the 16th century to the Jesuits who had established a chapel there in 1643. The Jesuits have also completed the Church of St. Francis Xavier at the Town Hall Square in 1722.

The ruined house was rebuilt in the 19th century and served as a school and theatre, which was attended by Polish-Lithuanian poet Adam Mickiewicz. At the end of the 19th Century it was renamed 'House of Perkūnas', when a figure, interpreted by the romantic historians of that time as an idol of the Baltic pagan god of thunder and the sky Perkūnas was found in one of its walls. Today, the house of Perkūnas once again belongs to the Jesuits and houses a museum of Adam Mickiewicz.

Lithuanian historian, theologian and translator Albert Wijuk Kojałowicz was born in the house.

References:

Wikipedia

Palaces, manors and town halls in Lithuania

User Reviews

Beáta Šváb (9 months ago)
Nice gothic building with interesting architecture.

Kamil NOWAK (11 months ago)
Quite not tourist friendly opening hours … so we found it closed

Compliche2000 (2 years ago)
Will be better if we we will visit it!(

Nikos Gkekas (2 years ago)
Unfortunately the visit to the house is possible only with appointment during summer. The external design is really interesting as it is has a lot of details which differentiate it from other gothic buildings with red bricks in Kaunas.

Iryna Panina (2 years ago)
A bit mystical building in Kaunas) You're strolling through the Old Town and suddenly notice this house. It amazes with a strange gothic architecture and its rich history. This building was built as merchant's office. Then it eas sold to Jesuits and was used as a chapel and school. You can get inside now and take a look at this building but it could be closed temporarily. Anyway, it's a must-see attraction in Kaunas)

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

House of Perkunas

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral