Castles in Lithuania: Piliakalnis in Lithuania, Kaunas Fortress, Vilnius Castle Complex, Kernav , Jurbarkas, Ukmerg , Trakai Island Castle (Paperback) - Taschenbuch

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 31. Chapters: Piliakalnis in Lithuania, Kaunas Fortress, Vilnius Castle Complex, Kernave, Jurbarkas, Ukmerge, Trakai Island Castle, Klaipeda Castle, Kaunas Castle, Apuole, Christmemel, Molavenai, Dubingiai Castle, Voruta, Raudone, Ritterswerder, LiSkiava, Pilenai, List of castles in Lithuania, Trakai Peninsula Castle, Gediminas' Tower, Friedeburgh, Raudone Castle, NorviliSkes Castle, Medininkai Castle, RokantiSkes Castle, Birzai Castle, Baltadvaris Castle, Senieji Trakai Castle, Panemune Castle, Siesikai Castle, Napoleon's Hill, Raudondvaris Castle. Excerpt: Kaunas Fortress (Lithuanian: , Russian: ) is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887. During World War I, the complex was the largest defensive structure in the entire state, occupying 65 km (25 sq mi). The fortress was battle-tested in 1915 when Germany attacked the Russian Empire, and withstood eleven days of assault before capture. After World War I, the fortress' military importance declined as advances in weaponry rendered it increasingly obsolete. It was used by various civil institutions and as a garrison. During World War II, parts of the fortress complex were used by the governments of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union for detention, interrogation, and execution. About 50,000 people were executed there, including 15,800 victims of the Holocaust. Some sections have since been restored; the Ninth Fort houses a museum and memorial devoted to the victims of wartime mass executions. The complex is the most complete remaining example of a Russian Empire fortress. An 1879 edict issued by Tsar Alexander II ordered the construction of Kaunas FortressThe city of Kaunas is located at the confluence of two rivers, the Nemunas and Neris, which link Lithuania's interior and its capital, Vilnius, to the Baltic Sea. The Baltic peoples had created significant domains by the 1st century, and came into conflict with the Scandinavians and the Slavs; the Teutonic Order began targeting Lithuanian lands at the beginning of the 13th century. Since Lithuania was heavily wooded and its lands were often impassable, its interior was most approachable along its rivers when frozen and during the short dry harvest season in late summer. In response to this vulnerability, defensive structures, including a brick castle in Kaunas, were in place at various points on the Nemunas River by the 14th century. The city was first