Kedainiai (lit. Kėdainiai) is a small town just an hour away from Kaunas, almost in the geographical center of Lithuania. This town is one of the few with an actual old town. Spoiler alert: it’s small but cute. The colorful history of Kedainiai was strongly influenced not only by the local noble family of Radvilos but also by foreigners who once established themselves here. But most importantly, Kedainiai is the capital of cucumbers in Lithuania. How come? Keep reading, and you’ll learn about this, and other activities waiting for you in Kedainiai.
A short history of Kedainiai
Kedainiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It counts its official history since 1372. For reference, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, was established in 1323. According to legend, a wealthy merchant Keidangen found a small fishing town near the river Nevezis (lit. Nevėžis). This is how Kedainiai got its name.
The golden age of Kedainiai was in the XVII century when it was under the rule of a noble protestant family of Radvilos. It became a robust multicultural center where various religions thrived. Lithuanian Catholics, Russian Orthodox, German Evangelical Lutheran, and even Scottish Evangelical Reformers lived here. Kedainiai was also a strong merchant city; therefore, a significant Jewish community found their home in this Lithuanian city.
Nowadays, Kedainiai is famous for its food processing (ice cream, canned foods, bread, sugar, meat) and chemistry industries (mineral fertilizers).
Kedainiai old town
I will start a ‘to-do list in Kedainiai’ with its old town. Later, I will break this list into the most important highlights. The old town of Kedainiai is tiny, and therefore it won’t take too long to get familiar with it. Take a calm stroll through its narrow, primarily straight streets and admire its atypical architecture. I won’t offer to get lost there since it’s basically impossible. Don’t forget to pass by colorful Džiazo street. If you really feel like diving deeper into Kedainiai history, go to Kedainiai Regional Museum.
Great Market Square
Great Market Square (lit. Rinkos aikštė) is the main highlight in the Kedainiai old town, formed in the XVI century. The square is surrounded by colorful buildings dated back to the XVII century, together with the house of Burgomaster George Anderson, city Town Hall, and the Evangelical Reformed Church. The colorful houses back in the day used to host glaziers. In the middle of the square, there is a monument dedicated to the above-mentioned noble Radvila.
Kedainiai Central Park
The central city park is located near the Dotnuvėlė river pond. Back in the day, this area used to be a manor house, and just an old gate entrance reminds visitors of the park’s ancient history. Currently, various festivals and celebrations take place here. There is an open cafeteria in the summertime where people chillax and enjoy a cup of their favorite drink.
Houses of worship
As mentioned above, many different religions for centuries coexisted peacefully in Kedainiai. The variety of churches confirms this undeniable truth. Most of them are located in the old town: Evangelical Reformed Church (XVII), St. Joseph’s (XVIII) and St. George’s (XV) Catholic Churches, Evangelical Lutheran Church (XVII), Complex of Synagogues (XVII-XIX), and an Orthodox Holy Transfiguration Church (XIX).
But probably a minaret built at the end of the XIX century as a memorial for a Russian-Turkish war is the most surprising one. You can easily find it near the railway station, at the edge of Kedainiai Central Park.
Gray’s House
More than a hundred Scots lived in Kedainiai at the turn of the XVII century. A house currently in Didžioji street 36 belonged to Scotchman Jacob Gray. This building still bears his name (lit. Grėjaus namas). The purpose of the building changed, of course, and now there is a restaurant and a hotel.
And here I need to reveal the main reason why I’m separately mentioning the Gray’s House. You see, this restaurant serves terrific cucumber ice cream with cucumber jam. I hope you still remember that Kedainiai is the cucumber capital of Lithuania.
No one can precisely tell when cucumber seeds landed into Lithuanian soil. But it sure didn’t first happen in Kedainiai. The thing is that a big part of the Jewish community had their own gardens in the XIX century and they brought and made cucumbers famous in Kedainiai. To this day, every resident of Kedainiai carries a cucumber instead of their heart. To prove how dearly they’re dedicated to this vegetable (I know that it’s scientifically considered a FRUIT, but in my mind, it will always be a vegetable), they organize a cucumber festival every year. You would be surprised how many interesting creations you can make out of it.
So yeah, go to the Gray’s House and try cucumber ice cream together with Kedainiai pancake (minced potatoes stuffed with meat). Your tastebuds will thank you.
Old Market Square and Complex of Synagogues
The first market square in Kedainiai appeared in the XV century. Not long after that, the Jewish community started to build up their lives around it. Two synagogues appeared in this place. The Great Summer Synagogue was built in the XVIII century. It is one of two Baroque-style synagogues in Lithuania. The Small Winter Synagogue arose in the XIX century and also functioned as a school.
In 1941 Nazis came to Kedainiai and mercilessly killed the whole Jewish community (about 3000) that lived there peacefully for over 400 years. Nowadays, the Great Summer Synagogue hosts an art school. A Multicultural center opened its doors in the Small Winter Synagogue in 2002.
Janina Monkutė-Marks museum-gallery
For those interested in arts, it’s a place to go. When Lithuania restored its independence in the ’90s, a Lithuanian emigrant Janina Monkutė-Marks decided to donate her artworks to her homeland. She bought the building seen in the picture below. She funded its restoration, maintaining its original spirit from the XIX century. In 2001 museum-gallery opened its doors to visitors.
Every year the museum-gallery hosts about 7 different exhibitions. There is a permanent Janina-Monkutė-Marks exhibition as well.
Things to do in Kedainiai in a nutshell
I will be honest here: this is a small town, and sometimes I’m confused if it is a ‘town’ or a ‘city.’ Everything is relative, I guess. Anyway, if you will end up there for some reason, you now have a blueprint on how to spend your time. Still, my number one suggestion is to try cucumber ice cream.
Kedainiai takes a special place in my heart, not because of cucumber ice cream. In this town was born my dear friend Gabrielė, and she and her family make me feel at home every time I go there.
