Monument to commemorate the victims of Nazism.
International Museum of the Month, Lithuania
Memory etched in concrete: Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum In the heart of Lithuania, in Kaunas, stands Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum, where the architecture itself serves as a living narrative. Bearing witness to the country’s most traumatic and transformative 20th century experiences, this unique site, sprawling across 50 hectares, is much more than just a museum.
The darkest period followed between 1941 and 1944, when approximately 50,000 people, including 30,000 Jews, were murdered.
By Nane Steinhoff
In 1959, the Ninth Fort was transformed into a museum, and in 1984 the memorial complex and monument were established to commemorate the victims. The fort’s underground was opened to the public in 1997, marking a new chapter in its role as a site of remembrance and education.
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Photos: Arvīds Barānovs / Eaglewood Pictures
Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum is a dialogue between the past and the present. A place where history and memory are etched into concrete and steel. Museum director Marius Pečiulis says: “At the Ninth Fort, architecture itself becomes a narrative – from the century-old fortress walls to the 32-metre brutalist monument that speaks today of responsibility and our shared humanity.“ The Ninth Fort has stood witness to Lithuania’s most turbulent chapters. Its century-old walls have seen the chaos 58
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Issue 188
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March 2026
of war, the suffering of prisoners, and the horrors of Nazi occupation. Each transformation, from military stronghold to labour prison, transfer station, and ultimately a site of mass murder, has left its mark on the structure. Constructed in 1913 as part of the Kaunas Fortress, it was transferred to the Ministry of National Defence in 1918. From 1924 to 1940, it served as a division of Kaunas Hard Labour Prison, before becoming a transfer point for political prisoners sent to forced labour camps during the Soviet occupation in 1940–1941.
Today, each era is physically present, layered in stone and concrete, inviting visitors to retrace the steps of those who suffered and resisted. Pečiulis adds: “Our spaces allow visitors not only to learn history, but to experience it firsthand. Today, the museum strives to merge architecture and memory into