Two 1930s funiculars
Kaunas has two, among the oldest still running in Europe.
Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Avi1111 — CC BY-SA 3.0
A funicular railway climbing the Aleksotas hill south of the Nemunas in Kaunas, opened in 1935 and still running with its original cars and machinery. That is what distinguishes it: it is not a restored tourist attraction but a working piece of public transport that residents use daily, with a 1930s wooden car and an operator sitting in the station. The ride takes about a minute and a half. Kaunas has two funiculars from the same era — this one and the older Žaliakalnis line of 1931 — among the oldest still operating of their kind in Europe. Both were built when Kaunas was Lithuania's provisional capital between the wars, during a period of rapid expansion in which the city climbed its hills. At the top is a viewing platform looking over the old town and the confluence of the Nemunas and the Neris. Practical points: the fare is very small and usually paid in cash. Hours are limited and it may stop for maintenance — check before going. You can walk up if it is not running.
Kaunas has two, among the oldest still running in Europe.
Both were built when Kaunas was Lithuania's capital between the wars.
A view over the old town and the meeting of the rivers.
Aleksotas district, south bank of the Nemunas, Kaunas
Because Poland seized Vilnius in 1920 and held it until 1939. Lithuania had to move its government to Kaunas, which became the provisional capital for about two decades. That period brought intensive building in modern styles — Art Deco and modernism — which is why interwar central Kaunas is an architectural ensemble that has been awarded European Heritage Label status.
If architecture or historic transport interests you, yes — they are on different sides of the city. The Žaliakalnis line (1931) is older and climbs to an interwar residential district; Aleksotas (1935) gives the better view over the old town. Check both timetables, as hours are limited.
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