Ninth Fort, Kaunas

My first thought after learning about the ninth fort was “What happened to the other eight?”. When I started asking locals this question, they all replied that there are some remains, but “there is nothing to see there”. Since I have already adapted a bit of the Lithuanian way of thinking, I of course understand such a sentence as meaning, “there is something there, but you should not see it”. But such things aside. The ninth fort is both well maintained and open to the Public.

 

 

The fort was used as a prison and transit facility for Jews during the Second World War, and was thereby connected to the genocide against the European Jews.  A large number of them were also executed at the fort. The place is therefore largely a place of commemoration for the Holocaust, although the museum from the beginning focused on victims of Nazi war crimes in general. After all, the museum was founded in soviet times and the soviet authorities themselves had plenty of blood on their hand. Also Jewish and Lithuanian blood. It was probably easier to focus on the undisputed Nazi enemy. The focus of soviet memorials like this one was anyway usually not so much on the Jewish story of suffering, but rather towards the demonizing Nazi Germany and glorifying the soviet victory over that regime.

 

The place is perhaps also best suited as a more kind of general place of commemoration, rather than one mostly devoted to the Holocaust. Lithuanian wartime history is after all rather complicated, and the traditional black and white perspectives that Holocaust memorial call for are difficult to apply in this case. The fort was for instance also used to carry out crimes against Lithuanian citizens, but then by soviet authorities. First during their first occupation, then it was a transit point during the deportations, and the again as a prison during the second occupation.  

 

The museum itself is a rather traditional one, where many traditions from the soviet era still remain.  A significant proportion of the staff also seem to have survived from soviet times, and I suspect that most of the exhibitions have survived more or less intact too. You are in other words not in for many surprises, but as traditional museums go this is a rather good one. Very informative, and an interested visitor can easily spend several hours here.

 

The site also includes a vast soviet memorial in concrete, which in itself is a reason to visit the ninth fort. At least for visitors combining historical interest with a fascination for the practical sides of constructing large and elaborate concrete installations. Making stuff like this is now almost a lost art.

 

All in all, this place has much to offer, but there is still considerable potential. It should be a good candidate for EU-money.

Rated: Must see, if in the area