Informacija apie Kauną XVIII–XX amžiaus pradžios kelionių vadovuose: objektų pasirinkimas ir politiniai bei kultūriniai akcentai
Information About Kaunas in Travel Guides from the 18th to the Early 20th Centuries: Selection of Objects and Political and Cultural Accents

Summary/Abstract: This article examines descriptions of Kaunas in travel guides written by Germans, Russians, and Poles at the beginning of the 18th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The analysis of the material shows that the information about Kaunas in the travel guides was scarce and repetitive. Information about Kaunas in travel guides dates back to the end of the 18th century, in the work of the German author Gottlob Friedrich Krebel. However, Kaunas was mainly mentioned in travel guides from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and in 8 travel guides published by Karl Baedeker. Kaunas is also mentioned in the travel guide to the western part of the Russian Empire published by Russian author Raphail Popov in 1888, and in the travel guides of Polish authors Napoleon Rouba and Mieczysław Orłowicz at the beginning of the 20th century. St. George’s Church, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and St. Gertrude Church, a monument commemorating the Russian victory over Napoleon’s army, were all included in the guidebooks of representatives of different nations. Neither the German nor the Russian guidebooks ignored or negatively evaluated the sacral heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including the Catholic heritage. The descriptions of historical events in Kaunas travel guides were quite extensive, with considerable attention paid to the Middle Ages, the Russian occupation in the mid-17th century, and Napoleon’s crossing of the Nemunas in 1812. However, despite the abundance of information, books of this kind, especially those published by the firm of K. Bedeker, often presented less than trustworthy facts about Kaunas’ past. For example, the association of Kaunas Castle with the Teutonic Knights’ castle, which was taken up not only by Russian but also by Polish authors. The travel guides described the changes in the province’s centre brought about by technological progress: new industrial facilities, hotels and restaurants, and the possibility of steamboat trips. Ethnic relations and conflicts were not highlighted in the travel guides.

• Details
• Contents