Ninth Fort Museum
   Photo: Museum of the Ninth Fort

Ninth Fort is one of the forts of Kaunas fortress, located in the north of the city of Kaunas. In Soviet times, it was adapted as a prison and place of the temporary location of convicted nationals en route to their places of imprisonment. During the Great Patriotic War, the fortress was constructed by the Nazis concentration camp, where there were mass executions of Soviet prisoners of war, Jews and other prisoners. At present, this place is a museum in memory of the many victims.

By the end of the XIX century Kaunas strengthened and by 1890, surrounded by eight forts and nine artillery batteries. Building IX fort or "Greater Fort BMC at the farm" was launched in 1902. We run out the construction work to the beginning of the First World War. In 1924, the Ninth Fort was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was used as a prison of Kaunas City. However, its defensive function in case of war persisted.

In the years of 1940-1941 Ninth Fort is used by representatives of the NKVD for the temporary accommodation of political prisoners on the way to the Siberian gulag camps. During World War II, IX fort was the site of mass executions of people. Since that terrible time it was called "Fort of Death." After the war, the fort for some time been used as a place of detention. Since 1948, for 10 years the fort was given to agricultural organizations.

In 1958, in the IX Fort Museum was founded (Eng. - Museum of the Ninth fort). In 1959, the four chambers of the fort has been prepared the first exhibition devoted to the crimes of Hitler during World War II on the Lithuanian territory. In 1960 he organized the research sites of massacres, collected artifacts, adding to the museum. In 1965 there was a second museum exposition.

Not far from the ancient ninth fort was built museum with metal gates and buildings in the original style. In 1984 he opened the exhibition in the new museum. In the same year in the territory IX fort was erected a monument to Holocaust victims, tortured and killed in the camps. Sculpture height of 32 meters was created by sculptor A.Abraziunasom.

The place where it was made a mass grave of victims of the camp, marked by a simple memorial of the tree, where you can see a sign that in several languages ​​written: "At this point the Germans with their collaborators killed more than 30 000 Jews from Lithuania and other European countries." It was discovered in 1991.

Currently, the museum can see the exhibits dedicated to the Soviet years and the days of the Great Patriotic War, when the museum was located in a concentration camp. Also displays information about the early years of the existence of the Ninth Fort.

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