A story popular in the vicinity of Pažaislis tells of the local devils who upon seeing such a majestic church being built to their perdition decided to turn it to ruins at any cost. To decide upon their plan, they gathered inside an old wheel hub they had found mislaid near the site. The patron of the church and the monastery Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac also happened to be nearby. Warned by the Holy Ghost about the devils plotting something nefarious, he ordered the wheel to be nailed up with a wedge made of mountain ash – its blows hit evil spirits the hardest – and to be thrown into the fire.

King Charles XII of Sweden

During the Northern War, at the beginning of the 18th century (some sources give a more exact date, the year of 1706), King Charles XII of Sweden – freezing from cold – reached the Pažaislis Monastery. In the foresteria, allured by an incredibly realistically painted burning fireplace in the Pac Hall, he wished to spend a while warming himself. Enraged upon realising it was merely a deception, he kicked the fireplace with his dirty shoe so hard that it even left a mark on the wall. The Camaldolese monks didn’t wash the stain and kept it as a testimony of the King of Sweden’s visit.

The Camaldolese monks

The legend tells that the Camaldolese never talked to each other; if two monks met, they would merely remind one another about the imminence of death, exchange memento mori, and part ways. Locals say that these monks’ lives were so ascetic that they even slept resting their heads on a brick.

The bell of the monastery

In the twentieth century, a legend spread which said that the bell from the bellfry in the hermitage once fell down and rolled over into Nemunas. According to the legend, one can still hear that bell ringing on the second of July of every year.

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People say that it was this promise that helped Vytautas to triumphantly defeat the Order of the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald.

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In the battle against the Tatars near the river Vorksla, the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania got defeated and nearly drowned in the river. At the time of his rescue, he vowed to the Holy Virgin Mary that he would build a church on the riverbank. Most of the troops and many dukes fell in this battle, and Vytautas himself barely managed to escape together with his brother Žygimantas. Who will confirm now whether Vytautas indeed experienced a personal revelation by the Virgin Mary or just expressed his gratitude to her for staying alive in the battle? Today the church is known by two names – that of Vytautas the Great and of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary.

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During a hunt, a duke of Lithuania and his troops succeeded in hunting down a bison – the lord of the woods – in a very special place of the thicket of the forest where the two rivers Nemunas and Neris meet.

The beast was speared by a rogatina – a spear used to hunt large animals. The hunters, however, soon noticed a cross made from tree branches sticking out of the wounded bison’s horns. Fearing the wrath of the gods, Lithuanians decided to sacrifice the beast. They erected a huge oak bonfire and burnt the king of beasts as a generous offering to the gods. Later the Castle of Kaunas was built in that place.

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To this day the pit remains the devil’s habitat.

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Upon their withdrawal to France, Napoleon’s army set foot in Kaunas on the 12th of December in 1812. Chased by Cossacks, the French hurriedly hid plundered war treasures in churches, buried them in fields, and broke ice and sank them in rivers.

The legend tells of a strongbox containing 800 thousand franks buried underneath the stone floor of one of the nine churches that stood in Kaunas at the time. The box was left behind by the French soldiers when they realised they would never be able to carry this wealth all the way to France.

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Once very early in the morning, a farmer who lived near the Castle of Kaunas went to the grazing land to look for his horses. Suddenly a man appeared before him and asked:

‘Is it time?’

Assuming this was his neighbour asking whether it is time to get up, the villager replied that it was very early in the morning and that he had better wait as it was still dark outside. The stranger reproached bitterly:

‘Oh, a miserable man – why did you ask to wait? Had you told me that the time has come, a cursed army would have walked out of the underground and won freedom for our homeland. But now after you said it wasn’t yet the time, who knows how long these men will have to wait for their hour.’

Having said that, the stranger vanished.

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One legend has it that underneath the Old Town of Kaunas there lies another, even older and even more beautiful Kaunas which predates Christian times and which fell under the ground after it failed to withstand an attack by Germans. The entrance to the underground Kaunas is hidden near the castle and the residents of this town occasionally lure in unknowing passers-by hoping that they would know how to free the town from the curse. Another legend tells of a princess who lives in the underground town and awaits its saviour who would lift the curse so that she and her army could rise above ground.

The residents of Kaunas believe not only that there exists an underground tunnel which connects the castle and the nearby Church of St. George but also other underground escape paths. It is believed that by these paths the Duke Vytautas of Lithuania and his army made their escape from Kaunas Castle.

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People say that once upon a time, where Vieškūnai Mound stands today, a daughter of a local landlord committed suicide. The mound has been haunted ever since. If you find yourself walking there at night, you may be overwhelmed by the chirping, howling, barking and babble. But most often this place is haunted by dogs and houndlike creatures. They keep emerging from a nearby trench. From this comes the name of the hill – Šuneliškės*.

* Lith. šuo (pl. šunys) – ‘a dog’.

Pakalniškiai Mound near Piliuona

The legend tells that Pakalniškiai Mound was erected by early Lithuanians, and that on top of it stood proudly the wooden castle of Vaišvydas, the famous ruler of the lands of the Nemunas valley, which had protected and defended this area from enemies throughout living memory.

Kapitoniškiai Mound

Locals used to celebrate Midsummer Day and set up bonfires on top of Kapitoniškiai Mound. People say that underneath the oak tree at the top of the mound a treasure is hidden. Many had seen it covered in flames. Many tried to find it. But to this day it remains untouched.

Lampėdžiai

A long while ago, the gorgeous giant Laumė jumped off of Romainiai Hill towards Nemunas and left a stark footprint in the ground. A small lake appeared there and was later named Lampėdis*.

* Lith. Laumės pėda – ‘the foot of Laumė’.

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Once Aleksota ran into a young hunter Dangerutis. They fell in love with each other, but their happiness did not last long. As he stumbled upon Aleksota and Dangerutis chatting cheerfully, Perkūnas grew furious and cast a lightning bolt at them, hoping to pin them down to the ground forever. Aleksota swiftly managed to change the course of the lightning, and it struck her altar instead. As they recovered from fear, Dangerutis and Aleksota vowed never to separate from each other.

With the help of the locals, Dangerutis began to build their home. Helpers came in crowds to join him and Aleksota. Their new home arose quickly – stunning and monumental, a true temple. Soon after, Aleksota and Dangerutis were blessed with a son, Kaunas. Newcomers, who could no longer find room in the valley of Nemunas and Neris, began to settle in their neighbourhood. They were all united by the name of their first citizen – Kaunas.

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