Editing Kaunas (section)

=== Restored independence ===
[[File:Street Scene along Vilniaus Gatve - Kaunas - Lithuania - 02 (27348366783).jpg|thumb|[[Café]]s in the [[Centras eldership|Kaunas Old Town]]]]
[[File:View of the Kaunas Town Hall Square with the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica and restaurants terraces in 2023.jpg|thumb|Kaunas Town Hall Square]]
After World War II Kaunas became the main industrial city of Lithuania; it produced about a quarter of Lithuania's industrial output.

After the [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|proclamation of Lithuanian independence]] in 1990, Soviet attempts to suppress the rebellion focused on the [[Sitkūnai Radio Station]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w5_show?p_r=4111&p_d=62825&p_k=2
 |title=Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. A Chronicle of the Events of January 1991 and Later Months, which were a critical part of the remaining free media
 |access-date=29 January 2011
}}</ref> They were defended by the citizenry of Kaunas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toptravel.lt/lithuania/kaunas-facts-history/ |title=Facts & History |access-date=10 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722152456/http://www.toptravel.lt/lithuania/kaunas-facts-history/ |archive-date=22 July 2011}} Kaunas. Facts&History.</ref> [[Pope John Paul II]] said [[Mass (liturgy)|Holy Mass]] for the faithful of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas|Archdiocese of Kaunas]] at the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica and held a meeting with the young people of Lithuania at the [[S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium]], during his visit to Lithuania in 1993.<ref name="Holy See">{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1993/trav_lituania_en.htm
 |title=The Holy See: ''Apostolic journey to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (4–10&nbsp;September&nbsp;1993)''
 |access-date=30 October 2009
 |publisher=Holy See
}}</ref> Kaunas natives [[Vytautas Landsbergis]] and [[Valdas Adamkus]] became the [[List of rulers of Lithuania|Head of state]] in 1990, and, respectively, in 1998 and 2004. Since the restoration of independence, substantially improving air and land transport links with [[Western Europe]] have made Kaunas easily accessible to foreign tourists.

Kaunas is famous for its basketball club, [[BC Žalgiris|Žalgiris]], which was founded in 1944 and was one of the most popular nonviolent expressions of resistance during its struggle with the [[PBC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]. In 2011, the largest indoor arena in the [[Baltic states]] was built and was named [[Žalgiris Arena]]. Kaunas hosted finals of the [[EuroBasket 2011]].

In March 2015, Kaunas's interwar buildings received the [[European Heritage Label]].<ref name="EHL">{{cite web|title=Kaunas of 1919–1940, Lithuania – Creative Europe – European Commission|url=https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/heritage-label/sites/kaunas-1919-1940_en|website=EC.Europa.eu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="EHL2">{{cite web|title=Kaunas Was Awarded a European Heritage Label|url=http://visit.kaunas.lt/en/to-see/interwar-architecture/kaunas-was-awarded-a-european-heritage-label/|website=Visit.Kaunas.lt|access-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311120825/http://visit.kaunas.lt/en/to-see/interwar-architecture/kaunas-was-awarded-a-european-heritage-label/|archive-date=11 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 29 March 2017, Kaunas was named [[European Capital of Culture]] of 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kaunas paskelbtas 2022-ųjų Europos kultūros sostine|url=https://www.delfi.lt/veidai/kultura/kaunas-paskelbtas-2022-uju-europos-kulturos-sostine.d?id=74194180|website=DELFI.lt|access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>

On 28 September 2017, the winner of the M. K. Čiurlionis Concert Centre architectural competition was announced and the centre was planned to be completed by 2022, close to the [[Vytautas the Great Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Paaiškėjo Kauno M.K. Čiurlionio koncertų centro vaizdas: architektūrinį konkursą laimėjo vilniečiai|url=https://www.15min.lt/verslas/naujiena/kvadratinis-metras/nekilnojamasis-turtas/paaiskejo-kauno-m-k-ciurlionio-koncertu-centro-vaizdas-architekturini-konkursa-laimejo-vilnieciai-973-859750|website=15min.lt|access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref>

On 18 September 2023, Kaunas's interwar modern architecture was included in the list of the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]].<ref name="UNESCO"/>