Contact Information and Research Information:

Kaunas Regional Archives (KRA)
Kauno Apygardos Archyvas
Maironio 28A
Kaunas 44249, Lithuania
Tel: 370-27-732-3073
Fax: 370-27-732-3111

The KRA no longer does research but will make copies of records upon request. You can write in English and their response will be in English. You can send an email message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Chief Archivist. Do not expect to receive a response in less than five or six months.

Holdings:

This archive contains mainly pre-1915 records for the seven Uyezds (Districts) of the former Russian Empire Kaunas Gubernia: Kaunas Uyezd, Raseiniai Uyezd, Telsiai Uyezd, Siauliai Uyezd, Ponevezys Uyezd, Ukmerge (formerly Vilkomir) Uyezd, and Zarasai (formerly Novo-Aleksandrovsk) Uyezd.

The main types of records they hold are: Revision Lists, Family Lists, various types of Tax Records, Guild Records, Court Records, and other types of records. The KRA also has the Internal Passport Records, 1919-1940, for Kaunas, the Kaunas District, and for Jonava. All of their records were for cities and towns formerly located in the Kovno Gubernia (region) which, at one time, covered the largest part of Lithuania. The KRA does not have any records for either Vilnius Gubernia or Suwalki Guberniya.

For information on the various types of records from the Russian Empire, see the section of our website on Types of Records in the All Lithuania Database.

The most complete, up-to-date index of (relevant Jewish) records in the Kaunas Regional Archives (KRA) dated August 14, 2008 was made available by Vitalija Gircyte, Chief Archivist, and is published here on this website. LitvakSIG has ongoing projects called District Research Groups which aim to translate all these available records. If you find records of interest, you should contact the relevant LitvakSIG District Research Group Coordinator for your shtetl of interest and join that District Research Group.

You can identify the district your shtetl is in using our Shtetl Finder.And, you can find information on becoming a Member of LitvakSIG and on the benefits of membership on our Join LitvakSIG page.

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