Kaunas Regional State Archives (KRA)

Contact Information and Research Information:

Kaunas Regional State Archives (KRA)
Kauno regioninis valstybes archyvas
Maironio g.28 B
Kaunas 44249, Lithuania
Tel: +370 37 323111
Fax: +370 37 207182

e-mail kaunas@archyvai.lt

Holdings:

This archive holds mainly pre-1915 records for the seven Uyezds (Districts) of the former Russian Empire Kaunas Gubernia: Kaunas Uyezd, Raseiniai Uyezd, Telsiai Uyezd, Siauliai Uyezd, Panevezys 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, Conscription records, Court Records and other types of records. The KRA also has the Internal Passport applications, 1919-1940, for Kaunas city and for Jonava. All records at KRA were for cities and towns formerly located in the Kovno Guberniya which at one time covered the largest part of Lithuania. The KRA does not have any records for either Vilnius Guberniya or Suwalki Guberniya, nor does the KRA hold any birth, death, or marriage records.

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.

A comprehensive 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. As of 2022, LitvakSIG has translated nearly everything on this list, resulting in some 650,000 records, all of which are searchable through the All Lithuania Database (ALD).  The same records may be accessed as spreadsheets by joining the appropriate District Research Groups (donation required).  The only translations currently (2023) in progress at KRA are the so-called Passport Envelopes, which contain a variety of documents submitted in support of an internal passport application. 

Obtaining copies:

Approximately three-quarters of the KRA records in the ALD have been digitized by the Family History Library (a unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The easiest way to navigate to the images is by clicking on the hyperlink found in each ALD record display. The link will take you to the correct set of scans. From there you can locate the precise image you want using additional information in the record as described in Finding your record in FHL films.  Digitization projects are ongoing. LitvakSIG intends to add hyperlinks to the ALD as digital images become available.

To request a copy of a KRA record that has not been digitized, it is sufficient to put your request in an email sent to the address above. You can write in English. Include a screen shot of the ALD display of the record(s) you want, as this will include all the information the archivists need to locate the record. Read the FAQ on Contacting the Archives for additional information.