Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and ranks as the fourth-largest city within the Baltic states. It serves as a primary center for the country's economic, academic, and cultural life.
Historically, Kaunas was established as the largest city and the central hub of Kaunas County within the Duchy of Trakai of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Trakai Palatinate starting in 1413. During the period of the Russian Empire, it functioned as the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 until 1915.