What a UK band Bastille did in Kėdainiai, a small Lithuanian city?

A city with one of the most ancient Old Towns in Lithuania, proud of its renaissance, gothic and baroque style* architecture, a city where a world-famous UK band Bastille filmed a video clip for their song “Things We Lost in the Fire*” - this is Kėdainiai, a small city in the very heart of Lithuania.

Picture © Credits to Laima Gūtmane

Firstly, it can sound strange, but this town is actually so small that in approximately four hours, you will be able to explore everything there. Saying a small town, I mean that it is really small. But, this is the real beauty of Lithuania - everywhere we have some hidden gems that are waiting to be discovered. The same goes for Kėdainiai city. Located in the very heart of Lithuania, 51 kilometers from the Kaunas city, this town has much more to offer than you can imagine. One of unique things there is the Old Town, that has various styles of buildings - renaissance, gothic and baroque, a historical road network and four market squares from the 15th-17th century. The name of Kėdainiai was first mentioned in the Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge in 1372, so this city is more than 600 years old. Walking around the narrow and tiny streets of the Old Town, you can still feel the atmosphere of the medieval times mixed with the modern Lithuania vibes.

Picture © Credits to Matasg

The Town Hall of Kėdainiai was rebuilt a few times during its history. Nowadays, there is an established Civil Registry Office here, while previously the Town Hall had an archive and prison in the basement and the length and weight measurements on the first floor. Originally, the Town Hall had a tower with a clock and was L-shaped. The rebuilt version of the Town Hall has a clock from the 19th century decorated with some sculptures, and the courtyard has the Rococo style.

Picture © Credits to Algirdas

Besides the beautiful Old Town with all the churches and the Town Hall, Kėdainiai has some other places worth seeing. One of them is a minaret, which was built in the 19th century with a purpose to commemorate the wars with Turkey. Unfortunately, it is the only one separate minaret in Lithuania nowadays. Also, there is one interesting fact about the band Bastille, that filmed a video clip in Kėdainiai, for their song “Things We Lost in the Fire”. That white landscapes are actually the phosphogypsum mountains from the fertilizers industry, established near Kėdainiai. The height of the “mountains” is about 80 meters, and some Lithuanians are calling it “The Alps” of Lithuania.

Kėdainiai is a perfect one-day trip destination, just a couple of hours ride with a bus from the cities of Kaunas or Vilnius. If the UK band Bastille decided to visit and film in this small Lithuanian city, you could explore it as well.