Kazlų Rūda: Forest, Railway and City History

Kazlų Rūda can be explored through several distinct themes: forests and forestry, railway and city history, and art in public spaces. A nature trail combines nature and forestry topics with historical stops; museums and exhibitions focus on other subjects. The parks add opportunities for observing nature and learning about the city’s history. This gives you an idea before your trip of which aspects of the place are of particular interest to you.

Experience forests and forestry

The Kazlų Rūda nature trail, Kazlų Rūdos pažintinis miško takas, begins on Esperanto Street. The walking route is listed as 4 km long, and the cycling route as 6.5 km. The cycling route is therefore 2.5 km longer; the two figures make the difference in route length clear. Check current trail conditions on site before your visit.

On the nature trail, visitors learn about forest animals or plants and the history of forestry. An information board is dedicated to iron ore mining; there is also a bunker used by Lithuanian partisans. Nature, forestry history and the memory of partisan fighting thus come together along the same trail. Anyone interested in the history of forests will find information here not only about plants and animals, but also about past uses and events.

The Kazlų Rūda Forest Museum covers forest plants and trees, as well as tree pests and diseases. Visitors can also try out historical forestry tools there. The museum began operating in the former forestry office building. While the museum focuses on plants, forest care and tools, the trail complements these topics with, among other things, the information board about iron ore mining and the partisan bunker.

City Park and Bird Trail

Kazlų Rūda City Park was created from a young pine forest and was formerly called Nepriklausomybės parkas. The park also has a bird trail, where visitors can hear birdsong and see nesting boxes. Which bird calls can be heard may vary. The trail draws attention to wildlife, while the park’s origins recall its former use as a young pine forest.

Atgimimo alėja is also part of the city’s public life. Residents gather there for city festivals. Alongside the nature and history themes, the avenue thus offers a place for community events: it is named as a meeting point during festivals, without any specific event date being implied.

Railway and City History

The railway features in Kazlų Rūda both in the cityscape and in the presentation of its history. A wooden train sculpture has stood in a small square next to the church since 2014. It symbolically recalls the importance of the railway to the city’s growth. A mighty oak, more than 100 years old, also stands next to the railway station.

The exhibition of the Kazlų Rūda Regional Museum is located in the Tourism and Business Information Centre and opened in 2022. Its modern, interactive presentation of the city’s history covers the railway, prosperity in the interwar period and partisan fighting in the deep forests. Its scope therefore extends beyond a single subject: the exhibition presents different chapters of the city’s history side by side.

The Senamiesčio galerija extends along a section of Vytauto Street; two exhibitions are on view there at a time. Coming from the railway station, visitors are accompanied along the way by photographs about the city’s history. From the other side, visitors are welcomed by works by students of the Lietuvos dailės akademija. The two sides thus offer different perspectives: historical photographs on one side and works by art students on the other.

Art in Public Spaces

At Mėnulio parkas, visitors can admire the silver artwork “Pora.” It symbolically represents closeness and warmth. Together with the train sculpture, it offers two different artistic points of reference in the cityscape: “Pora” brings a symbol of human closeness to the park, while the wooden train recalls the railway’s role in the city’s development.

Discover more destinations: Sasnava, Marijampolė, Gelgaudiškis, Vilkaviškis, Gudeliai, Šakiai.

Return to the regional travel overview: Marijampolė County.