The meetings of Kaunas self-government institutions – the town council and governing officers – were held at Kaunas Town Hall. It also contained the premises of the town office, archive and the prison. The main executive institution was the town council. Only in the exceptional cases were the meetings of the town council not held at the Town Hall in which time they were held at the burgomaster’s home. With passing time, the representatives of the town community (gmin) and of the craftsmen’s guilds (whose voices began to be heard louder and louder) joined the council officers at the meetings. Despite these changes, this self-governing remained a closed hierarchic structure until the reform of the town’s self-governing at the end of the 18th century.

Liudas Glemža