In 1791 Kaunas townspeople decided to construct a bridge over the river Neris, but in the summer of 1794 the bridge was constructed by the administrators of Vilijampolė, which belonged to Dominik Radziwiłł (Dominykas Radvila). After 1795, the bridge was maintained by the Tsarist administration, since it was an important military object and in 1812 the retreating Russian Army burned the bridge down. Under Napoleon’s order the French Army constructed a pontoon bridge, and later a new bridge on poles. On its retreat, the Grande Armée burned the bridge down. Soon after the Vilijampolė owners constructed the bridge in its original place, and in 1828 they constructed the bridge in another location. In 1848 the bridge was reconstructed one more time. Pontoon bridges over the River Neris survived until World War I.
Liudas Glemža