Karaimų Gatvė (Karaim Street) is the main street of the historic Karaim quarter, running from the town centre toward the lake. The wooden houses lining it follow a tradition: each house has three windows facing the street — one for God, one for the Grand Duke, and one for the family. The houses are painted in distinctive colours, predominantly green, and the street as a whole has a character unlike any other in Lithuania or the Baltic states.
The Karaim community that built these houses came from Crimea in the 14th century and has maintained its distinct identity — language, religion, cuisine, architecture — for six centuries. The current community numbers only in the hundreds, the old houses are now mostly in other hands, but the street preserves the physical legacy. Walking its length takes perhaps 15 minutes; the kenesa and several restaurants serving kibinai are on or near it.