Kauern is a German municipality in the Thuringian Landkreis of Greiz.

Communities near Kauern are Hilbersdorf and Ronneburg in the Landkreis of Greiz, as well as the Free City of Gera.

The village of Kauern belonged to the Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg and possessed a tight bond to the nearby city of Ronneburg that developed over the years.

In 1958, the SDAG Wismut began the construction of a uranium ore open-pit mine in Lichtenberg.

When Federal Garden Show is held nearby in 2007, it should be completely filled up and integrated into the new landscape of Ronneburg.