Lithuania National Parks

Five Lithuanian National Parks we has in Lithuania at the moment. They were established in 1991 year, after restoration of indepence Lithuania.

Aukštaitija National Park

Aukštaitija National Park was established to preserve and restore cultural heritage of Aukštaitija region, as well as to organise sustainable use of it‘s resources. Here you can find almost all kinds of natural habitats and soil types which are described in Lithuania. The territory of park is 406km², so the place to visit is a lot.
Most popular is Palūšė – tourist village, where you can meet a lot of people who spend their holiday especially here. Palūšė wooden church and the bell tower, burial mound and the Stone Age hut, monument to composer M.Petrauskas, Wooden carvins allow you empathize to ancient time of Aukštaitija region.

Ginučiai village – famous for it‘s water mill, which was built in sixteenth century and reconstructed in 1985. The old miller was turned into accommodation for visitors. Summer it’s great place to take a shower under cascade of water miller.

Ladakalnis hill – is 176m high, an excellent panoramic view is opened from the top of Ladakalnis , where you can see 6 lakes around you.

Žemaitija National Park

In the park is kept very interesting and challenging for visitors archeological complex with Mikūtai, Šarnelė, Pučkoriai and other mound of the North Žemaitija, Platelių old manor and castle island. One of the most beautiful Žematija‘s towns is Plateliai, here you can visit:

• St Peter and Paul Church – one of the oldest Lithuanian‘s wooden church.
• Plateliai manor park – where grow up two imposing trees that have been granted the status of monuments : Raganos uosis (Witch‘s Ash) -7.2 m girth and Platelių liepa (Plateliai linden) -5.4 m girth.
• Lake of Plateliai – lake is the largest and deepest Žemaitija’s lake famous for its natural, cultural and landscape value. There are 7 islands on the Lake: Pilies, Veršių, Pliksalė, Briedsalė, Ubagsalė, Gaidsalė and the smallest among them Šončelis island. The better view you can see from the viewing platform.

In the park is a lot of museums, that let you know more about Žemaitija‘s history and honored istorical people:

• Memorial museum of writter Žemaitė
• Museum of a poet Vytautas Mačernis
• Museum of folk art and ethnography of Jonušai
• Leonardas Černiauskas art gallery
• The Granary of Kazys Striaupa
• Folk Art Exhibition of Rimantas Laima
• Folk Art Exhibition Of Vytas Jaugėla.

Dzūkija National Park

Dzūkija national park is the largest park of Lithuania. Area of the park is 55,900 hectares. There is really what to visit:

1. Sightseeing, unique villages of Merkinė, Marcinkonys, Musteika, Margionys, Žiūrai, Zervynos and Mančiagirė.
2. The pyramid of Merkinė – the building is famous for its miracle powers. According to hundreds of witnesses, half an hour inside the Pyramid makes big positive changes to physical and mental being.
3. Merkinė, Marcinkonys churches, The St. Trinity Church and the Jacobin Monastery – are worth visiting for both – pilgrimage purposes and architecture lovers. It is a beautiful monuments standing in surroundings of simple Lithuanian town.
4. The Ethnographic Homestead-Museum of Dzūkija National Park ,Wild beekeeping exposition in the Village of Musteika, Čepkeliai Reserve Nature Museum, Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius Memorial Museum and Home, Lithuania’s Tatar Household Museum in Subartonys, Merkinė Regional Studies Museum, Lithuania’s Struggle and Genocide Museum and other historical places.

Kuršių Nerija (Curonian spit) National Park

The Curonian Spit is an outstanding example of a landscape of sand dunes that is under constant threat from natural forces . A spindling 98 km long strip of land locked in waters of the Baltic sea from West and the Curonian Lagoon form East is a beautiful creation of nature and people endeavor. After disastrous human interventions that menaced its survival the Spit was reclaimed by massive protection and stabilization works begun in the 19th century and still continuing to the present day. The Curonian spit is an exceptional case of human and nature conjunction that was included into UNESCO World Heritage List. Smiltyne Juodkrante, Pervalka Preila and Nida – the enchanting small settelments of the Curonian Spit have plenty of interesting places, recommended to visit for each person:

• Smiltyne
• Lithuanian Sea museum, aquarium and dolphinarium
• Educational-ecological path “Nature puzzle”
• A monument to L. Hagen
• Juodkrante
• Amber bay
• Monument to L.M.Reza
• Museum of miniature arts
• Exposition of stone sculptures
• Juodkrante church
• Weathervanes gallery
• Pervalka
• Lighthouse of Horses
• L.M.Reza‘s sculpture on the Skirpstas dune
• Preila
• Vecekrugas dune (the old inn hill)
• Nida
• Thomas Mann culture centre, museum
• Hermann Blode‘s museum
• Historical museum of Neringa
• Nida Evangelic Lutheran church
• Amber gallery-museum
• Parnidis dune and Solar clock
• The lighthouse on the Urbas hill
• Monument to an airclub gliding school

Trakų National Park

One of the smallest park from five national parks of Lithuania – Trakų historical national park. The area is just 8,200 hectares. The park contains of 32 lakes, some truly spectacular scenery, one or two ethnographic sights of particular interest and the town of Trakai itself. Trakai castle – center of attraction in the Trakai Historical National Park. Castle has a high and well-constructed strong wall all around it and also a forecastle which was built for the purpose of protection. Everyone can be taken many centuries back in time visited Trakai Castle museum.Trakai is the focus of cultural heritage, history and archaeology, intersecting the history of the old capital city of Lithuania -Trakai.

 

Europe park of Lithuania

Europe park – is open air museum of the centre of Europe, which was founded by Gintaras Karosas in 1991 after the end of Soviet occupation. It is located about 19 km from the centre of  Vilnius, the museum is open all round year from 10 a.m daily. The ticket price is about 25Lt, the price belongs from your age. For students, pensioners and pupils the tickets are cheapest. The exhibition area are visited by 60 000 visitors every year. Here you can find interesting examples of Lithuanian and the world contemporary sculpture. The sculptures are created by the artistd from different corner of the word: Hungary, Greece, Germany, Great Britain and other. The most interesting exhibit – is an entire labyrinth created of more than 3000 old TV sets, which is created by the founder of the park Gintaras Karosas. This exhibition is insert to Guinness record book.

To feel the real atmosphere of each sculpture and know more information about it  you can take the guided tour, which are conducted in English, Russian and Lithuanian languages.

 

The Gates of Dawn

The Gates of Dawn was built and mentionated first time in 16th century. This is one of most important historical, cultural and religious monuments in the Vilnius city, secular and religious tourism object, historical and architectural monument. In the gates of Dawn is held the painting of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, which compared with a miracle. This is one of a few paintings of Gates of Dawn icon Madonna. The painting was painted on 2cm thickness oak plank, Mary‘s head is decorated with two gilded silver crowns. Despite numerous of versions, the painter is still unknown. On September 4 of 1993 the Gates of Dawn was visited by the Pope John Paul II. This painting is known all around the world and copies of it are found in the other churches of different countries.

 

Grūtas Park

Grūtas park – one of the strangest museum in the world, which is located about 130km from Vilnius, near the SPA town Druskininkai. The park was opened on 1 April 2001 by Viliumas Malinauskas. In the Grūtas park you can find:

Soviet sculpture exhibition – on the two-kilometer-long exhibition set out 1989 – 1991 year 86 soviet monuments of 46 authors.

Museum – demonstrate sound, film, photo-documentary material that identifies and exposes ideologized Soviet culture propaganda, pseudoscience, mechanism and form, reveals the Lithuanian nation genocide.

Picture gallery – paintings exhibited in the gallery reflect ideologized communist society, the Soviet union leaders ( Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev and others) cult, soviet government entrenchment episodes of Lithuania.

Reading – club – in the exhibition renovated authentic village election center, which represents about forced elections to the various levels of the Soviet Councils. Exposition ends with the reading-club hall, where was held soviet books, demonstrated films, organized meetings.

Luna park – this is a playground, where everyone can see interesting ways to how and what kind of games their parents and grandparents used to play.

Mini zoo – here you can find a lot of birds and some kind of animals.

 

Hill of Three Crosses

Three crosses – is the one of the first concrete buildings in Vilnius. Three crosses was called Kreivasis (crooked) or Plikasis (bare), because it is on the hill of bare – the top of the slope is 200 meters long and three crosses hill is 162 meters above sea level. The Bare hill has been associated with the Monks. According the legend, the Martyrs killed seven Monks and seven were tied to wooden crosses and floated down the Neris river in the 1369. The hill was built by Antanas Vivulskis and it belongs to reserve of Vilnius castles. The monument was blow up by the Soviet authorities in the 1950, but rebuilt by Henrikas Kęstutis Šilgalis in 1989. Three crosses composition consist of the three identical crosses, just the from cross is raised above. The hill of three crosses is considered a national identity and a symbol of resistance to the occupation.