Sr. Ona Mikaila

A Stroll Through The Park . . .

Sr. Ona Mikaila is a writer and editor of Bendradarbis, and belongs to the order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Lithuanian order in Putnam, Connecticut.

There are five national parks in Lithuania designed to preserve the country’s scenic beauty, areas of particular cultural and historical interest, and to allow visitors to enjoy the natural, unspoiled environment.

This is the first of Lithuania’s national parks. It is in the beautiful lake-district of eastern Lithuania, north of Vilnius, in the so-called highlands. The largest lake here is Dringis, while the deepest is Lake Tauragnas. The area is wooded and teeming with wildlife: elk, deer, and boar.

Some of the old peasant villages are preserved here with their picturesque wooden houses. At the center of the park is the village of Paluše, which boasts a very old wooden church with a separate bell tower. The region lends itself to all kinds of outdoor sports like sailing, canoeing, hiking, and fishing.

This is both a very picturesque and historically interesting site. It is easily reached by a twenty-minute drive south west of Vilnius. The town of Trakai stands on a bit of land between two lakes, which are part of a group of some 30 interconnected takes. That is why Trakai is known as "The Town of the Waters".

The largest lake is called Galve and is dotted with small islands. Lake Galve has become a center for water sports, especially sailing. Yachts and steamboats offer trips across the lake. A castle stands on one of these islands, the only "Water Castle" in Lithuania. Vytautas Didysis (Vytautas the Great) built it and loved to spend time there. This is where he died in l430. The castle was rebuilt in red brick after World War II, and the inside has now been restored and decorated. It is open to the public and can be reached by a long wooden bridge across the lake.

The ruins of a still older castle can be found in the old town of Trakai, which also boasts of having one of the oldest churches in Lithuania, built also by Vytautas Didysis.

This long, narrow, bow-shaped peninsula, with its miles of sandy beaches, pine woods and sand dunes, is one the most exotically beautiful spots in all of Lithuania. At its widest point, it is no more than three miles wide, with water on both sides. The peninsula separates the Kuršiu Marios from the Baltic Sea. It can be reached by ferry from Klaipeda.

Photo: Ramune Kubilius

Neringa, with its constantly shifting sands, is the most ecologically fragile of the national parks. Originally covered with pine forests, it was denuded in the 18th century and the wind-blown sands buried 14 fishing villages. The pines have been reintroduced and are now flourishing.

Four fishing villages still remain, along with picturesque resort towns like Nida and Juodkrante. Juodkrante has an interesting feature called Raganu Kalnas (Witches’ Hill), decorated with large wooden sculptures of various characters found in old folk legends and stories. (A "Ragana" greets visitors at right.)

Nida is an attractive town where German writer Thomas Mann built himself a summerhouse in the 1930s. It also boasts of having the highest sand dune – about 60 meters in height – with a spectacular view at the top. People can be seen trekking along the tops of the dunes, but the going is far from easy.

Although this spot is certainly worth seeing, efforts are also being made to preserve it and an entrance fee is required.

The western part of Lithuania, known as the lowlands, is a unique region with its own dialect, folk culture, and a distinctive natural beauty. The rolling countryside is dotted with lakes and old villages.

Lake Plateliai is the largest and deepest lake of the area with remarkably clear water. Various legends are associated with it. A castle once stood on one of the islands in the lake with a submerged pathway to the shore, a secret escape route for the inhabitants. The shores of Lake Plateliai are excellent for camping and the lake itself is used for sailing.

Dzukija is in the southern section of Lithuania and was once called Dainava. It is famous for its folksongs -- "dainos", and still retains much of the old Lithuanian culture. The old villages are interesting to explore, and the people still practice the old crafts like basket weaving and woodcarving.

This is a land of contrasts with hot summers and very cold winters. It is still quite heavily forested. The sandy soil supports pine trees. People come from all over to pick mushrooms in the woods.

At the junction of the Nemunas and Merkys rivers is the very old town of Merkine famous for its historical castle hill. Merkine is one of the oldest sites of human habitation in Lithuania. A castle, which once stood on the mound, was a royal residence where the rulers and their nobles came for the good hunting in the surrounding forests.