National parks in Lithuania
Lithuania is a land of outstanding scenic beauty with thousand of lakes, meandering rivers, ancient woodlands and old villages. Five national parks have been designated in Lithuania to protect this wealth.
Lithuania’s first national park – Aukstaitija National Park – was designated in 1974 and covers an area of 40 thousands hectares in the regions of Ignalina, Utena and Svencionys. Besides over 70 percent of its territory is pine stands, there are a great variety of smaller and larger lakes, that are scattered among the woods and hills and often interconnected by rivulets and streams. The largest of them is Lake Dringis (721 ha). Lake Tauragnas, the deepest in Lithuania (60.5 m deep) is also here. It is said that of some thirty rivers on the territory of the park, Zeimena is the most beautiful. Consequently, I could approve it, because last summer I had canoed Zeimena myself.
Zemaitija National Park was founded in 1991. It is in the northwestern part of Lithuania, about 45 km to east from the Baltic sea. The most beautiful and the largest lake in this national park is Plateliai. About 50 percent of the park’s territory is woodland. Furthermore, the woods are the habitat of a number of rare and protected bird species.
Dzukija National Park was designated in 1991 in the region of Varena. Its aim is to protect the landscape, the old villages, historical and cultural monuments, and forests of southeastern Lithuania. Pinewoods, which dominate in the Dzukija National Park, abound in mushrooms and have since long ago been a source of extra income for the local people. Dzukija’s forests are the habitat of considerable populations of plenty animals. A number of protected plant species are found in the park, too.