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Dzūkija or Dainava is a region in south-eastern Lithuania.

Cities[edit]

Other destinations[edit]

  • 1 Dzūkija National Park Dzūkija National Park on Wikipedia — the biggest forest (Dainavos) and swamp (Čepkelių) in the country, and some old unique villages in the middle of the forests
  • 2 Medininkai Castle Medininkai Castle on Wikipedia — well preserved historic castle ~35 km. from Vilnius
  • 3 Center of Europe — (near Purnuskes, 25 km north of Vilnius) Purnuskes claim to fame is that in 1989 the National Institute of Geography, of France, calculated the centre of Europe to be just outside the village. A stone memorial was erected on the calculated spot. A subsequent revision, after it was realised that Malta had been omitted from the calculation, changed the location ... by about 100 metres. A brand new memorial pillar was erected in 2004 to mark Lithuania's membership of the EU.
  • 4 Kernavė Kernavė on Wikipedia — Former Lithuanian capital at the bank of the river Neris and now a well-preserved archaeological site that is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • 5 Aukštojas Hill Aukštojas Hill on Wikipedia — (near Medininkai village, a few km from the border with Belarus) At 293.84 m, Aukštojas is the highest point in Lithuania. Juozapinė Hill, about 500 m away is the third highest point in the country.
  • Two points on the Struve Geodetic Arc

Understand[edit]

Hill fort mounds in Kernave

Dzūkija is a cultural region in south-eastern Lithuania. Most of the region is sparsely populated and covered by forests, stretching north-east from the border with the Polish region of Podlaskie. The northern part of the region, however, is the cradle of Lithuanian statehood and includes the current capital Vilnius and two medieval capitals - Kernavė and Trakai. Two of Lithuania's five national parks can be found here as well as three of the country's four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Eight regional parks are also established in the region and serve to protect both the natural environment and cultural heritage.

Talk[edit]

As in the rest of Lithuania, the official language is Lithuanian. However, in some parts of the region Polish is widely used due to the significant number of ethnic Poles living in the area.

Get in[edit]

Vilnius is the transport hub for the entire country. Its airport (VNO IATA) is six km south of the city and has flights from across Europe, many by budget carriers.

You could also fly into Kaunas (KUN IATA) and take the direct bus to Vilnius.

Trains converge on Vilnius from all quarters: from Kaunas they run hourly and take 90 min. From Poland a daily train runs from Kraków via Warsaw, Białystok and Kaunas to Vilnius. The train from Riga was restored in 2023, running daily, though the line from Latvia via Daugavpils remains closed. Trains from Minsk and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad are suspended, but it's still possible to cross those borders by bus.

Flixbus is the main long distance bus line, and Kautra the main domestic inter-city line.

Get around[edit]

You need your own car to see much of this region. Highways radiate from Vilnius and are in good condition, well-signposted and toll-free. Winter driving can be challenging.

Bus routes follow the main highways. Railways have withered south of Vilnius because historically they crossed into Belarus, and closed when that became a "hard" border. One exception is Trakai, but the train from Vilnius is less frequent than the bus, and the station is further from the village sights.

See[edit]

  • 1 "Meschkanzi" (Meškonys). One of the points of the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. There's a small parking pocket next to the road and from there a path goes for 200 m slightly uphill through the meadow to the marker.

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This region travel guide to Dzūkija is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!