Dictrict Municipality

Prienai www.prienai.lt 2009 Prienai district municipality lies in the southern part of . It has borders with Alytus, , Kaisiadorys, Trakai and Marijampole district municipalities as well as with Birstonas municipality. www.prienai.lt Sutartis 1.JPG

Area – 103 100 ha. Population – 33752: - 10993 residents in the centre of municipality - Prienai - 1309 in the second largest settlement – - 21451 in rural areas. The municipality is comprised of 10 administrative units – subdistricts. www.prienai.lt 66 780 ha (out of 103 100 ha) is landed property with small farms prevailing.

27% of the territory is covered with forests. www.prienai.lt Prienai town is the administrative centre of the municipality. The town stretches along the both sides of the river Nemunas: the greater part lying on the left side and the smaller one on the right. The bridge over the Nemunas river joins not only two parts of the town but also two ethnic regions (called Dzukija and ) of Lithuania. www.prienai.lt The Nemunas is not the only biggest river in Lithuania, but also it used to be the most important waterway, the breadwinner, and the defender of a nation. Nowadays it is a source of tourism resources, an integral part of landscape of Lithuania and our municipality, a preserver of historical memory. (The area of the whole Nemunas’ watershed covers 97 928 km² , from which 46 700 km² is in the territory of Lithuania) . www.prienai.lt The length of the Nemunas is 937,4 km. The length of the Nemunas in a territory of Lithuania is 359 km. Its length in Prienai district is even 59,5 km (its length in Prienai town is 5,5 km). www.prienai.lt The Nemunas is the most interesting in the mid-river. A section of 60 km length of the river is especially valuable and remarkably beautiful. More than 70 years ago it was discussed that The Nemunas National Park should be established there. And only in 1992 the Nemunas Loops Regional Park was established. The park covers a part of Birstonas, Prienai District and Alytus District‘s municipalities. www.prienai.lt A center of visitors of the Nemunas Loops Regional Park was open in 2009.

www.prienai.lt Recently we have been trying to find an answer to the question: Has Prienai used its natural context potential, a possibility to turn a town back to an axis of a town – the Nemunas? Prienai is a town on both banks of the river Nemunas. www.prienai.lt Implemented projects such as Reinforcement of the Nemunas’ quay, preparation works of IV stage of reinforcement of the left bank of the Nemunas were started in 2008: an approach road and technical work project of this stage and so on. www.prienai.lt A continuing programme of Prienai Neighbourhood and Prienai Community - „ On Both Banks of the Nemunas“ has been implemented for three years.

The main goals of this programme:

•To seek that the Nemunas and its approaches would be one of the most valuable natural and cultural territories of Prienai town community, which would increase aesthetic, sightseeing and recreational potential, and would become a visiting-card of the town and a guarantee of its originality.

•To highlight a uniqueness of Prienai town – existing different ethnographic regions, which are situated on both banks of the Nemunas.

•To promote civil, national, cultural and artistic education of self-awareness of the community, to stimulate belief that each member of the community can and must take part in making solutions related to the issues which are urgent to the whole society.

•To organize a festival of a different catchment every year. www.prienai.lt Pursuing this programme such projects were prepared and implemented:

“Travelling with the Nemunas Together Over Time” – Cleaning banks of the river Nemunas and establishing resort places on the right bank of the river Nemunas in Prienai. www.prienai.lt Pursuing this programme such projects were prepared and implemented:

“A Festival of Papriene” – a festival of citizens of the catchment which is situated on the other side of the river Nemunas. www.prienai.lt Pursuing this programme such projects were prepared and implemented:

“To the Festival With a Flag and With Small Dream Ships” – creation of a composition “Alive Lithuanian Flag” on the quay of the Nemunas and creation a flotilla of colourful small ships on the occasion of marking the Millennium of www.prienai.lt Lithuania. Pursuing this programme such projects were prepared and implemented:

“A Festival of Dvariukas” www.prienai.lt Culture

International woodcarvers’ festival “Nature is the source for culture” (every four years).

Annual dance and song festival “Tyliai tyliai Nemunėlis teka” (“Slowly slowly the river Nemunas flows”) National senior dance groups’ contest “Revuona” (every two years) Folk group festival “Oi būdavo būdavo” (“As it used to be”) has been organised more than for twenty years.

www.prienai.lt With the intention of increasing attractiveness of the region, Prienai District Municipality tries to attract foreign investments as well, in order to implement various projects.

It is planned to implement the project, during which a territory situated near the Nemunas will be cleaned and a new stage will be built for cultural events of the region, in a territory of the Nemunas’ Loops Regional Park in 2010. The biggest amount of project sponsorship is the finances of EU funds. www.prienai.lt At this moment one of EU supported projects, which is related to the Nemunas, has been already implemented. During this project 26 piers for ships have been built in the Nemunas. One of these piers was built in Prienai town. This pier is mobile and it is on the quay of the river Nemunas only during warm months of a year. During the winter due to danger of ice it is detached and dragged www.prienai.lt away into a safe place. A hotel was named in the name of the stream Revuona and it was founded in an old mill, which was being reconstructed at that time, in 1984 (the mill was built in 1925).

www.prienai.lt It is a high three-storey nice stone building in Krantas Street in Prienai on the bank of the river Nemunas. www.prienai.lt The hotel has not been working since 1995; however, the building attracts everyone’s, who is crossing the bridge from ’ side, attention. This building was transferred to the Directorate of the Nemunas’ Loops Regional Park to administrate it by trust law.

After reconstruction of an extension to the building the Centre of visitors of the Nemunas’ Loops Regional Park was opened in 2009. www.prienai.lt The culture monuments are evidence to the historical past of the Municipality’s area. There are 48 archeological monuments, such as hand-made burial mounds, memorial mounds and mythological stones. Some mounds are covered with forests and can hardly be detected; the other ones are visibly rising in the wide spread of fields. www.prienai.lt Prienai catholic churche

Prienai, Jieznas and Stakliskes catholic churches are famous for their architecture and works of art lining their walls.

Prienai paper producing works building has a historical and cognitive value. www.prienai.lt Tourism

Prienai geographic location and rich ethno-cultural heritage form a favorable situation for the tourism and leisure infrastructure development.

www.prienai.lt Rural tourism

Rural tourism in Prienai district is a great choice of a peaceful rest. At this moment there are 9 registered rural tourism homesteads in the district. Majority of rural tourism homesteads are situated on the bank of the river Verkne. www.prienai.lt Rural tourism The Verkne is a river in the south of Lithuania, in Trakai and Prienai districts. The Verkne flows in the Nemunas 2 km to the north-eastward from Birstonas. The length of the river is 77,3 km, the width varies from 2 km beside headwaters to 30 m beside the mouth. An average depth of the Verkne is 1,5 – 2,5 m.

www.prienai.lt Rural tourism A very interesting and nice river attracts tourists who like canoeing. A quite strong current, sporadically appearing obstructions or a small bridge of local importance do not allow tourists to lose their alertness and calmly enjoy wonderful nature.

www.prienai.lt Rural tourism

Rural tourism homesteads provide accommodation, catering services, equipped saunas and tubs. Tourists can rent canoes and bikes. www.prienai.lt THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

www.prienai.lt