For Širvintos District Tourism Manual Contents
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FOR ŠIRVINTOS DISTRICT TOURISM MANUAL CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Museums ................................................................................................ 2 Water routes, walking trails and the routes of the places to visit in Širvintos district ................................................................................... 3 Suggestions for excursions, recreation and educational programs ............13 Traditional events .................................................................................... 16 Active tourism ........................................................................................... 18 Restaurants, Cafes ................................................................................... 22 Accommodation ...................................................................................... 23 District map ............................................................................................ 24 Širvintos region greets every visitor with its historical and architectural monuments, museums, impressive nature, modernizing environment. Almost every hill, lake or a larger stone, town or village in this region is wrapped up in legends and stories. Kernavė, former Lithuanian capital during the times of Traidenis, proudly commemorates the past; in 2004 the town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. This is one of the most unique places in Lithuania, where 5 hill-forts stand close to one another and peculiar beauty of nature with living spirit of the ancestors inspire historical searches and discoveries, enable to sense the greatness of the Lithuanian Troy, to look for the connections between the past and present and for the identity roots. People are attracted not only to Kernavė, but also to the marvelous pinewoods of Čiobiškis, so tempting with their plenitude of berries and mushrooms. Širvintos region boasts 28 lakes of various sizes, including Zdoniškiai, Gelvanė, and Alys lakes rich in fi sh, landscape reserves of Kernavė, Bartkuškis, Alionys, Širvinta and Lygiaraistis’s wetland, Parks of Narvydiškis, Liukonys, Paširvintis, Šešuolėliai I manors with rare trees. The fi rst inhabitants in the territory of Širvintos region settled in IX-VIII century B.C. The remains of Stone Age encampments have been discovered in the environs of Musninkai, Čiobiškis, Gelvonai, Kernavė. The region is named after the name of the district center – Širvintos town - which, according to the legend, originated from the river Širvinta. In the ancient times moose, called Širviai, have trodden a path to the river through the thick of woods. Therefore, the river was named Širvinta. The town took its name from the river. This region also commemorates Barbora Radvilaitė, in honor of whom a chapel was built near the Musninkai, President Antanas Smetona, who loved to visit Šešuolėliai manor, a writer, journalist and diplomat Ignas Šeinius, a sculptor, folk artist Ipolitas Užkurnys, a signatory of the Act of Independence of 16 February Alfonsas Petrulis, and the fi ghts of Lithuanian and Polish resistors for the freedom of Lithuania. Širvinta, Širvintos, Musninkai, Kernavė, Gelvonai, Čiobiškis, Zibalai, Alionys ... These and other places grant us the highest values – the past of Širvintos region, the cherished culture of Aukštaičiai (highlanders), a distinctive dialect of Širvintai people, and magnifi cent beauty of nature. 1 MUSEUMS MUSEUM OF SACRAMENTAL RELICS Kerniaus str. 10, Kernavė town., Širvintos district. Regarding visiting, please contact Kernavė Parochial House. Ph.: +370 382 47347, +370 382 47385 PRIVATE MUSEUM OF JONAS PIVORAS ‘ARMONIKA’ (ACCORDION) Mindaugo str. 4, Kernavė Ph. No. +370 602 86 446, +370 382 47 396 On the 9th of March, 2002 Jonas Pivorius Museum ‘Armonika’ has been offi cially opened. It exhibits accordions from diff erent periods, each of which has its own story. In the central part of the exposition stands the oldest accordion which dates back to the times of Czar. It was last played by a Lithuanian military offi cer, later partisan, Jonas Jakštas (pseudonym - Pykuolis), who was fusilladed near Želva in 1952. Instruments of many musicians of Širvintos region have been gathered for the exhibition. Accordion Museum is the only one in Lithuania. KERNAVĖ ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE MUSEUM Kerniaus str. 4 a, Kernavė town., Širvintos district. In 1930 the head of Kernavė primary school Juozas Šiaučiūnas in the building of the school opened one of the fi rst regional museums in Lithuania – Museum of the Region. During the years of Hitler occupation a part of the museum exhibits have disappeared, some were preserved by the teachers Sofi a Jakštaitė and Juozas Rudzinskas, the latter was appointed director of the museum in 1945. In 1948 the museum was moved to the premises of the nationalized rectory. In 1993 an exposition was opened in one of the halls of The Culture House, which accommodated a wide range of material covering the period from the prehistory of Kernavė to the XVIII century, and a small exhibition, refl ecting the mode of life of Kernavė people in the fi rst half of the XIX – XX centuries and the history of the foundation of the Museum. On June 20, 2002 Kernavė Museum-Reserve acquired the status of the State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė, and in 2004 The Kernavė Archaeological Site was included into UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2012 the renovated modern Kernavė Archaeological Site Museum opened its doors to visitors with a new exhibition exposing the most impressive archaeological fi ndings discovered in Kernavė. WORKING HOURS: June-August. April-May, September-October. Tuesday-Saturday 10h-18h. Wednesday-Sunday, 10h-18h. November-March. Tuesday-Saturday 10h-16h. The museum is closed on the National Holidays. INFORMATION AND BOOKING OF EXCURSIONS: Ph.: +370 382 47385 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] 2 WATER ROUTES, WALKING TRAILS AND THE ROUTES OF THE PLACES TO VISIT IN ŠIRVINTOS DISTRICT WATER ROUTES Spring is the best time for canoeing down the river Musė - one of the most interesting tributaries of the River Nėris and well-known by the lovers of water tourism. Beautiful nature, rollicking stream and a variety of hurdles: the remains of water mills, slashings, and shoals - everything you need to create indelible memories. In summer the river abates and is suitable for canoeing only after huge downpours. River Musė starts its way from the Lake Musia (near the town Glitiškiai, Vilnius district) and near Čiobiškis fl ows into the River Nėris. If one still has a desire, the trip can be continued down the River Nėris. The most convenient place to start the trip down the River Musė is the 38th km of the highway Vilnius-Ukmergė. Here, at the 31st kilometer from Vilnius, the river goes underneath the bridge. If one has time and desire, he can start a trip at a higher point: from the old road bridge of Širvintos (42nd km), or even from the village Antanėliai (45th km), below of which two little rivulets Tola and Juodė catch up Musė and join into one stream just before the mouth. If you take this route you will visit Bartkuškis Manor, the remains of Bajoriškiai Mill (23 km from the mouth), Barbora Chapel, Grebliaučizna hill-fort, Janioniai hill-fort, Darius and Girėnas Bridge, Čiobiškis Watermill. 3 WATER ROUTES, WALKING TRAILS AND THE ROUTES OF THE PLACES TO VISIT IN ŠIRVINTOS DISTRICT The trip down the river Širvinta The River Širvinta is the longest and most beautiful tributary of Šventoji, its length - 128 km. Canoeing trips are usually started from the bridges of Širvintos, Viesiai, Družai, Vindeikiai, or Liukoniai, but each group of tourists can choose a segment they like. The length of the entire route from Širvintos to Upninkai is 83.5 km, the duration of the trip - 4 days, canoeing season - from April to September. Canoeists can choose not only 4, but also 3, 2 or 1 day trip. The route runs through the districts of Širvintos, Jonava and Ukmergė. Fellow countryman journalist Petras Naraškevičius in his book ‘Alksniai prie Širvintos’ (Alders near Širvintos) wrote: “the banks of the river are quite high in some places, the river brinks did their best to entangle themselves in trees and bushes, so that a traveler couldn’t make out what is beyond that thick brush, even if he wished to. You fl oat down the river amid beautiful living walls, sometimes hear a mooing cow, sometimes a barking dog or human voices, but not seeing anyone alive on the bank. Only a fi sh splashes near a drowned stump, young beaver swims away leaving a trail of disturbed water, quacking ducks rise from a calm pool or a long-tailed magpie chirps in dense bushes.“ While beyond that indiscernible thick of the trees a lot of sight-worthy things are hiding: Pasodninkai hill-fort, Lapšiai manor (it is a private estate, visits must be agreed in advance with the owners), huge cross and mythological stones of Liukoniai, Maskoliškiai hill-fort, Širvinta Landscape Reserve. Those who wish to see the beautiful and full of surprises curves of the rivers Musė and Širvinta can rent canoes. Canoes for rent in Širvintos district: Vaiva Daugelienė, ph.: +370 699 14130, www.laivelis.lt Aurimas Baravykas, ph.: +370 610 42007, www.upelis.lt Public institution ‘Vikingų kaimas’, ph.: +370 606 06781, www.vikingukaimas.lt Ernestas Čiburas, ph.: +370 659 54100, e-mail: [email protected], www.ernestobaidare.lt 4 WATER ROUTES, WALKING TRAILS AND THE ROUTES OF THE PLACES TO VISIT IN ŠIRVINTOS DISTRICT WALKING TRAILS IN ŠIRVINTOS DISTRICT