Category: Eastern Aukštaitija

  • Zarasai Lithuania Travel Guide – Uncover the Must-See Gems of Eastern Europe

    Zarasai Lithuania Travel Guide – Uncover the Must-See Gems of Eastern Europe

    The town of Zarasai on the border with Latvia was officially called Zarasai until 1836, at which time the name changed to Novoaleksandrovsk. Known as Ezerenai from 1919, it finally regained its original name in 1929. It may have emerged alongside a monastery built on an island in Lake Zarasas in the 15th century. The…

  • Svencionys Lithuania Travel Guide

    Svencionys Lithuania Travel Guide

    Svencionys (Švenčionys) is a Lithuanian town not far from the border with Belarus. It was first mentioned in the 15th century. It gained autonomy in 1800, and Poland annexed it in the first part of the 20th century. The Lithuanian gymnasium established in 1919 by the “Rytas Society” functioned in a building on Audutiskio Street…

  • Dusetos Eastern Aukstaitija Lithuania

    Dusetos Eastern Aukstaitija Lithuania

    Dusetos is a town in the Zarasai district on Lake Sartai, 34 kilometers north of Utena known for its winter horse races, usually held on the frozen lake. Races of this type were popular in Eastern Aukstaitija (in Obeliai, Svedasai, Uzpaliai, Zarasai) in the 19th century, and became a tradition in Dusetos starting in 1905.…

  • Moletai Lithuania Guide – Uncover the Best of Central and Eastern Europe

    Moletai Lithuania Guide – Uncover the Best of Central and Eastern Europe

    Moletai (Molėtai) is a district center surrounded by recreational lakes on the bank of the Siesartis River along the Vilnius-Utena road. Its name comes from the common noun molėtas – clayey, clay-colored. The town was mentioned in a 1387 writ in which Jogaila gave a village by that name to the bishop of Vilnius. Expansion…

  • Utena Lithuania Travel Guide – Your Ultimate Eastern European Adventure

    Utena Lithuania Travel Guide – Your Ultimate Eastern European Adventure

    The industrial center of northeastern Lithuania and one of the country’s oldest settlements, Utena was first mentioned as part of the Selonian territory in a 1261 writ issued by King Mindaugas. The Utenėlė (probably originally called Utena) River which flows through the city is the source of its name. The history of the city is…