Page 260 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

258  LITHU ANIA REGION B Y REGION

2 Europe Park steps lead to the summits
Europos parkas of the hills, where there are
breathtakingly beautiful views
Road Map D5. Tel (370) 237 7077.
@ from Vilnius. Open 10am–sunset of the surrounding terrain.
daily (last adm in summer: 7pm). &
8 - = ∑ europosparkas.lt Environs
The scenic road from Vilnius to
The 55­ha (136­acre) park Kernavė passes several villages.
contains contemporary Sudervė, 20 km (12 miles) south
sculptures. The aim of its founder, of Kernavė, has an unusual
Gintaras Karosas (b.1968), was white circular church designed
to give an artistic response to by Lithuania’s legendary early
the French National Geographic 19th­century Neo­Classicist,
Institute’s statement in 1989 Laurynas Stuoka­Gucevičius.
that a point about 17 km
(11 miles) north is Europe’s Wooden steps crossing fort-hills, Kernavė’s
precise geographical centre. archaeological reserve 4 Varėna
Around 100 works of art are Road Map D6. * 11,000.
set in a landscape of forests, hills that the site was inhabited as £ from Vilnius. @ from Vilnius.
and lakes. The American artist far back as 9000 BC. In the n J. Basanavičiaus 9, (310) 31 330.
Dennis Oppenheim (b.1938) 13th century, Kernavė was the _ Mushroom Festival (Sep).
created two monu mental pieces first capital of the united ∑ gamtosritmu.lt
– Chair/Pool (1996) and Drinking Lithuanian tribes and a busy
Structure with Exposed Kidney Pool trading centre. The Northern Surrounded on all sides by
(1998). Double Negative Pyramid Crusaders ransacked the thick forest, Varėna is situated
(1999) by Sol Le Wit (1928– pros perous pagan town in on the eastern edge of
2007), is a reflection in concrete 1365. In 1390, another attack Dzūkija National Park (see
of ripples on a lake. Karosas’s was launched by a mighty p260). The town is regarded
own work, LNK Infotree (2000) is army consisting of knights, as the mushroom capital of
a maze of 3,000 old TV sets. soldiers and merce naries from Lithuania. Although a rich
Germany, France, Italy and variety of mushrooms grows
England. Henry IV (1367– all over the country, here they
3 Kernavė 1413), the future king of proliferate like a carpet on the
England, also participated in forest floor. One day a year,
Road Map D5. * 500. @ from
Vilnius. n Kerniaus 4, (382) 47 385. the assault, from which the usually the last Saturday in
_ Days of Live Archaeology (Jul). town never recovered. September, the sleepy town
∑ kernave.org Today, Kernavė is Lithuania’s springs to life to celebrate the
foremost archaeological res­ Mushroom Festival (see p213).
The small, sleepy village of erve. In 2004, it was declared a
Kernavė overlooks the idyllic UNESCO World Heritage Site. Environs
Neris Valley, where steep­sided The protected area comp rises The road from Varėna to
fort­hills hint at the passing of five large mounds, which Marcinkonys, 22 km (14 miles)
a long­lost civilization. contained medieval ramparts southwest, winds plea santly
Archaeological finds show and fortifi cations. Wooden through Dzūkija National Park.

Farmstead with wooden barns, on the edge of the forest in Zervynos, near Varėna
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp305–306 and pp328–30

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