Page 271 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

CENTR AL LITHU ANIA  269

Forest-lined lakes with inlets,
such as Baltieji and Juodieji
Lakajai, and, further south,
Asveja, are protected as part
of the 55,000-ha (136,000-acre)
Labanoras Regional Park.
Molėtai is one of the old est
settlements in the country,
although it has preserved
very few historical monuments.
The Molėtai Astronomical
Observatory offers sweeping
views of area. Inside, the Ethno-
cosmology Centre displays
Restored Classical façade of Salos Manor House near Rokiškis an intriguing exhibition on
the links between cosmo logy
Now connected by a bridge to paddock or in a horse-drawn and the pagan rituals of the
the rest of the village, the island carriage, can be had for a ancient Lithuanians.
forms a calm backdrop to a small fee. There is also a mini-
Classical 19th-century manor and playground for children.
a Neo-Gothic wooden church.
E Anykščiai Northern
E Rokiškis Museum Railway Museum
Tyzenhauzų 5. Tel (458) 52 261. Vilties 2. Tel (370) 38 15 4597.
Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. & 8 Open May–Oct: 10am–5pm daily,
Nov–Apr: by appointment. & 8 -
E Historical Museum ∑ siaurukas.eu
Kriaunų village. Tel (458) 41 718.
Open 10am–4pm Tue–Sat (call in E Horse Museum
advance). & 8 Niūronių village. Tel (381) 51 722.
Open May–Sep: 9am–6pm daily,
Oct–Apr 9am–5pm. & 8
u Anykščiai ∑ arkliomuziejus.lt
Road Map D5. * 29,000. £ from
Panevėžys. @ from Panevėžys, i Molėtai Lakelands
Kaunas. n Gegužės 1, (381) 59 177. Exterior of the Ignalina Nuclear Power
∑ antour.lt Lithuanian Narrow- Road Map D5. * 21,000. Plant, near Visaginas
Gauge Railway: ∑ siaurukas.eu £ from Vilnius, Daugavpils. @ from o Visaginas
Vilnius, Daugavpils. n Inturkės 4,
Nestled in a landscape of rolling (383) 53 091. Road Map E5. * 22,000. £ from
pastures, Anykščiai creates a Vilnius, Daugavpils. @ from Vilnius,
picturesque setting for the The lakes that extend east from Daugavpils. n Ateities 23, Ignalina,
160-km (100-mile) Lithuanian the town of Molėtai are some (386) 52 597. _ Visagino Country
Narrow-Gauge Railway. Only of the Baltic region’s cleanest, Music Festival (mid-Aug).
68 km (42 miles) of Europe’s making them perfect for ∑ visaginas.lt
longest functional narrow-gauge camping and swimming.
rail way is in regular use today. With only 15 per cent of
Its locomotives pull carriages its population ethnically
across open countryside, Lithuanian, Visaginas has a
along the Šventoji river to unique atmosphere in a country
the scenic shores of Lake that is 85 per cent Lithuanian. It
Rubikiai with its 16 islands. was created in 1974 to house
Tickets are sold at the tourist the nuclear scientists who built
information centre. The old and then worked at the nearby
station boasts the Anykščiai Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant,
Northern Railway Museum, until recently the Baltic region’s
providing further insights into only nuclear power station.
train travel. Hidden in forests down a
single road, Visaginas has no
Environs discernable centre. High-rise
In Niūronys, 6 km (4 miles) housing blocks cover the town
north of Anykščiai, the Horse from east to west. The power
Museum hosts exhibitions on station was closed in December
various horse-related products. Lake Želva’s Ethnocosmology Centre, 2009, but a new plant may open
Rides on real horses, around the Molėtai Lakelands at the same site in the future.

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