Lakes of Lithuania
Encyclopedia
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The lakes are not evenly distributed; most are situated in the Baltic Highlands, which begin near the border with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on the southeast and extend northward along the border with Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
to Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
About 1,200 are supported only by groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
and neither receive nor distribute any surface water. However, many of the other lakes are interconnected by complex passages and rivulets. These lake systems are major tourist attractions in Aukštaitija National Park
Aukštaitija National Park
Aukštaitija National Park is a national park in northeastern Lithuania, about 100 km north of Vilnius. Established in 1974, it is the oldest of the five national parks in Lithuania. At first it was named Lithuanian SSR National Park to emphasize that it was the first such park in the republic...
and are popular with kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers. The lakes in and near the Molėtai district municipality
Moletai district municipality
The Molėtai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.Molėtai is known for its many lakes. There are about 220 lakes in the district and they cover about 7% of the total territory. Since it is only about 60 km north of Vilnius, many Vilnians own summer homes there. The area...
are a weekend destination for many residents of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, who have built summer houses and villas in the area.
Lake origins
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
retreated. The oldest date from about 13,000 years before the present. The varieties of glacial lake
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
s include:
- Moraine-dammed lakes (Lithuanian: užtvenktiniai ežerai) formed when glacial moraineMoraineA moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s blocked glacier meltwater drainage. These lakes include Dysnai, Plateliai, and Vištytis. - Kettle lakesKettle (geology)A kettle is a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters.-Overview:...
(Lithuanian: guoliniai or termokarstiniai ežerai) formed when a large piece of ice broke away from the edge of a retreating glacier, and was then buried under its sedimentSedimentSediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s. After the piece melted, a small depression was left in the landscape that filled with water. These lakes tend to be small, round, and quite deep. Due to their small size most of them are unnamed. The best-known of these is Lake Druskonis.
- (Lithuanian: Ledo guolio ežerai) formed much like kettle lakes, but are much larger. The pieces of ice were not buried under sediment. These lakes are often irregularly shaped, with uneven bottoms. Examples include Dusia, Metelys, Obelija, and Kretuonas.
- (Lithuanian: Dubakloniai, latakiniai, or rininiai ežerai) formed when meltwater washed steep, narrow, and deep valleys. When the valleys filled with water afterwards, lakes such as AsvejaLake AsvejaLake Asveja or Dubingiai Lake is the longest lake in Lithuania . It covers 9.78 km² area and reaches a depth of 50.2m which makes it the third deepest lake in Lithuania. It lies partly in Molėtai district, Švenčionys district and Vilnius district...
, Tauragnas, Sartai, and Aisetas were formed. - Residual lakes (Lithuanian: liekaniniai ežerai) are the remains of large lakes that formed immediately adjacent to melting ice caps. These lakes are large, shallow, and surrounded by wetlands and peatPeatPeat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
bogs. Examples include Rėkyva, Žuvintas, and Amalvas. - Some lakes are of mixed origins, created when a dam was constructed and the resulting reservoir flooded one or more lakes of glacial origin. Examples include DrūkšiaiLake DrukšiaiLake Drūkšiai, also called Lake Drysviaty or Lake Drysvyaty, or Drisvyaty is a lake located partly in the northeastern part of Lithuania and partly in the Vitebsk Voblast, in Belarus. The lake water was used to cool the reactors of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.The greatest depth of the lake is...
, Didžiulis or Daugai, and Galvė.
The lakes of non-glacial origins include:
- Oxbow lakeOxbow lakeAn oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
s (Lithuanian: senvaginiai, salpiniai, or upiniai ežerai) are abundant. There are over 1,300 of them. The largest are located in the Neman RiverNeman RiverNeman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
delta. - Sinkhole lakesSinkholeA sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
(Lithuanian: karstiniai ežerai) are prevalent in the Biržai district municipalityBiržai district municipalityBiržai district municipality Lithuanian municipality, located in northern Lithuania, Aukštaitija ethnographic region, Panevėžys County.The towns of Biržai and Vabalninkas lie within the district. About 64% of its land is agricultural, including a number of organic farms...
. There are about 300 such lakes, although their surface area covers only 10 hectares. It has been suggested that most of them are interconnected. - Underground lakes (Lithuanian: požeminiai ežerai) are also found in the Biržai district municipality. The largest one is in Cow's Cave (Lithuanian: Karvės ola); its water temperature is a constant +4.5 degrees Celsius.
- A marine lake (Lithuanian: lagūniniai or jūriniai ežerai), Krokų LankaKroku LankaKrokų Lanka is the only lake of marine origin in Lithuania and the largest lake in the Šilutė district municipality. It is located in the Nemunas Delta Regional Park on the Baltic Sea shore near Nemunas Delta and Ventė Cape. It covers a territory of 788 ha...
, was formed when various drifts from the Neman RiverNeman RiverNeman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
separated a part of the Curonian LagoonCuronian LagoonThe Curonian Lagoon is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surface area is . The Neman River supplies about 90% of its inflows; its watershed consists of about 100,450 square kilometers in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast.-Human history:In the 13th century, the area around...
. It is the only such lake in Lithuania. - Reservoirs (Lithuanian: tvenkiniai or kūdros) were created when a river was dammed, or were excavated as a local project. There about 3,400 such lakes, but only 340 of them cover more than 5 hectares. Most of the dams were built during the second part of the 20th century when the Soviet government authorities organized massive land use changes.
Largest lakes
| # | Natural lakes | Reservoirs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Area (km²) | Depth (m) | Notes | Name | Area (km²) | River | Year finished | |
| 1 | Lake Drūkšiai Lake Drukšiai Lake Drūkšiai, also called Lake Drysviaty or Lake Drysvyaty, or Drisvyaty is a lake located partly in the northeastern part of Lithuania and partly in the Vitebsk Voblast, in Belarus. The lake water was used to cool the reactors of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.The greatest depth of the lake is... |
44.8 | 33.3 | Shared with Belarus; supports Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant is a closed two-unit RBMK-1500 nuclear power station in Visaginas, Lithuania. It was named after the nearby city of Ignalina... |
Kaunas Reservoir | 63.50 | Nemunas River Neman River Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches... |
1959 |
| 2 | Lake Dysnai Lake Dysnai The Lake Dysnai is the second largest lake in Lithuania. With average depth of only it is one of the shallowest lakes in Lithuania. It is located in the Ignalina district municipality, about south from Dūkštas city.... |
24.39 | 6.0 | Antalieptė Reservoir | 15.72 | Šventoji River Šventoji River The Šventoji River is the longest river that flows entirely within Lithuania and the largest tributary of the Neris River. It originates from the Lake Samanis in the Gražutė Regional Park and flows into Neris near Jonava. The longest tributary of the Šventoji is the Širvinta River.The Šventoji... |
1959 | |
| 3 | Lake Dusia Lake Dusia The Dusia lake is the largest lake in Southern Lithuania, Lazdijai district and is part of the Dovinė River basin. Other nearby lakes are Lake Metelys and Lake Obelija.... |
23.34 | 31.7 | Elektrėnai Reservoir Elektrenai Reservoir Elektrėnai Reservoir , located south of the city of Elektrėnai, Lithuania, is the third-biggest artificial lake in Lithuania. It was created in 1961 by damming the Strėva River. It supplies cooling water to the 1,800 MW Elektrėnai Power Plant. A number of villages were drowned by the reservoir;... |
12.64 | Strėva | 1961 | |
| 4 | Lake Vištytis | 17.9 | 52 | Shared with Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the... ), highest lake elevation (170 meters above sea level) |
Kupiškis Reservoir | 8.28 | Lėvuo Levuo Lėvuo is a river in Northern Lithuania, tributary of the river Mūša. Lėvuo is 148 kilometres long. In 1931 Sanžilė channel, connecting Lėvuo and Nevėžis rivers was built. Biggest tributary rivers of Lėvuo are Mituva, Svalia, Kupa.... |
1984 |
| 5 | Lake Sartai Lake Sartai Lake Sartai is located in Rokiškis and Zarasai municipalities, northeastern Lithuania. The lake's 79 km shoreline is the longest in Lithuania. There are six islands in the lake. River Šventoji flows through it.... |
13.31 | 20.9 | Longest shoreline (79 kilometers), known for horse races on ice | Kapčiamiestis Reservoir | 7.17 | Nieda | 1957 |
| 6 | Lake Luodis Lake Luodis Luodis Lake is situated in Zarasai district municipality, Lithuania. Lake contains two large islands. Town of Salakas is situated near the lake.... |
13.02 | 18.4 | Bubiai Reservoir | 4.18 | Dubysa Dubysa Dubysa, at 131 km, is the 15th longest river in Lithuania. It originates just a few kilometers from Lake Rėkyva near Šiauliai city. At first it flows south, but at Lyduvėnai turns southeast and near Ariogala - southwest. Dubysa is a Samogitian river... |
1978 | |
| 7 | Lake Metelys Lake Metelys Lake Metelys is located in southern Lithuania's Alytus County. The lake, covering 1,292 hectares, has a maximum depth of 15 metres. It lies with the boundaries of Meteliai Regional Park... |
12.86 | 15.0 | Lake Širvėna Lake Širvena Širvėna Lake is a lake located in Biržai municipality, northern Lithuania. It is the oldest artificial lake in Lithuania. It was created in 1575 when the dam was built on rivers Agluona and Apaščia. The lake was built to protect the Radvila castle in Biržai. Now the city of Biržai, which was built... |
3.35 | Apaščia Apaščia Apaščia is a river of Biržai district municipality, Panevėžys County, northern Lithuania. It flows for 88 kilometres and has a basin area of 893 km².It is a tributary of the Nemunėlis.-References:... |
1580 | |
| 8 | Lake Avilys | 12.58 | 13.5 | Has the most islands (31) | Kruonis Reservoir | 3.06 | - | 1992 |
| 9 | Lake Plateliai Lake Plateliai Lake Plateliai is the biggest lake in Samogitia and 9th biggest in Lithuania. It is the central attraction in the Žemaitija National Park. It covers about 12 km² and reaches up to 47 m in depth. It has seven islands, one of them housed a castle and now is called Castle Island... |
12.04 | 46.0 | Largest lake in Samogitia Samogitia Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect... , well known for yacht Yacht A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries... ing |
Aukštadvaris Reservoir | 2.93 | Verknė | 1960 |
| 10 | Lake Rėkyva | 11.84 | 4.5 | Part of Šiauliai Šiauliai Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:... city |
Balskai Reservoir | 2.8 | Jūra Jura -Mountains:*Jura mountains, on the French-Swiss-German border, the namesake of the Jurassic period of geology*Franconian Jura, a mountain range in southeastern Germany*Bernese Jura, a region in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland... |
1963 |
Other notable lakes
- Lake AsvejaLake AsvejaLake Asveja or Dubingiai Lake is the longest lake in Lithuania . It covers 9.78 km² area and reaches a depth of 50.2m which makes it the third deepest lake in Lithuania. It lies partly in Molėtai district, Švenčionys district and Vilnius district...
has the longest coastline - almost 30 kilometers, when all its inlets are considered. It is also the third deepest lake (50.2 m). - Lake TauragnasLake TauragnasTauragnas is the deepest lake in Lithuania reaching 60.5 metres of depth. The surface area is 5.13 km² and average depth 18.7 m. It is situated in Aukštaitija National Park near Tauragnai in Utena County....
is the deepest lake, with depths up to 60.5 meters. - Lake Baluošas has an island that contains its own tiny lake.
- Lake ŽuvintasLake ŽuvintasLake Žuvintas is a shallow lake in Alytus district, central Lithuania. Area of Žuvintas Lake is 965 ha. It is the shallowest lake in Lithuania with the greatest depth 3 m and average only 0.6 m. It is a paradise for water birds, but also faces danger of becoming a swamp.-Nature reserve:It is a...
is a strictly protected body of water. It is the shallowest lake in Lithuania; its greatest depth is 3 meters, averaging 1 meter. It is a notable waterfowl habitat, but is filling with vegetation. - Lake GalvėLake GalveLake Galvė is a lake in Trakai Lithuania. It has 21 islands, and one of them houses Trakai Island Castle. Trakai Peninsula Castle is located on its southern shore. There are ruins of the little Orthodox church in Bažnytėlė Island. The lake and most of the other lakes surrounding the castle and...
's island houses TrakaiTrakaiTrakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 11.52 km2 of...
castle.