National parks

National Park of Aukštaitija

Thanks to its geomorphologic past, the National Park of Aukštaitija is distinguished by the diversity of its natural conditions. One can find almost all of types of natural habitats and soils encountered in Lithuania. Therefore, the park hosts vegetation of steppe and tundra types, as well as very rare vanishing species of birds and animals. For instance, as much as 59% of all Lithuanian native plant species are encountered in the park, which occupies only 1% of the country's territory. Speaking about animals, one finds almost all the species of Lithuanian vertebrates in the park, while for some of the beetles the park is the only area of habitation in Lithuania.

National Park of Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit belongs to the seaside climatic region, influenced strongly by the Baltic Sea. 
It is thought that Sambians (sambiai) and Curonians (kuršiai) lived in the vicinity of Nida in the 13th century. Documents from the 14th-16th centuries mention Curonians and Germans living here. In the 16th-20th century, one encounters Lithuanians besides them. People often suffered from disease epidemies, fled natural disasters. In 1629-1635, many villages of the spit became empty because of marauding mercenaries of the Swedish army. Many abandoned homesteads were overtaken by settlers from the continent. The 17th-18th century immigrants from Curonia influenced the local dialect of the Curonian tongue which gradually became a Latvian new Curonian language. In the 19th century and the start of the 20th century, a peculiar three-language culture formed in the Curonian Spit: the Curonians spoke German in official institutions, Curonian in fishing and Lithuanian in the church. From the end of the 19th century, the Lithuanian was being gradually replaced by the German. The process speeded up after World War 1. In 1945, as the frontline was approaching, the local population was evacuated. Only few of them returned after the war. Some of them were exiled, others went to Germany as repatriates. In the northern part of the Curonian Spit, people from other parts of Lithuania settled.

National Park of Dzūkija

The territory of the National Park of Dzūkija is on the collision of two big geological structures. The crystal foundation, formed by the oldest rocks (granite, gabro, amphibolite, etc.), is closest to the earth surface in south-eastern Lithuania, in Čepkeliai. Here it lies in the depth of only 251.3 m.

National Park of Žemaitija

26 June 2008 On Thursday in Vilnius, the project of the European Commission and the State Tourism Department under the Ministry of Economy "Most Attractive Area of Europe" was presented. During the project, the most attractive tourist attraction area in Lithuania was selected – "National Park of Žemaitija with traditional Užgavėnės festival".

Historical National Park of Trakai

The Historical National Park of Trakai is for the time being the only historical national park in Lithuania. Its cultural heritage is of utmost importance. The environs of Trakai contain entire layers of history and archaeology. The history of Trakai and the whole Lithuania is intertwined here. The kernel of the historical national park consists of the complex of Trakai island and peninsular castles as well as the oldtown of Trakai, stretching on a narrow peninsula between the lakes of Galvė, Totoriškės and Bernardinai. The system of defensive and living constructions in the city is influenced by peculiarities of natural environment.