Birštonas is a resort town in the south of Lithuania, in Kaunas
county. Birštonas municipality, Catholic deanery and parish center.
Balneological and mud therapy resort where mineral waters are extracted
(Vytautas, Versmė, Danutė, Vaidilutė and others). Birštonas St. stands
in the city. Antanas Paduvietis church (built in 1909), Vytautas
mountain (85 m), Dainai kalnelis, three sanatoriums, horse riding,
Olympic rowing center. The largest company is "Birštonas mineral
waters". Birštonas high school, Birštonas art school, and Birštonas
public library operate in the city.
The city in the 16th century.
reformed according to the rectangular plan used during the Wallachian
reform, 18th century. lost this form at the beginning during the
Northern War. In the southern part of the city, near the Nemunas River,
there is Vytautas Park and Birštonas mound (or Vytautas hill; 85 m). On
the left bank of the Nemunas, at the edge of the Alksniakiemi heath, a
path has been established in memory of the victims of Stalinism.
The salty springs of Birštonas have been mentioned since the 15th
century. in 1846 Benediktas Balinskis, the doctor of the Stakliškii
resort, treated the first patient here who was not helped by the healing
springs of Stakliškii, and she recovered in Biršton. in 1851 June 23
Birštonos resort was established (other sources indicate that only at
the end of 1854 the Minister of the Interior of Russia signed a permit
to establish a resort), which especially began to develop after the big
fire of the nearby Stakliškii resort in 1857. 19th century at the end,
the balneological resort was already known, described in resort guides.
Until World War I, ~2,000 people were treated here every year, 72 baths
operated, and 3 hotels with 200 rooms were built.
in 1927 a mud
treatment plant was built - peat for the treatment mud was brought from
the Velniabliūdis peat bog. in 1933 The resort polyclinic was built in
1939. - 2 sanatoriums (Kaunas sick fund and "White tulip" of Kaišiadori
diocese), unveiled monument to J. Basanavičius. in 1947 2 sanatoriums
were established in 1959. mud spas and sanatorium no. 1 named "Tulpe",
sanatorium no. 2 - "October", later both were merged in 1975. In the
same year, the "Versmė" sanatorium was founded. in 2013 "Eglės
sanatorija" opened its doors instead of "Spalio" sanatorium.
Birštonas is famous for drinking mineral water, baths, people come here
to be treated for digestive, locomotor, circulatory, gynecological,
kidney, respiratory diseases. Sanatoriums ("Tulpė", "Versmė" and "Eglės
sanatorija") work all year round. There are many hotels, two guest
houses, Birštonas sports center, LKKA sports and wellness center, skiing
center, recreation area "Birštonas Nemunas Vingis". You can sail on
pleasure boats, fly in a hot air balloon, go horseback riding, and take
a carriage ride. There are physiotherapy clinics.
Mineral water
of "Vytauto", "Birutė", "Vaidilutė", "Rūta" is extracted.
The
most popular attractions in the city:
Five sanatoriums operating in
the city
Mineral water pavilion "Birutė villa"
Mineral water
evaporation plant "Druskupis"
Kneipp's garden
Mineral springs
Central Park
Promenade along the Nemunas
Beaches (ponds)
Vytautas mountain
St. Anthony of Padua Church
The city in the 16th century. reformed according to the rectangular
plan used during the Wallachian reform, 18th century. lost this form at
the beginning during the Northern War. Here is St. Birštonas. Antanas
Paduvietis Church, post office (LT-59009), cultural center, polyclinic,
dispensary, high school and art schools, Birštonas Museum (founded in
1967), Birštonas Sacred Museum (founded in 2000), senior citizens'
residence (opened in 2007) . In the southern part of the city, near the
Nemunas River, there is Vytautas Park with Vytautas Mountain (85 m
high). In the spring, once every two years, since 1980, the oldest
international jazz festival in Lithuania "Birštonas Jazz" has been held.
Vytautas monument in the city (since 1998; sculptor Gediminas
Jokūbonis), M. Mažvydas sculpture (sculptor Vl. Žuklys), "Girl with a
pipe" (sculptor R. Antinis junior), J. Basanavičius monument in J.
Basanavičius Square (1939 , sculptor A. Aleksandravičius), monument to
partisans in Nemunos street. (sculptor A. Dulksnys). Birštonas culture
center has the largest stained glass window in Lithuania "Lietua" (area
142 m², author Vytautas Švarlys). An English artist (photographer David
Hamilton), fascinated by the natural beauty of the resort, dedicated his
several harmonized works in 1985. However, based on only one photograph,
it was decided to build the sculpture "Girl with Jellyfish" (sculptor B.
Vyšniauskas in 1987) near the municipality.
From 2019 July 11
Birštonas observation tower was officially opened for visitors on the
southwestern edge of the town.
The origin of the name Birštonas is not clear. There are two main
theories:
a more likely theory is that the name came from the surname
Birštonas (a personal toponym). Although this surname is not common, it
is widespread mainly in Suvalkija (around Marijampolė, Liudvinava,
Vilkaviškis). Although there are not many place names in Lithuania that
are based on the singular of the last name, they do occur (Kavarskas,
Musteika, Sudargas).
Birštonas is a derivative of the suffix -onas
from the word biržtva ("birch tree"). The letter ž gradually faded into
š.
The city is located 39 km south of Kaunas and 7 km southeast of
Prienai, on the right bank of the Nemunas, after the river makes a loop.
The Birštonas pond is located in the north of the city, and the
Birštonas mound stands in the southeast. An asphalted pedestrian and
cyclist road (10 km) leads to Priene through the Žvērinčius forest.
The Nemunas loop regional park directorate is located in the city.
To the south and southwest of the city of Birštonas is Birštonas
Vienkiemis.
According to the findings of archaeologists, it is known that
there were settlements in this place in the Mesolithic and Bronze
Ages. It was first mentioned in the "New Prussian Chronicle" by
Vygandos Marburgietis in 1382, when Marshal Kunas von Hattenstein
divided his army into three parts during his march to Lithuania - to
attack Punia, Alytus and Biršton. Here Birštonas is mentioned as
Birsten (Birstan) area near the salty springs. At that time, the
wooden castle of Birštonas belonged to the defensive castle system
of Panemune, later it was the residence castle of Ldk Vytautas. in
1387 mentioned town.
After the Battle of Žalgiris, Panemune
Castle lost its importance and Birštonas became the hunting ground
of Ldk Vytautas - animals, especially bison, were driven and hunted
from the surrounding area. Here from the XIV-XV centuries. was the
Birštonas manor of princely hunting, which was loved not only by
Vytautas, but also by Kazimieras Jogailaitis with his sons and
Duchess Elena. A town grew up next to the manor in 1518. already
called a city, since 1529 - in the list of non-privileged cities of
the LDK, since 1539. received the right to hold weekly markets
(granted city rights). 15th-16th centuries there was a royal resort
where Ldk Kazimieras Jogailaitis, Aleksandras, Žygimantas Senasis,
Žygimantas Augustas rested. in 1549 Žygymantas Augustas Birštonas
wrote to Barbora Radvilaitai. Until 1578 A square square and 4
streets were formed in Biršton, along which 119 plots were measured
(97 built), 9 craftsmen lived. 17th century Birštonas church was
built at the beginning of the 19th century, but after the end of the
Jogailaičiai dynasty and the growth of the Prienas, the town began
to decline, it suffered during the wars with the Russians and the
Swedes. Rebuilt without following the previous rectangular plan. in
1782 20 families lived in the town.
Since 1846 salt springs
began to be explored, 1851 established resort, since 1855
construction of clinics and houses for those receiving treatment
began. 19th century Birštonas is a town in Trakai county, the center
of Birštonas district of Jiezno county. Russian and Swiss villas
were built at the turn of the century. 1905 (or 1906) almost the
entire central part was damaged during the fire of the town. During
the First World War, the city was severely damaged, many summer
houses burned down, many buildings were sold off. in 1924 The
Lithuanian Red Cross signed an agreement with the Department of
Health and undertook to modernize the resort, install mud baths,
water supply and sewerage, and introduce electric lighting. This is
how Birštonas was revived, sanatoriums were built, mud baths and
mineral water treatment facilities were installed.
During
World War II, Birštonas was almost unscathed. in 1946 August 3
Birštonas became a city-type settlement (as a resort), in 1966. June
22 - a city under republican control. About 1960 an embankment
formed during the construction of the Kaunas HPP, protecting the
city from rising Nemunas water. in 1978 the general plan of
Birštonas was approved (architects A. Pucas and others).
in
1995 the coat of arms of Birštonas was approved, the municipality of
Birštonas was established.