Druskininkai is a resort town in the very south of Lithuania, in
Dzūkija, Alytus County, 60 km south of Alytus, near the border with
Belarus. Druskininkai municipality center. Druskininkai is the oldest
(since 1794) and the largest year-round balneological, mud and climate
resort in Lithuania. The old town of Druskininkai is a monument of urban
planning.
The city has 3 temples, 8 sanatoriums, many recreation
centers, hotels, Druskininkai municipal public library, Druskininkai
central hospital (in Balainė forest), polyclinic, post office (the new
post office building was built in 1980, architect V. Banikovas), several
parks. Two bridges were built over the Nemunas: the old Druskininkai
bridge and the 2011 bridge. The Park bridge connecting the old town of
Druskininkai with Baltasiška on the left bank of the Nemunas was opened.
in 2015 The Lynų kelia is built over the Nemunas.
In the summer, a theater festival is held in Druskininkai. The international arts festival "Druskininkų vasara with M.K. Čiurlionius" is also held every year. in 1985 The annual poetry event "Druskininkai Poezijas Ruudo" has been organized and attracts authors from various countries around the world. Regular cultural events are held at M.K. Čiurlionis Memorial Museum.
Forest Museum "Echoes of the Forest", founded in 1972. A. Valavičius.
It is the environmental information center of the Druskininkai Forest
Office.
in 1996 the Druskininkai Museum of Resistance and Exile,
which operates on public grounds, was established. It exhibits
documents, photographs, and other museum exhibits related to the
partisan struggle of the Druskininkai area, resistance to Soviet rule,
Soviet repression and exile.
Other museums and galleries:
M.
K. Čiurlionis Memorial Museum, founded in 1963.
Druskininkai City
Museum, founded in 1999.
Ž. Lipšice Memorial Museum, founded in 1996.
in the wooden Markevičius villa in St. Jakūbo st. 17
Vytautas
Kazimieros Jonynas gallery
"Rest" on the Nemunas coast (1959, sculpt. Juozas Kėdainis)
In the
park of the "Motinystė" treatment center (1959, sculpture by Bronius
Vyšniauskas)
"Ratnyčėlė" by the bridge over Ratnyčia (1959, sculpt.
Bronius Vyšniauskas)
"At the source" (1963, sculpt. Antanas Dimžlys)
near the "Eglė" sanatorium - "Flight" (sculptor Gediminas Karalius) and
"Youth" (sculptor Jadvyga Mozūraitė-Klemkienė)
in 1987 built city
clock (author S. Kuizinas)
Bust of Vincos Krėvės at the intersection
of Čiurlionis and Krėvės streets (1989; sculptor Alfonsas Vincentas
Ambraziūnas)
"Hospitality Gate" in the square between Taika and St.
Jokūbos gatvių (2013; sculpt. Tadas Gutauskas, on the site of Antanas
Balkė's sculpture "Legend").
Memorial sign of partisan Juozas Karnauskas (1930–1948).
in 1975
on the edge of the park, on the bank of the Nemunas, a monument was
erected on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Čiurlionis (sculptor Vladas Vildžiūnas, architect Rimantas Dičius), a
monument was also erected in the garden of the Čiurlionis Museum
(sculptor Kazys Švažas)
monument to Mindaugas (1995; sculpt. Vytautas
Kašuba)
in 2011 D. Matulaitė's monument to Barbora Radvilaita and
Žygimantas Augustus "Karūnos" was built near Nemunas in Gydyklė Park
obelisk for the victims of the Druskininkai ghetto (sculptor Žakas
Lipšicas).
Villas:
"Imperial" (Maironio st. 14; 1926)
"Omega" (Maironio
st. 16)
Radium Villa (7 Kosciuszka St.)
"Maure" (Laisvės a. 21)
Markevičius villa (Sv. Jokūbo st. 17)
Fun villa (M. K. Čiurlionio
str. 59)
Houses of worship and cemeteries
Neo-Gothic style
Druskininkai St. Virgin Mary Škaplierinė church was built in 1931.
(architect Stefan Šiller). A little reminiscent of St. Anna's Church in
Vilnius. The construction of the church was started in 1912, during the
First World War the construction stopped, it was resumed in 1924. In
fact, the construction was not completed until the end, two side spires
remained unfinished.
The Orthodox Druskininkai icon of the Mother
of God "Joy of all who mourn" church was built in 1865. for 10,000
silver rubles donated by the vice-governor of Gardin.
Druskininkai (Ratnyčia) St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church was built in
1910.
Cemetery:
Old city cemetery
The old Jewish cemetery
Cemetery of soldiers of the First World War
Cemetery of World War II
soldiers
For a while, it was thought that the Salzininken mentioned in the
chronicles of the Teutonic Order were Druskininkai (from German Salz -
salt), but later it turned out that they were Salčininkai. Now it is
believed that the name of the settlement may have come from the common
word druskinićas (one engaged in salt-related activities, business),
which is quite rare. in 1635 the village of Druskiniai is mentioned,
since 1765 known as Druskininkai.
Folk etymology tells the legend
that the famous Liškiava Castle stood on the steep bank of the Nemunas.
Once, the ruler of that castle was hunting across the Nemunas with his
courtiers. The hunt was successful and the prince intended to shoot the
falcon in gratitude to the gods. Everyone gathered on the banks of the
Nemunas, where the falcon was released. The prince shot, and the bird,
pierced by an arrow, fell into the waters of the Nemunas. The lord of
the castle rushed after the victim and dived. There was confusion as
everyone thought he had drowned. The duke's wife was more frightened and
upset than the others. She ran along the shore and called out to her
husband, crying piteously, shedding salty tears. After some time, the
prince emerged from the water with a falcon in his hands - he was alive
and well. And in the place where the princess's tears fell, salty
springs gushed out of the ground. Then the city of Druska is located
here.
The territory of the current city has been inhabited since ancient
times, within its borders is the ancient settlement of Druskininkai. In
the early Middle Ages, the territory of the current city was inhabited
by the Jotvingi tribe. From the 13th century became part of the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania. Here was a small fortress that was part of the
Panemune defense system. 1311 The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
Henrikas Plecke captured and destroyed this fortress.
Druskininkai were first mentioned in written sources in 1636. in 1702
March 24 near the settlement, the battle of Druskininkai took place
between Swedish and ATR troops. The village of Druskininkai is mentioned
in 1765. 18th century Druskininkai was just a small village in the
Pervalka district with 5 peasant homesteads.
Mineral springs have
been known since the 18th century. beginning At that time, local
resident P. Sūrutis (Suraučius, Surmetis) started using the salty waters
in Druskininkai for treatment. He heated the salty spring water in large
tubs and then poured it into small bottles and treated the sick with the
water. in 1789 Druskininki was visited by the Grand Duke of Lithuania
Stanislaus Poniatovskis, by whose order ~1790 the palace doctor began to
study the healing properties of mineral waters. The resort was founded
in 1794. on June 20, when Stanislovas Augustas declared Druskininkus a
healing area.
The first researcher of the springs was Gardin
pharmacist Rumelis, who in 1830 investigated several sources of mineral
waters. In 1830, encouraged by the governor of Gardin, Bobiatinskii. VU
professor I. Fonberg studied the water of the Druskininkai springs, and
in 1835 published these studies and proposed to the tsarist government
to establish a resort. in 1837 December 31 by the emperor's decree,
Druskininkai was recognized as a resort of mineral springs, and the
development plan of the Doppelmejeri resort was also approved, in 1838.
the first sanatorium was opened - a 12-bathroom clinic, later expanded
to 50 baths. in 1843 about 2,000 people were treated, in the 19th
century. at the end - about 5,000 people every year. 1844-1852 a church
was built. After the Crimean War, as the number of sick and wounded
increased, the vice-governor of Gardin, Yakov Rozhnov, took measures to
install a temporary Orthodox temple in a private house in Druskiniki
(1857). With his funds in 1865 a church was built.
in 1850 the
famous composer Stanislovas Moniuška rested and performed in the resort.
in 1861 There were 9 springs of mineral water in Druskininkai, and in
1884 - already 16. An important event in the life of the resort is the
opening of the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway in 1862. The nearest
railway station to Druskininkai (Parieče) was 19 km from the center of
the resort. It was accessible by road. 19th century Druskininkai is
mentioned as a town in Gardin County.
in 1863 Insurgent groups
operated in the vicinity of Druskininkai. After suppressing the uprising
in 1865 the tsarist government sold Druskininki to colonel K. Štrandman
(Strantmann). in 1876 a three-person company bought the resort from him.
in 1871 a fire destroyed a large part of the city, and in 1884 hospitals
burned down. in 1893 Salters were granted city rights. in 1895 built in
Druskininkai St. Pantaleon Church and Druskininkai St. Gabriel's Church.
in 1899 new swimming pools in the Ratnyčia river began to operate,
steamboats to Gardina started operating.
19th century at the end
of the 20th century At the beginning, several small sanatoriums and
summer houses (similar in style to the European resorts of that time)
were built in Druskininkai. The middle class of Vilnius, Warsaw and
Moscow summered here. In terms of attendance, Druskininkai became the
third in the Russian Empire after the Caucasus and Crimea. 20th century
At the beginning, telephone connection and electricity appeared in
Druskininkai.
1909 5,000 guests visited Druskininkai, and on the
eve of the First World War in 1913 - 18,600 vacationers. When the war
broke out, fierce battles took place in Druskininkai and the resort was
badly damaged. Half of the town was destroyed, 2/3 of the forest burned.
Fighting took place in Druskininkai during the Polish-Soviet war. During
the Battle of the Nemunas, while trying to get behind the Soviet army,
the Poles attacked Seinus, where the Lithuanian army was at that time,
then continued towards Druskininkai, where they captured the
strategically important wooden bridge across the Nemunas, defended by
the Lithuanian army, and moved further towards Varanavos and Lyda. The
Poles managed to capture the bridge in Druskininkai only after 11
unsuccessful attempts, 80 Lithuanian soldiers were captured.
During the interwar period, Druskininkai belonged to Poland (1920-1939).
The first post-war resort season was officially started in 1923, but by
1930 the resort developed weakly. 1930 In 1931, Druskininki was managed
by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. it was bought by the Polish treasury.
The resort was popularized by Juzef Pilsudskis, who spent a large part
of his summer vacation here. The city belonged to Białystok Voivodeship,
Gardin County. in 1934 after the construction of the railway connection
with Pariečė station (now Belarus), communication with Druskininkai by
railway became easier. in 1937 11,047 people rested here.
in 1939
September. The Red Army invaded Poland and occupied Druskininki. The
town since 1939 October to 1940 belonged to the Bialystok region of the
Belarusian SSR. After 1940 Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in
1940. September 7 Druskininkai were annexed to the Lithuanian SSR.
During the short period of belonging to Belarus, the town was looted,
expensive furniture was taken to Belarus, many people were arrested and
deported. in 1941 June 23 the Germans occupied Druskininki and annexed
it to the Białystok area. in 1941 June 23 a group of Lithuanian
partisans was formed in the town, the Lithuanian administration was
formed, until July 12. the Lithuanian police operated.
in 1944
July 14 the city was again occupied by the Soviets. Dainava district
partisans operated in the vicinity of Druskininkai. in 1946 August 3
Druskininkai became a town under the county. Since 1951 the city began
to expand rapidly, new hospitals and sanatoriums were built here. in
1952 December 22 became subordinate to the area, and in 1953 May 28 a
city under republican control. The city was expanded according to the
1957 (architects A. Mačiulis and others), 1978 (architects P. Janulis
and others), 2000 (architects S. Čereskevičius, N. Dičiuvienė, V.
Stauskas, etc.) general plans. 1960 "Tourist" hotel was built (architect
A. Sprindys), 1978 "Raigard" department store (architect E. Beinortas).
The number of vacationers in Soviet times reached 400,000 per year.
in 1990 April 5 the 1st Druskininkai City Council and Board of
Independent Lithuania was democratically elected. 20th century In the
10s, Ratnyčia was added to the city. in 1994 the coat of arms of
Druskininkai has been approved. After the collapse of the USSR, the
number of tourists and vacationers significantly decreased, which had a
very negative impact on the economy of Druskininkai. in 2001 the
unemployment rate in Druskininkai reached 29 percent. The resort has
recovered over the past decade. New rest houses and sanatoriums were
built and previously built ones were renovated. in 2006 December 26 The
first water park in Lithuania was opened in Druskininkai. in 2011 the
completed construction of the Druskininkai snow arena (Snow Arena) has
become another center of attraction for tourists.
The Druskininkai resort is located in the southern part of Lithuania,
in the Dzūkija region, on the right bank of the Nemunas River, among
forests, lakes and morainic hills. One resident of the city has 2
hectares of forest. The highest point of the city is Sveikatingumo (K.
Dineikos) park (105 m above sea level), the lowest point is the Nemunas
bank at the physiotherapy clinic.
Druskininkai is surrounded by
Nemunas for 3.5 km in the general west-east direction. Ratnyčia
(Ratnyčėlė) flows into it, which flows for 2 km through the eastern part
of the resort, from south to north. Lake Druskonis, Vijūnėlė pond and
Virgin eyes lake are located in the southern part of the city. In the
eastern part of the resort - "Saulės takas" (Ratnyčia; author Algirdas
Valavičius, architect V. Urnevičius), a pond with cascading baths,
"Žilvinos" path.
The climate of Druskininkai is characterized by favorable climatotherapy and recreational conditions. The terrain is hilly and rugged, and there are many medium and small lakes. The average maximum air temperature in summer (June, July and August) is higher than 22 °C. The average annual rainfall is 661 mm. The wind speed in the resort in July-September is 2.4-2.6 m/s. Southwest, west, and northwest winds prevail, while in winter, southeast, east, and southwest winds blow.
Druskininkai shills have continental dunes covered with pine forests. The forests are dominated by pines, high biological diversity, many birds: squirrels, woodpeckers, white-backed woodpeckers, sea eagles, owls, egrets. Rare insects can be found in Druskininkai heaths: mustached woodpeckers, common hornets, eight-spotted golden beetles. In the pine forests, in places warmed by the sun, the following are often found: agile lizard, common snake, gorse. A common animal is the common squirrel. The gray hare can be found on the edges of the forest, in the meadows. There are predators: the brown fox, mongooses live under the fir trees, wolves, lynxes, wild boars, roe deer can be found in the forests of Dzūkija. The largest animal in the pine forests is the moose.
There are several parks in the city. Among them, the most visited are
K. Dineika's Health Park, A. Česnulis Sculpture and Recreation Park,
Gydyklų Park.
Parts of the city
The following parts of the
city are distinguished in Druskininkai:
Baltašiškė (in the north, the
only part of the city on the left bank of the Nemunas);
Kalviškės (or
Melnyčia; in the northeast);
Kloniškės (in the south);
New Town
(in the eastern part);
Raigard (in the south, collective gardens);
Ratnyčia (in the southeast);
Old town (central part of the city).
Industry
32.8 million bottles are bottled in Druskininkai every
year. liters of mineral water, jewelry is produced, there is a
small-scale food industry, production.
The most important part of the city's economy consists of activities
related to tourism and health services. The city has developed
entertainment and sports infrastructure. The city has many hotels, a new
4-star campsite, guest and rest houses, 11 rural tourism homesteads, the
Sūkurys leisure center, and a sports center.
There are 12 mineral
water springs in Druskininkai ("Grožis", "Sūrutis", "Aušra",
"Druskonis", "Rasa", "Druskininkai", "Dzūkija" and others). Druskininkai
mineral waters belong to the group of chloride sodium-calcium waters. In
different springs, the water composition and degree of mineralization
are different (weak, medium and high mineralization can be present).
Until 1930 In Druskininkai, only naturally springing mineral water was
used for therapeutic purposes, although already in the 19th century. it
was clear that mineral water wells should be made. 1930 the first well
of 298 m depth was drilled in the resort (in Soviet times it was called
"Marytė Melnikaitė" spring). This borehole at a depth of 290 m reached
the waters that spontaneously gushed to the surface, which contained 57
g of salts per 1 liter. in 1931 a 330 m deep well was drilled there,
later named "Vytautas" source.
Treatment and recreation centers
The resort's services can be used all year round. Clinics, sanatoriums,
service centers operate:
Sanatoriums:
"Belorus (Belarus)"
Dainava
"Friendship"
"Eglė sanatorium"
"Saulutė" (children's
rehabilitation center)
Health and recreation center "SPA Vilnius"
(sanatorium "Vilnius" in 1976; architects Aušra Šilinskienė and
Romualdas Šilinskas)
"Grand SPA Lietuva" (1973; architects V.
Balčiūnas, A. Paslaitis, A. Aronas, L. Raškauskas, etc.)
Druskininkai
Hospital (Vilnius St. 11; 1954)
The old clinic (Vilniaus St. 7;
1896), one of the first in Europe
in 1980 balneology and
physiotherapy clinics were built on the site (architects Aušra
Šilinskienė and Romualdas Šilinskas in 1980, reconstruction architects
K. Kisielius and V. Kančiauskas in 2006)
in 2006 December 26 the
water amusement park is open.
in 2011 August. Druskininkai indoor ski
slopes complex "Snow Arena" is opened
in 2011 August. "DruSkiSchool"
Alpine Skiing Mastery and Snowboarding School is opened
Druskininki can be reached by bus. Buses run from the city bus
station to Lithuanian cities (Vilnius, Kaunas, Alytus, Palanga, Utena,
etc.), as well as neighboring countries (Belarus, Poland). 20th century
Druskininkai could also be reached by railway, here was the final
station of the branch of the Vilnius-Gardina railway from Porieče. 20th
century in the last decade, due to a decrease in passenger traffic and
due to the fact that part of the railway ended up in the Republic of
Belarus, the Druskininkai railway station was closed, for some time
freight transportation was still carried out, but it was also
discontinued, and the branch rails were dismantled.
There is an
airport in Druskininkai, but there are no regular passenger transfers
through it.
The city has a network of local bus routes, taxis.