Kupiškis District Municipality: Water, Culture and Forest

Kupiškis District Municipality combines a vast waterscape with forest trails, museums and historic buildings. Kupiškis Lagoon, Uošvės Liežuvis Island Park, and the towns of Kupiškis, Palėvenė and Adomynė each offer something different. You can tailor your trip depending on whether you mainly want to spend time by the water, explore nature, or discover architecture and regional traditions.

Waterscape and Island Park

Kupiškis Lagoon was created in 1984 by damming the Lėvuo River. The artificial reservoir covers 828 hectares and is about 25 kilometres long. Its shores feature a beach, 19 recreational facilities, sports grounds and parking areas, as well as houses on the water, houses in the pine forest and a campsite. Various sporting events take place at Kupiškis Lagoon every year, including the Kupiškis Lagoon Regatta, international powerboat racing, Lithuanian and international triathlon competitions, and the Lithuanian Beach Soccer Championship. Ice-fishing competitions and summer festivals are also held there. If you want to plan your trip around a particular event, check the dates in advance.

The dendrological park on Uošvės Liežuvis Island covers 8.97 hectares and is home to more than 50 tree species. A bridge leads to the island from the village of Pajuodupė; another connection is the pontoon bridge from the Aukštupėnai recreational facility. A 225-metre wakeboarding course with ramps runs between this facility and the island. Check its operating status before planning to use the course. The park also has educational trails, recreation areas with shelters, toilets and an event area; the facilities available at individual sites may change.

History, Museums and Art

The Kupiškis, or Aukštupėnai, hillfort lies right beside Kupiškis, on the left bank of the Lėvuo, near the reservoir and the village of Aukštupėnai. Historians believe that a wooden communal castle or refuge once stood here, and that this was where the later town first began to develop. This interpretation remains a hypothesis. When approaching Kupiškis, the red brick towers of the Church of the Ascension of Christ in Kupiškis (Kupiškio Kristaus Žengimo į dangų) are the first thing visible from every direction.

The Kupiškis Museum is housed in a former parish school building dating from 1823. Its collections include a collection of traditional Lithuanian clothing and accessories assembled by Stefanija, Mikalina and Elvyra Glemžaitė. It spans the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. Also noteworthy are aurochs horns nearly 4,000 years old, considered the largest found in Lithuania. The Adomas Petrauskas Museum offers a different insight into collections and building styles: the complex consists of a residential house, two granaries, a tower and a tool shed; its collection includes more than 7,000 exhibits.

An open-air museum trail in Kupiškis features more than two dozen sculptures by sculptor Henrikas Orakauskas. The “Židinys” folk art studio is also dedicated to visual arts and crafts. It regularly hosts exhibitions by folk artists and other artists, featuring paintings, metalwork and wickerwork, woven bands, paper cuttings and wood carvings.

Manors, Churches and Regional Specialities

Adomynė Manor is a rare monument of Romantic Classicist wooden architecture and is listed in Lithuania’s Register of Cultural Property. Features that have been preserved include tiled stoves, a bread oven, frescoes, decorated doors with metal fittings and patterned parquet floors. The manor is also known for Adomynė “Pagrabinės”, certified Lithuanian cultural heritage pastries baked exclusively there.

The church in Palėvenė has eight altars and is considered one of the most original examples of so-called folk Baroque in Lithuania. The history of the Dominican monastery there began in 1676, when the first Dominican monks settled there. Visitors can sample monks’ dishes and homemade beer from the Kupiškis region in the monastery’s restored granary. Check before your trip whether this is available at the time of your visit.

Forest Trails and Nature Watching

The approximately 1.4-kilometre “Į girią” educational trail runs through Šimonys Forest. Along the trail are shelters, a fire pit, benches, information boards and educational games for children. The trail borders the Iženas telmological reserve; check its boundaries and applicable seasonal rules before your trip. Šimonys Forest is home to moose, roe deer, wild boar, foxes, hares and wolves, among other animals. Protected species include the black stork and lesser spotted eagle, but sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Discover more destinations: Subačius Eldership, Juodpėnai, Panevėžys District Municipality, Biržai District Municipality, Rokiškis District Municipality, Pasvalys District Municipality.

For the broader travel overview: Panevėžys County.