Joniškis District Municipality: Moorland, Joniškis and Žagarė

Joniškis District Municipality brings together moorland, nature trails and cultural destinations around Joniškis and Žagarė. The Mūšos Tyrelis bog is especially easy to appreciate from the 6.7-kilometre boardwalk, which runs through the Mūšos Tyrelis telmological reserve. A wooden observation tower stands at the start of the trail, offering views across the bog. Cultural highlights include museums, historic religious buildings and the summer cherry festival.

Landscape and trails

Another landmark in the landscape is the Žagarė Ozas: a long, narrow ridge of sand and gravel formed by retreating glaciers. The Žagarė Ozas is a Natura 2000 site in Žagarė Regional Park. The 3.6-kilometre Žagarė Ozas Discovery Trail introduces visitors to the area’s natural features.

The five-kilometre Žagarė Ridge Discovery Trail also starts near Žagarė. Its features include an observation platform and a lookout tower. Alongside the boardwalk through the bog, visitors can choose trails with a different landscape focus; the stated distances are a guide for planning, not an estimate of walking time.

Culture and history in Joniškis

Joniškis is home to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an important architectural and cultural monument from the 18th and 19th centuries in Joniškis District. The synagogue complex consists of the White Synagogue, a summer synagogue, and the Red Synagogue, a winter synagogue. An exhibition in the White Synagogue traces the historical development of Joniškis and key moments in the city’s history. Another exhibition in the complex explores the history and culture of the Jewish community of Joniškis up to the Second World War.

The Joniškis Museum of History and Culture presents the region’s history and archaeology, as well as its ethnic and religious heritage. The museum and its branches host exhibitions, educational activities, lectures and traditional events. Since 2009, the Joniškis Basketball Museum has offered an engaging and informative account of the history of basketball in Joniškis, Lithuania and around the world. One distinctive feature is a basketball court on the ceiling, bearing handprints of basketball players who have visited the museum.

An exhibition in Joniškis commemorates Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė, who was born in the city. It honours her as a Lithuanian writer, public figure, literary and art critic, playwright, poet and translator.

Žagarė: architecture, crafts and the cherry festival

The Old Church of St Peter and St Paul in Žagarė is a religious building and one of Lithuania’s most valuable Renaissance architectural monuments. After restoration, it reopened in 1994; a symbolic coffin of Blessed Barbora Žagarietė was reconstructed in the crypt. The site thus brings together a significant architectural monument and a specific detail from its more recent history.

The Doll Museum and educational space “Lėlių namai” has been in Žagarė since 2012. At the Žagarė Doll House, educational activities in puppet-making are available by prior arrangement. Visitors can make a puppet to take home as a keepsake. The Žagarė Scarecrow Factory offers educational activities for children and adults on making scarecrows.

The Žagarė Cherry Festival takes place every summer. The cherry is both a symbol and part of the city’s cultural identity. The programme includes concerts, fairs, sports competitions and artistic performances. If you want to plan your trip around the festival, check the specific event dates in advance.

Routes and getting your bearings

The “Hidden Joniškis” routes introduce visitors to Joniškis and its surroundings through an orienteering game. You can try them on foot, by bicycle or by car using the “Actionbound” mobile app. This way, exploring the city can be combined with an activity in which the route itself becomes part of the visit.

The Camino Lituano also offers a range of points of interest: in Žagarė, it connects with the Camino Latvia and continues south into the Polish Camino Polaco. The two-day tourist and cultural route of the Camino Lituano from Žagarė to Gataučiai passes through Joniškis on the second day.

The wider Šiauliai District

As regional context, Šiauliai District is distinct from the places in Joniškis District Municipality. In Šiauliai District, the Hill of Crosses is an important religious site, testifying to devotion and fidelity to the sacrifice of the Cross. Pope John Paul II visited it on 7 September 1993. Šiauliai is also home to Lithuania’s only specialised museum of the history of photography, photographic art and photographic technology.

Discover more destinations: Gataučiai, Radviliškis District Municipality, Pakruojis District Municipality, Akmenė District Municipality, Šiauliai District Municipality, Kelmė District Municipality.

Back to the regional travel overview: Šiauliai District.