Ukmergė District Municipality: Regional History and Architecture

Ukmergė District Municipality takes you from the regional history of Ukmergė to manors, pilgrimage routes and experiences along the Šventoji. If you want to plan your stay around culture and outdoor activities, you will find a variety of options: museum collections, distinctive buildings and routes with clearly stated lengths. Each place tells its own story; when planning, it is worth treating city visits, sights and routes as different travel experiences.

Ukmergė: History and Miniatures

The Šventoji flows through Ukmergė. At the Ukmergė Regional Museum, the region’s history is presented chronologically through natural history, archaeological, historical and ethnographic, written-culture and art exhibits. Archaeological finds include objects from Obeliai, Berzgainiai, Antatilčiai, the Ukmergė hillfort, and Samantoniai, Sukiniai, Bečiai and Pabaiskas. Historical sources mention that Vilkmergė Castle stood on the Ukmergė hillfort.

The city’s architectural history can also be seen in a religious building: the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity is a Neo-Byzantine masonry building, constructed in 1868 as an Orthodox church. Mini Lietuva miniature park offers another way to discover Lithuania’s cultural sites. It recreates the country’s best-known architectural and cultural monuments as carefully made miniatures, providing a vivid journey of discovery through Lithuania.

Routes and Parks

There are routes of varying lengths and features for walking and outdoor activities. The Mirabelių Trail is a 1 km walking route with access to the river, a children’s playground, and places to rest and picnic. The 800 m Podolės-Kameneco Trail is a lit cycling and walking path along the Šventoji; it has a water fountain, benches and a children’s playground. You can distinguish between the routes by their length and by whether the trail runs directly alongside the river or provides access to the water.

Ukmergė Health Park covers more than 12 hectares. Its amenities include walking paths, fitness trails with exercise equipment, a children’s playground, restored ponds and a rose garden. Pilies Park has walking paths, a children’s playground, outdoor musical instruments and three illuminated viewpoints. Pivonijos Forest is another popular place for walks and active leisure among residents and visitors.

Manors and Architecture

In Užulėnis, the Užugirio School Museum is housed in a manor-style building. Antanas Smetona, the first president of the Republic of Lithuania, gave the building to the people of his native region. His summer residence is traditionally known as Užugirio Manor; Smetona himself called the estate Užugirio kiemas. The two names belong to the same historical tradition, while the school museum in the village of Užulėnis is a separate attraction.

The manors of Siesikai and Taujėnai also showcase different architectural styles. Siesikai Manor Castle is Lithuania’s only surviving Renaissance building with a fortified residential function. The surviving Neoclassical manor at Taujėnai was built by Benediktas Morikonis at the end of the 18th century. Architecture enthusiasts can compare a distinctive Renaissance example with a building from the Neoclassical period.

Vepriai: Stations of the Cross, Crater and Collections

The Vepriai Calvary comprises 35 Stations of the Cross between Lake Vepriai and the Šventoji, southeast of the town of Vepriai. The route is 5.5 km in total. This religious site therefore combines a clearly defined route with a location between a lake and a river. The largest discovered meteorite crater in Lithuania is also located in Vepriai.

The Veprių krašto muziejus preserves ethnographic, historical and sacred heritage from the surrounding area, including chapel pillars that survived the Soviet era. Another collection is devoted to the work of artist Rimantas Zinkevičius: his Folk Art Museum displays nativity scenes, devotional figures, sculptures of saints, fairy-tale characters and imaginary figures created over the course of his life. Together, the collections offer different ways to explore regional history and sacred folk art.

Discover more destinations: Taujėnai, Ukmergė, Lėnas, Elektrėnai Municipality, Širvintų rajono savivaldybė, Trakai District Municipality, Vilnius District Municipality, Ukmergės rajono savivaldybė.

For the wider travel overview: Vilnius Region.