The Šventoji (; ''The Holy One'') is the longest river that flows entirely within
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and the largest tributary of the
Neris
The river Neris () or Viliya ( be, Ві́лія, pl, Wilia ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman), at Kaunas, as ...
. It originates from the Lake Samanis in the
Gražutė Regional Park
Gražutė Regional Park is a park in northeast Lithuania. Established in 1992, it has an area of 29,741 hectares.
About 20% of its territory consists of lakes, including , Lake Samanis and Lake Luodis, and wetlands; forests cover about 55% of ...
and flows into Neris near
Jonava
Jonava ( ; pl, Janów; german: Janau) is the ninth largest city in Lithuania with a population of .
It is located in Kaunas County in central Lithuania, north east of Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It is served by Kaunas Interna ...
.
[ The longest tributary of the Šventoji is the Širvinta.
The Šventoji passes through the cities of ]Anykščiai
Anykščiai (; see other names) is a ski resort town in Lithuania, west of Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring in height. Anykščiai has a resort status i ...
, Kavarskas
Kavarskas (; pl, Kowarsk), with a population of only 700, is the fourth smallest city in Lithuania. The Šventoji River flows through the town. In 1956 near Kavarskas a water lifting station was built and part of the Šventoji River's water was ...
and Ukmergė
Ukmergė (; previously ''Vilkmergė''; pl, Wiłkomierz) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located northwest of Vilnius, with a population of about 20,000.
Etymology and variant names
The city took its original name ''Vilkmergė'' from t ...
. In 1963–1964 a dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
near Kavarskas was built to replenish the Nevėžis
The Nevėžis () is the sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Nemunas. Its length is , and it flows only within the geographical confines of Lithuania.[European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...]
.Antalieptė Reservoir
Antalieptė () ( pl, Antolepty) is a small town in Zarasai district municipality, near the Duseta–Daugailiai road and the right bank of the Šventoji (Neris), Šventoji riverhead. The town is also 4 km from the village of Zabičiūnai.
A ...
, the second largest artificial lake in Lithuania, was built on the Šventoji.
Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Šventoji (from source to mouth):
*Left: Šavaša, Vyžuona, Aknysta, Taurožė, Beržuona, Elmė, Anykšta
The Anykšta is a river of Anykščiai district municipality, Utena County, in northeastern Lithuania. It flows for 13.8 kilometres and has a basin area of 144.9 km².
The Anykšta is a left-bank tributary of the Šventoji (Neris), Šventoji ...
, Virinta, Dagia, Širvinta
*Right: Kriauna, Nasvė, Jara, Pelyša, Vadaksta, Grieža, Latava, Biebė
References
Rivers of Lithuania
{{Lithuania-river-stub