Kaunas Reservoir ( lt, Kauno marios, Kaunas Lagoon, Kaunas Sea) is the largest Lithuanian artificial lake, created in 1959 by damming the

Nemunas River The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...

near

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

and Rumšiškės. It occupies 63.5 square kilometers, which is about 0.1% of the total territory of

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 ...

. The reservoir supports the operations of the

Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant The Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant, located on the Nemunas River about southeast of central Kaunas, Lithuania, was completed in 1960. Its dam created the Kaunas Reservoir. Owned by Lietuvos Energija, it operates in conjunction with the Kruon ...

. Its waters cover the Nemunas valley from the river's

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with

Strėva River The Strėva (german: Strebe) is a river in Trakai and Kaunas district municipalities, Lithuania. In 1348, the Battle of Strėva between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights was fought on the frozen river. In 1962, the river was i ...

to the dam, a distance of about 25 kilometers. The greatest width of the reservoir is 3.3 kilometers and its greatest depth is 22 meters. The reservoir also supports the operations of 900MW

Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant (the KPSP) is located near Kruonis, Lithuania, east of Kaunas. Its main purpose is to provide grid energy storage. It operates in conjunction with the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. During periods of low demand ...

, which is situated near

with

. In 1992, in order to protect the local environment and cultural heritage, Kaunas Reservoir Regional Park was established. A yacht club operates in the park.Kaunas Reservoir Regional Park
/ref>

Gallery

Sites flooded by the Kaunas Reservoir

In anticipation of the reservoir's creation, 721 farms and villages were moved to various locations. , width="50%" align="" valign="" style="border:0", * * * * * * moved southeast * * *

Gastilonys Gastilonys is a former village in the Kaišiadorys District Municipality, Lithuania, located 1 kilometer south of Grabučiškės, on the right bank of the Kaunas Reservoir. The Gastilonys Botanical-Zoological Reserve has been established in the ...

, depopulated * * * * * * * * * * , width="50%" align="" valign="" style="border:0", * *, the northern part was flooded, while the southern part was joined to the village * * * Pažaislis * moved south * * Rumšiškės; the entire town was relocated 2km northeast to location of the former villages and *, a 1st millennium archaeological site * * * * * * *

References

Reservoir Reservoirs in Lithuania Reservoirs built in the Soviet Union RKaunas {{KaunasCounty-geo-stub