Lake Plateliai (
Samogitian dialect
Samogitian ( sgs, žemaitiu kalba, link=no or sometimes ', ''žemaitiu šnekta'' or '; lt, žemaičių tarmė, žemaičių kalba) is an Eastern Baltic languages, Eastern Baltic language spoken mostly in Samogitia (in the western part of Lithua ...
: ''Plateliu ežers'') is the biggest
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
and 9th biggest in
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 ...
. It is the central attraction in the
Žemaitija National Park
Samogitia National Park or Žemaitija National Park is a national park in Lithuania. It is situated on the Samogitian Highlands, 45 km from the Baltic Sea. Lakes cover more than 7% of its territory. Lake Plateliai (12.05 km2, 47 m depth ...
. It covers about and reaches up to in depth. It has seven islands, one of them housed a castle and now is called Castle Island. Archeologists found remains of two castles and think it might be the
Queen Bona
Bona Sforza d'Aragona (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, and Duchess of Bari and Rossano by her own right. She was a surviving member of t ...
castle. The lake has both diving and yacht clubs.
Plateliai
Plateliai ( sgs, Platelē; pl, Płótele) is a town in Samogitia, Lithuania. It is situated on the west bank of Lake Plateliai, the largest lake in Samogitia. The town with the population of about 1,100 people is the center of an elderate in Plun ...
town is located on the west bank of the lake.
Events and attractions
Lake Plateliai is famous for several events. It hosted rock music festival ''Roko naktys'' (English: ''Nights of Rock'') since 2002. However, it seems the festival will have to relocate as the little town cannot accommodate more than 4,000 people attending the event. For 25 years swimmers have competed in a marathon in the lake. In 2006, a record number of people participated: 21 people swam a distance of 3.5 km and 154 of 1.8 km.
The Cold War Museum was established in the
Plokštinė missile base
Plokštinė missile base ( lt, Plokštinės raketų bazė) was an underground base of the Soviet Union. It was built near Plokščiai village, north of Plungė, in the sparsely populated Plokštinė forest near Plateliai Lake, Samogitia, Lit ...
, located in the forest not far from the lake.
Archaeology
The lake is one of the most interesting for underwater archeology. Scientist think that the water level was much lower years ago and some islands are now underwater. For example, in 2002 divers found a big stone with human-made markings, that resemble the letter L. The stone was surrounded by smaller stones and a hypothesis was raised that it was a sacred place for the pagans. In 2002, on the bottom of the lake archeologists found three boats, about 5.5 meters in length, dated to the times of
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
.
Iš Platelių ežero bus iškelta senovinė valtis-luotas
BNS, July 5, 2002. Delfi.lt
Delfi (occasionally capitalized as DELFI) is a news website in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania providing daily news, ranging from gardening to politics. It ranks as one of the most popular websites among Baltic users.
Delfi operates in the ...
. Accessed August 19, 2006.
Islands
The lake has seven islands.
Calves' Island ( lt, Veršių sala) is third largest island and is located in the northern part of the lake. It is said that a local farmer started taking his calves to graze on the island, thus giving the island its name. ''Corydalis cava
''Corydalis cava'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to moist, shady, woodland habitats throughout most of mainland Europe, although commonest in central and southeast Europe.
Its range extends from Spain in the w ...
'' which is an endangered species in Lithuania grows on the island.Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival
The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival or The Great Samogitian Calvary Festival ( lt, Didieji Žemaičių Kalvarijos atlaidai) is a Roman Catholic festival dedicated to St. Mary. The festival is held annually and takes place every July in the sm ...
.
See also
* Lakes of Lithuania
There are about 6,000 lakes in Lithuania, covering 950 km², or 1.5% of the territory of Lithuania. The lakes are not evenly distributed; most are situated in the Baltic Highlands, which begin near the border with Poland on the southeast a ...
References
External links
Žemaitija National Park: Lakes
{{Authority control
Plateliai
Plateliai ( sgs, Platelē; pl, Płótele) is a town in Samogitia, Lithuania. It is situated on the west bank of Lake Plateliai, the largest lake in Samogitia. The town with the population of about 1,100 people is the center of an elderate in Plun ...