The Verknė (known as Galaverknė in the upper reaches; pl, Wierzchnia) is a stream in
Lithuania. It is a tributary of the river
Neman
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; ...
(Nemunas); their confluence is north of
Birštonas.
Its spring is near
Rūdiškės
Rūdiškės (; pl, Rudziszki; be, Рудзішкі) is a city in the Trakai district municipality, Lithuania about 15 km south of Trakai.
During the interwar period it was part of the Second Polish Republic.
Until 2003 FK Vėtra was ...
in the
Trakai District Municipality where it is known as Galaverknė and passes a chain of smaller lakes. Having left the Vilkokšnis lake, the stream is known as Verknė.
Aukštadvaris with a population of 977 (2011) is the only larger settlement along the river. Verknė passes the
Prienai District Municipality and forms the border of the
Birštonas Municipality near its mouth.
In 1960, the Verknė was impounded to create the two reservoirs with
hydroelectric power station
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
s. The largest is
Aukštadvaris Reservoir (; the smaller one being Jundeliškės Reservoir.
Tourism
The Verknė is one of the cleanest streams in Lithuania and is popular with
kayakers
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
and good for beginners.
The first tour was made and described by the
hydrologist
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
Steponas Kolupaila.
The stream is part of two regional parks with several protected areas:
Aukštadvaris Regional Park () and
Nemunas Loops Regional Park (). The parks were established in 1992.
A series of 12
hillforts
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Rom ...
(''piliakalnis'') is located near the Verknė. Most of these forts were built or expanded between the 10th and 14th centuries.
In Žydkaimis near the Vilkokšnis lake, a Jewish community was active in agriculture since the mid-19th century, even though this was banned in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. The community was supported in the 1930s by
ORT. In 1936, the Jews owned 63% of the land in the village, despite emigration.
''A Jewish village in aid of Jewish farmers''.
/ref>
Basin
Total watershed is . The average discharge is with a maximum of . The main tributaries are Alšia and Obeltis.
Right tributaries
*Balina
*Lėlelė
*Guostė
*Alšia
*Svėdubė
Left tributaries
*Strūzda
*Samė
*Adinčiava
*Vapsa
*Obeltis
*Dindžiakė
References
Further reading
* Stanislovas Buchaveckas: ''Verknė''. 1984.
* Steponas Kolupaila: ''Mūsų vandens keliai.'' Kaunas 1933. Updated version, Kaunas 1938.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verkne
Geography of Kaunas County
Trakai District Municipality
Rivers of Lithuania