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''.
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Basin

Total watershed is . The average discharge is with a maximum of . The main tributaries are Alšia and Obeltis.

Tourism

Basin

Right tributaries

Left tributaries

References

Further reading