Dubysa, at 131 km, is the 15th longest river solely in Lithuania. It originates just a few kilometers from Lake Rėkyva near

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different la ...

city. At first it flows south, but at

Lyduvėnai Lyduvėnai is a small town in the , Raseiniai District Municipality, Kaunas County in central Lithuania. The town is 15 km north of Raseiniai and is near the confluence of the Dubysa and rivers. Lyduvėnai is the home of the longest (599 metr ...

turns southeast and near

Ariogala Ariogala () is a town in central Lithuania. It is located on the Dubysa River, which flows through the town. Population ImageSize = width:700 height:300 PlotArea = left:50 right:40 top:20 bottom:20 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = ju ...

- southwest. Dubysa is a

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 ...

n river. The first few kilometres of Dybysa are also known as ''Genupis'' or ''Šventupis''. Dubysa2

Dubysa has about 40 tributaries, the largest being Kražantė on the right and Šiaušė, Gryžuva, and Gynėvė on the left. Kražantė (86 km) is almost twice as long as the upper reaches of Dubysa before the confluence (47 km). Even though Kražantė's basin is somewhat smaller, it should be considered the main river. Dubysa is mainly fed by rainfall and melting snow, therefore its water levels change rapidly. The maximum depth is about 4 m. The Dubysa valley is one of the highest and widest in Lithuania. The valley reaches 20–40 m in height and 300–500 m in width. It was formed during the last glacial period. The Lyduvėnai Bridge is a railroad bridge across the valley, which is the highest and longest such bridge in Lithuania. The bridge was first built by the Germans during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1918 an iron railway bridge replaced it. Dubysa Baseino plotas

Dubysa is connected with the

Venta River The Venta (Latvian pronunciation , Lithuanian , , , Livonian ''Vǟnta joug'') is a river in north-western Lithuania and western Latvia. Its source is near Kuršėnai in the Lithuanian Šiauliai County. It flows into the Baltic Sea at Ventspil ...

by the abandoned Windawski Canal started in 1825 by the authorities of 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 canal is 15 km in length and was supposed to have 20

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

. The intention was to connect the

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; ...

basin with the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

through the port of

Ventspils Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It ...

. The lower reaches of Neman were under

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n control. The work was interrupted by the Uprising of 1831. The work resumed only at the beginning of the 20th century but was interrupted again by the World War I. After the war there was no purpose for the canal as Lithuania gained control over the

Klaipėda region The Klaipėda Region ( lt, Klaipėdos kraštas) or Memel Territory (german: Memelland or ''Memelgebiet'') was defined by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in 1920 and refers to the northernmost part of the German province of East Prussia, when as ...

and lower reaches of Neman. The canal was based on the Kartuva rivulet. Dubysa ichthyological reserve was established in 1974. It protects spawning areas of

vimba ''Vimba'' is a genus of cyprinid fish that is found in Europe and western Asia. There are currently four described species. Species * '' Vimba elongata'' (Valenciennes, 1844) (Bavarian vimba) * '' Vimba melanops'' ( Heckel, 1837) (Macedonian v ...

and other ca. 25 species of fish. The reserve protects Dubysa below Ariogala down to its mouth (some 25 km of the river). Dubysa Regional Park was established in 1992 to protect the Dubysa valley, landscape and cultural heritage, including the birthplace of poet

Maironis Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Revi ...

. The park also encourages eco-tourism. It covers is located in the territories of the

Kelmė Kelmė (; is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė district municipality. History Kelmė's name may come from the Lithuanian ''kelmynės'' ...

and Raseiniai district municipalities.

References

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External links

Map of Dubysa basin

Kurtuvėnai Regional Park
{{Tributaries of the Neman Rivers of Lithuania