Kaunas Reservoir ( lt, Kauno marios, Kaunas Lagoon, Kaunas Sea) is the largest Lithuanian

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

, 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 Traka ...

and

Rumšiškės Rumšiškės is a Lithuanian town (population 1,700), situated east of Kaunas on the northern bank of Kaunas Reservoir. Southern part of the town (including the birthplace of Lithuanian poet Jonas Aistis) is now under the waters of the artifici ...

. 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 Kruonis ...

. 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 Kauno Marios Regional Park was established in 1992 with the purpose to protect the unique lower landscape of Kaunas Reservoir, its natural ecosystem, and cultural heritage. It covers the total of 101.73 km² (water - 51.45 km², forests ...

was established. A

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...

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 Pažaislis is a neighborhood ("territory") of Kaunas, Lithuania, within its Petrašiūnai eldership. It includes the Pažaislis Monastery. History The name Pažaislis is Lithuanization of Polish name , literally meaning "by Zajście", i.e. loc ...

* moved south * *

; the entire town was relocated 2km northeast to location of the former villages and *, a 1st millennium archaeological site * * * * * * *

References

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

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