The Verknė (known as Galaverknė in the upper reaches; ) is a stream in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. It is a right tributary of the river

Neman Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

(Nemunas); their confluence is north of

Birštonas Birštonas (, ) is a balneological resort and a spa town in Lithuania situated south of Kaunas on the right bank of the Nemunas River. Birštonas received its town rights 1529 and was appointed a town in 1966. The town is the administrative ce ...

. Its spring is near

Rūdiškės Rūdiškės (; ; ) is a town 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 based in Rūdiškės. In 2003 FK Vėtr ...

in the

Trakai District Municipality Trakai District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It has significant Polish minority population in Lithuania, with more than quarter of the population claiming Polish ethnicity. Elderships Trakai District Municipality is ...

where it is known as the Galaverknė and passes a chain of smaller lakes. Having left the Vilkokšnis lake, the stream is known as the Verknė.

Aukštadvaris Aukštadvaris () is a town in Trakai district municipality in Lithuania on the Verknė river. According to 2011 census, it had population of 977. Aukštadvaris features Malewski Palace, built in 1837 by Antoni Malewski, which remained with th ...

with a population of 977 (2011) is the only relatively large settlement along the river. The Verknė passes the

Prienai District Municipality Prienai District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It was a member of the European Union-wide town twinning association Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the E ...

and forms the border of the

Birštonas Municipality Birštonas Municipality is one of 60 municipalities of Lithuania __NOTOC__ Lithuania is divided into three levels of administrative divisions. The first-level division consists of 10 counties ( Lithuanian: singular – ''apskritis'', plural ...

near its mouth. In 1960, the Verknė was impounded to create two reservoirs with

hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

s. The larger of the two is

Aukštadvaris Reservoir Aukštadvaris () is a town in Trakai district municipality in Lithuania on the Verknė river. According to 2011 census, it had population of 977. Aukštadvaris features Malewski Palace, built in 1837 by Antoni Malewski, which remained with the f ...

(; 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 human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word ''qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be a ...

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 drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

Steponas Kolupaila. The stream is part of two regional parks with several protected areas:

Aukštadvaris Regional Park Aukštadvaris Regional Park, established in 1992, covers 17,240 hectares in southeastern Lithuania near the town of Aukštadvaris. The park contains about 80 lakes, burial grounds, villages, and designated recreational areas. Among its cultural l ...

() and

Nemunas Loops Regional Park Nemunas Loops Regional Park was established in 1992 to protect the historical, cultural, and natural character of the loops on the Neman (Nemunas) River in central Lithuania. The park occupies 25,171 hectares. 69% of its area is forested. The re ...

(). The parks were established in 1992. A series of 12

hillforts A hillfort is a type of fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late European Bronze Age and Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Roman period. The forti ...

(''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 that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. 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