Kupiškis District Municipality

Kupiškis Lagoon was created in 1984 by damming the Lėvuo River. The artificial reservoir covers 828 hectares and is about 25 kilometres long. Other varied places to visit include the dendrological park on Uošvės Liežuvis Island, Šimonys Forest, and several museums and cultural sites.

The shores of Kupiškis Lagoon have a beach, 19 leisure areas, sports grounds and car parks. There are also houses on the water, houses in the pine forest and a campsite.

Sports events are held at Kupiškis Lagoon every year. They include the Kupiškis Lagoon Regatta, international Formula water racing, and Lithuanian and international triathlon competitions. The Lithuanian Beach Soccer Championship is also held there. Other events include ice-fishing competitions and summer festivals. The programme therefore ranges from competitions on and by the water to events shaped by the season.

The dendrological park on Uošvės Liežuvis Island covers 8.97 hectares and is home to more than 50 tree species. The park also has educational trails, recreational areas with shelters, toilets and an event area. It can be reached by a bridge from the village of Pajuodupė or by a pontoon bridge from the Aukštupėnai leisure area. A 225-metre wakeboarding course with ramps runs between this leisure area and the island.

In Šimonys Forest, the approximately 1.4-kilometre “Į girią” educational trail passes shelters, a fire pit, benches, information boards and educational games for children. The trail borders the Iženas telmological reserve. The forest is home to moose, roe deer, wild boar, foxes, hares and wolves, among other animals. Protected species include the black stork and the lesser spotted eagle. This forest experience is quite distinct from the sports and leisure activities at the reservoir.

Adomynė Manor is a rare monument of Romantic-Classical wooden architecture and is listed in Lithuania’s Register of Cultural Property. Features preserved in the building include tiled stoves, a bread oven, frescoes, decorated doors with metal fittings and ornamental parquet floors. The manor is also known for Adomynė “Pagrabinės”, certified Lithuanian cultural heritage pastries baked exclusively there.

The church in Palėvenė has eight altars; its interior is considered one of the most original examples of so-called folk Baroque in Lithuania. The history of the Dominican monastery there began in 1676, when the first Dominican monks settled there. At the restored monastery granary, visitors can sample monks’ dishes and homemade beer from the Kupiškis region.

The Kupiškis Museum is housed in a former parish school building dating from 1823. Its collections include traditional Lithuanian clothing and accessories from the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, collected by Stefanija, Mikalina and Elvyra Glemžaitė. The museum also preserves aurochs horns nearly 4,000 years old, considered the largest found in Lithuania.

The Adomas Petrauskas Museum consists of a residential house, two granaries, a tower and a tool shed; its collection contains more than 7,000 exhibits. The museum also offers “Kas suras Pagranduką?”, an educational ethnographic and folkloric game with an interactive map and a special multimedia programme. In Kupiškis, sculptor Henrikas Orakauskas’s open-air museum trail features more than two dozen sculptures. QR codes at the most visited sculptures link to a short introduction to each artwork in the artist’s voice.

The Kupiškis, or Aukštupėnai, hillfort stands on the left bank of the Lėvuo, near Kupiškis Lagoon and the village of Aukštupėnai. Historians believe that a wooden community castle or refuge once stood there, and that this is where the town’s earliest origins lie. In Kupiškis, the musical fountain, built in 2019 during the redesign of Laurynas Gucevičius Square, combines water, light and music effects. A permanent exhibition on the history of Lithuanian ringo at the Kupiškis District Sports and Physical Culture Centre also displays awards and other exhibits.

To explore other places on this page, see Juodpėnai and Subačius Eldership. For regional comparisons, there are also pages for Biržai District Municipality, Pasvalys District Municipality, Panevėžys District Municipality and Rokiškis District Municipality.

How large is Kupiškis Lagoon?

The artificial reservoir covers 828 hectares and is about 25 kilometres long. It was created in 1984 by damming the Lėvuo River.

How long is the “Į girią” educational trail?

The trail in Šimonys Forest is about 1.4 kilometres long. Along the way, visitors will find shelters, benches, information boards and educational games for children, among other things.

Which regional specialities are mentioned?

At the restored monastery granary in Palėvenė, visitors can sample monks’ dishes and homemade beer from the Kupiškis region. Adomynė Manor is known for its “Pagrabinės” pastries, baked there.

For the broader travel overview: Panevėžys County.

More places in the same destination:

Biržai District Municipality, Pasvalys District Municipality, Panevėžys District Municipality, Rokiškis District Municipality.