Šiauliai Tourism Information Centre

BALTS‘ ROAD. THE SELONIAN ROUTE SEGMENT

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Briefly about the route
Easy
730 km
1.5 d..
27
Route surface
70% Asphalt
30% Dirt road

Route: Aizkraukle – Koknese – Vecbebri – Sēlpils – Jēkabpils – Viesīte –  Nereta – Rite – Aknīste – Zasa – Dunava – Zarasai – Dusetos – Kulionys –  Skudutiškis – Utena – Užpaliai – Kupiškis – Biržai 

The journey along the Selonian Route Segment will introduce you to  beautiful nature landscapes, Selonian crafts, remind you of the origins of ancient  Balts’ languages and the beauty of dialects and singing of multivocal songs.
Once inhabited, the hillforts rise up above present-day landscape as witnesses  of ancient times. The route includes Vosgėliai and Kupiškis hillforts in Lithuania and Dignāja, Stupeļi and Sēlpils hillforts in Latvia. Craft skills, which were passed from generation to generation, are still  preserved and appreciated. Visit the Jēkabpils History Museum Open-air exhibition “Sēļu sēta” (Selonian Courtyard) and the Viesīte Museum “Selonia” (“Sēlija”) to see life-size Selonian houses and household articles,  while the various creative workshops and craft centres, such as the Creative House “Baltaine” and the Craft Centre “Rūme” are open to teach you ancient skills and crafts.The beekeeper’s craft is demonstrated at the Craft Centre in Uoginiai and at the Latvian Beekeeping History Museum. If you are looking for secrets behind beer brewing, a visit to Lithuania’s best-known brewer Ramūnas Čižas in Dusetos is a must. For Balts, faith was strength, strong as an oak! Even language scientists  believe that the origin of the Western Balts’ word “faith” is related to the oak.  You might want to contemplate on this in the shade of the Stelmužė Oak. Since ancient times, springs were deemed to have healing properties: pay a visit to the ageless medicinal mineral water spring at Smardonė in Likėnai resort and Krokulė Spring in Užpaliai in Lithuania, as well as to Saltupju Holy Spring in Latvia. The Meļķitāru Trough Stone (Meļķitāru  Muldakmens) served as a cult place and was attributed healing properties  already since ancient times. 
“Riekstiņi” is the museum of writer Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš, which will  reveal you the world depicted in his famous novel “Baltā grāmata” (“White Book”). Kazimieras Būga’s native farmstead in Pažiegė village will remind  you of his hardy work to enrich the Lithuanian language, which resulted in the  creation of the Great Lithuanian Dictionary. The Biržai Museum is an  opportunity to learn about Stasys Paliulis, preserving and collecting not only  music instruments, such as skudučiai, the wooden trumpet (daudytė) and the  horn, but also unique multivocal songs. You will hear the dialect and multivocal  singing of Selonians by visiting the museum and the sutartinės song festival in Kupiškis. 
While on the route, take a look at Ladakalnis Hillock and besides Kirkilai karst lakes enjoy the diverse landscapes of Selonia from observation towers of Lake Sartai and elsewhere.

 

Trip progress

20 km
15 min.
11 km
< 10 min.
57 km
45 min.
21 km
20 min.
30 km
25 min.
29 km
25 min.
15 km
15 min.
51 km
40 min.
17 m
< 1 min.
19 km
15 min.
65 km
50 min.
38 km
30 min.
290 m
< 1 min.
33 km
25 min.
40 km
30 min.
18 km
15 min.
52 km
40 min.
8 km
< 10 min.
44 km
35 min.
17 km
15 min.
4.9 km
< 10 min.
83 km
1.5 h.
16 km
15 min.
40 km
30 min.
7 km
< 10 min.
10 km
< 10 min.

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