GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS IN ZEMGALE!

2024-07-17

New tourism route and map "Get to know your neighbours in Zemgale!" for families with children!

This year, Latvian and Lithuanian border tourism specialists have been working on new ideas for the traditional travel campaign "Let's get to know our neighbours in Zemgale!" and decided to change the concept. For seven years, the municipalities of Bauska, Biržai, Pasvalys, Pakruojis and Joniškis districts have been organising a joint travel campaign in the summer, where visitors could get to know various tourist attractions, perform tasks and get prizes - bicycles - by taking photos at the places. The tour was very popular and the brand "Let's get to know our neighbours in Zemgale!" is well known, so it was decided to create something new.

The main trend over the past few years has been that many families with children travel along the Latvian-Lithuanian border in the summer and ask for recommendations of places to visit. As our territory is full of interesting places, it was decided to publish a practical tourism map with 150 places to visit, including museums, entertainment, nature and active recreation facilities, places to eat and stay, suitable for families with children for short day or weekend trips.

Tourism experts suggest a wide variety of places and attractions to see and experience with the whole family over two weekend days.

Day 1 - Barbel in Latvia, Biržai and Pasvalys.

If you start your trip in Latvia, visit the open-air museum "Ausekļu dzirnavas" near Barbel. Here you can see an old farm with water and windmills, ancient tools, bake bread or order a pancake tasting, and there is also a picnic area and a children's playground. In Skaistkalnes, near the Latvian-Lithuanian border, visit the Skaistkalnes log barn for an interactive exhibition on sinkholes and to learn how they occur. You can take part in a plaster workshop and join a guided tour of the sinkhole area in the Skaistkalns Forest.

Cross the bridge over the Mėmelė (Nemunėlis) River and head back to Lithuania - to Biržai. Visit the Kirkilai Lookout Tower and the surrounding area, which is famous for its unique nature, diversity of landscapes and rare plant and animal species. Here you will also find a nature trail with a sound trap, an insect hotel, benches and a children's playground, as well as wonderful places for picnics. In Biržai, visit the Biržai Regional Park Visitor Centre, where you will see interactive exhibitions introducing the unique values of the Biržai Protected Areas, as the Biržai region is famous for its sinkholes and fascinating geological processes.

From Biržai, head towards Pasvalys to Raubonys Amusement Park, known as the Lithuanian Disneyland. Here you will be greeted by roaring dinosaurs, friendly animals, a Tarzan trail, colourful carousels and other attractions. Later, visit the Pasvalys Regional Museum, where modernity is ingeniously combined with the historical past. The newly installed interactive exhibitions will interest both young children and their parents.

Day 2 - Pakruojis, Joniškis, Žagarė, Rundale, Bauska.

On the second day we recommend visiting Pakruojis. Here you should see the Pakruojis Fire Station, built in 1928. Cultural events and exhibitions are held in the building's "civic hall". The Prof. S. Ušinskas Memorial Room houses an exhibition of firefighters' work in this building. The sculpture "Pakruojis City 1531", made of bronze and dolomite stone by sculptor Martynas Gaubas, is engraved with the date of the foundation of the city of Pakruojis, "1531", and depicts the city's most important historical and cultural objects. The sculpture is interactive, with moving elements that change direction due to the attached

From Pakruojis, head to Joniškis and visit the Basketball Museum. The only basketball court in the country with the handprints of basketball players who have visited the museum on the ceiling, shirts of Lithuanian and foreign basketball legends, impressively sized sports shoes, autographs, prestigious awards they have won and presented to the museum. Afterwards, visit the Žagarė Ozone Nature Trail. This is a line of sand and gravel land formed by glaciers and considered one of the longest ridges in the Baltic States.

On your way back to Latvia from Lithuania, visit the Rundale Watermill Museum, the Mežotne Mound, the Bauska Museum and its branch Lejenieki, the Labirinti Amusement Park and the Dobuļi Mini Zoo.

Visit the Tourism Information Centres in Bauska, Vecumnieki, Biržai, Pasvalys, Pakruojis and Joniškis, pick up a map and get tips for your family trip! A special surprise for children at the Tourist Information Centres!

The "Get to know your neighbours in Zemgale" team welcomes you!

Information about the project "Let's get to know our neighbours in Zemgale