Lake Kretuonas
| Lake Kretuonas | |
|---|---|
Lake Kretuonas and the flooded meadows of Žemaitiškė as seen from the Lygumai viewing tower | |
| Location | Vilnius County, Lithuania |
| Coordinates | 55°15′18″N 26°4′48″E / 55.25500°N 26.08000°E |
| Type | Lake |
| Primary inflows | Žaugėda, Pašaminė, Gylis, Kampupė, Vajuonėlė |
| Primary outflows | Kretuona |
| Catchment area | 154.7 km2 (59.7 sq mi) |
| Max. length | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 8.61 km (5.35 mi) |
| Average depth | 5.2 m (17 ft) |
| Max. depth | 10.9 m (36 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 145.2 m (476 ft) |
| Islands | 6 |
Lake Kretuonas (sometimes Kretuonis) is a lake located in the District Municipality of Švenčionys (Vilnius County) in eastern Lithuania. It is the largest by area in both the district and the Aukštaitija National Park (8.61 square kilometers). The lake is a bird reserve. The Vilnius-Daugavpils railway line passes by the shores of the lake.[1]
Name
The word Kretuonas comes from the Selonian-era term kretėti (“to fidget, to struggle”).[2]
Geology
The length of the lake from north to south is 5 km. The height above sea level is 145.2 m. The maximum depth is 10.9 m, and the average depth is 5.2 m. The catchment area measures 154.7 km², while the coasts surround the Kretuonas for 16.6 km. The shorelines are shallow and flat: in the south and southwest, the coast is mostly marshy, unlike the northwest, where forests extend. There are six islands in the lake, two larger than the other four, covering 25.5 hectares.[3]
Geography
Into the lake flows, among several tributaries, the Žaugėda, which became an emissary of the Kretuonykštis following a Soviet reclamation of the area. Two of the oak trees that stand near the Kretuonis are recognized as a national natural heritage site on the northwest coast because of their age.[4] The most important population centers near the body of water are Reškutėnai in the east and Kretuonys in the southwest.[3]
History
The surroundings of the lake have long been inhabited. Archaeologists Algirdas Girininkas and Egidijus Šatavičius in recent decades have identified eight Iron Age megaliths in this area, as well as some Stone and Bronze Age remains.[1]
Nature 2000
In addition to being part of one of Lithuania's most important national parks, Aukštaitija, Kretuonas has become part of the areas protected by the European Natura 2000 project, which aims to protect and conserve habitats and animal and plant species. The area has earned this recognition because of the very numerous presence of protected bird species, such as the little grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), the glossy warbler (Chlidonias niger), the gadwall (Mareca strepera), the common quail (Coturnix coturnix), the meadowlark (Porzana porzana), the corncrake (Crex crex), the common croaker (Gallinago media), the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) and others.[5]
The project, initiated at the community and national level, has attracted tourists to visit this botanically, ornithologically, and fish-rich area.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Sito ufficiale del parco" [Official website of the park]. aparkai.lt (in Italian). Retrieved May 25, 2025.
- ^ Vanagas, Aleksandras (1981). Lietuvių hidronimų etimologinis žodynas [Etymological Dictionary of Lithuanian Hydronyms] (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslas. p. 165.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ a b Visuotine lietuviu enciklopedija: Kremacija-Lenzo [Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Kremacija-Lenzo.] (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopediju leidybos institutas. 2007. p. 24. ISBN 9785420014868.
- ^ "Kretuonių pirmasis ąžuolas" [The first oak tree of Kretuoniai]. lt.unionpedia.org (in Lithuanian). Retrieved May 25, 2025.
- ^ "Cos'è il progetto Natura 2000" [What is the Natura 2000 project]. mase.gov.it (in Italian). Retrieved May 25, 2025.
- ^ "Aukštaitija National Park – Nature and Biodiversity". Protected Planet. 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2025.