Žeimenys

Žeimenys
A body of water with pine trees in the distance.
Cygnus olor in Žeimenys Lake
Interactive map of Žeimenys
LocationVilnius County and Utena County, Lithuania
Coordinates55°17′14″N 26°03′37″E / 55.28722°N 26.06028°E / 55.28722; 26.06028
Laukupė, Kretuonas, Jaurupė
Žeimena
Max. length12 km (7.5 mi)
Max. width1.6 km (0.99 mi)
Surface area
4,363 km3 (1,047 cu mi)
Average depth
23.5 m (77 ft)
Max. depth23.5 m (77 ft)
Islands14

Lake Žeimenys (Lithuanian: alga) is a lake located in the district municipality of Švenčionys (it marks the administrative boundary between Vilnius and Utena counties) in northeastern Lithuania.[1]

Located near Kaltanėnai, in Aukštaitija National Park, it is the largest lake in Lithuania, spanning 12 km in length, 1.6 km in width, and the maximum depth is 23.5m. It is surrounded by coniferous forests, with two busy bays for fishing in the northern part.[2]

There are as many as 14 islands whose total area covers 8.3 hectares. The seabed is essentially composed of sand, gravel, and mud (the latter is present on 90% of the coastline). The coastal vegetation consists mainly of plants that are adapted to marshy climates. The transparency of the water in summer is such that visibility is guaranteed down to a depth of 3 m.[3]

Coastal view

The main tributaries are the Laukupė, the Kretuona, and the Jaurupė, as an emissary figure of the Žeimenys. In the northern part, a junction exists between the Žeimenys and Lake Šakarvai.[4][3]

Flora and fauna

Plants near the lake include swamp rushes, reeds, burdock, among others.[5]

There are more than 15 different fish species present in the lake, including pike, tench, bream, perch, gardon, rudd, carp, bjoerkna blicca, European eel, sapling, acerine, spurdog, ido, burbot, white whitefish, Atlantic salmon, European trout, and rainbow trout. As crustaceans live mainly on crayfish and crabs.[6]

Since 1967, the lake has also been a bird park.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Official website of the park". aparkai.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Lithuanian encyclopedias". vle.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Žeimenys (lake)". ezerai.vilnius21.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Žeimenys, Švenčionys District Municipality, Lituânia". Google Earth. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "routes Lusiai Lake, Zeimenys Lake and Zeimena River". valtine.lt. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Lake Žeimenys". researchgate.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved February 14, 2025.