Zarasai District Municipality Explained

Zarasai District Municipality
Native Name:Zarasų rajono savivaldybė
Native Name Lang:lt
Settlement Type:Municipality
Image Map1:ZarasuRajonoSeniunijos.png
Map Caption1:Map of Zarasai district municipality
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Lithuania
Subdivision Type1:Ethnographic region
Subdivision Name1:Aukštaitija
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2: Utena County
Parts Style:para
Parts Type:Elderships
P1:10
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Zarasai
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:1334
Area Rank:24th
Population Total:15,114
Population As Of:2021[1]
Population Rank:52nd
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Rank:58th
Timezone1:EET
Utc Offset1:+2
Timezone1 Dst:EEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+3
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Area Code:385
Blank Name Sec1:Major settlements

Zarasai District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It borders with Latvia and Belarus.

It has significant Russian minority population in Lithuania, with sixth of the population claiming Russian ethnicity.[2]

Local government units

The district has the following localities:

Biggest population (2001):

Geography and attractions

30% of the territory is covered by forests (about 65% of those are pine forests), about 10% by lakes. The district has about 300 lakes. The most famous lake is Lake Sartai for its winter horse races. Part of the biggest lake in Lithuania, Lake Drūkšiai, is also in the district. Other three lakes are among the ten largest lakes in Lithuania. There are 20 artificial lakes, the biggest one is Antalieptė Lagoon (Lithuanian: Antalieptės marios). It is a unique artificial lake in Lithuania. It was formed when a dam on Šventoji River was built and 27 different lakes joined to form one lagoon. It has about 50 islands. There are 8 rivers, the longest is Šventoji River (almost 45 km in the district). The district has two regional parks, Sartai and Gražutė.

The district is rich in beautiful nature and could become a tourist destination. However, the geographic location is very inconvenient. Zarasai district municipality is away from major highways. Also, it is quite far away from the capital, Vilnius. Vilnians would rather choose numerous lakes in Molėtai district municipality or Aukštaitija National Park for recreation.

The district has many hill forts built in the 9-12th centuries. They were used for defence against Livonian Order attacking from Daugavpils.

Stelmužė Oak, the oldest tree in Lithuania, grows in the district.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gyventojai gyvenamosiose vietovese. osp.stat.gov.lt. lt.
  2. Web site: Statistika | Tautinių mažumų departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės. 20 May 2023.