# Aukštaitija

Aukštaitija (meaning Highlands) is a region in the north-east of Lithuania.

## Towns

* 55.07222224.2805561 Jonava is modern, built around the huge Achema chemical plant.
* 55.28333323.9666672 Kėdainiai is likewise centred on a chemical plant but has a 17th century old town.
* 55.2524.7666673 Ukmergė is similar, in a landscape of earthwork castles.
* 55.72524.3638894 Panevėžys is modern but has museums and old churches.
* 55.525.65 Utena has among its churches that of the "Old Believers" who rejected the Russian Orthodox reforms of 1652.
* 55.626.4333336 Visaginas was built to service a nuclear power plant, which closed so there's not much here.

## Other destinations

* 55.34426.0571 Aukštaitija National Park is a land of lakes, hills and forests, with water sports and rural tourism.

## Understand

Lithuania is divided into five "cultural regions", ten counties (apskritys) and 60 municipalities (savivaldybės). The five regions are ill-defined but are said to have distinct characteristics, which for Aukštaitija means forested upland terrain dotted with post-glacial lakes. The name means "highlands" and has been variably applied, including to areas now in Latva and Belarus. It seldom much exceeds 150 m altitude, but in a cold Baltic climate every metre deepens the winter snows. Panevėžys is the principal town, but the region has never been an administrative unit.

## Get in

Kaunas is the transport hub for the west side of the region and Vilnius for the east, with airports, and road and bus networks.

## Get around

You can reach the main towns by public transport, but many sights are at some distance from town, especially in the National Park. A car is best for reaching these, since you can carry sports and outdoor gear, and shelter from the weather.

## See

* Old architecture: most towns have a couple of 17th / 18th century churches, but only Kėdainiai could be said to have an "old town".
* Town museums exhibit the region's tumultuous history.
* Struve Geodetic Arc was a 19th century project to measure the earth's size and shape, by triangulating along the 30° East Meridian from Hammerfest in Norway down to the Black Sea. Struve's calculation of the equatorial circumference was only 224 m astray. Several triangulation points are commemorated by markers and in Aukštaitija there's one to the north at Panemunelis, along the road between Rokiskis and Kupiskis.

## Do

* Kayaking and other water sports: multiple locations in this land of lakes, the most attractive are in the National Park.
* Aukštaitija narrow gauge railway has heritage trains along a section near Panevėžys.
* Football: FK Panevėžys plays soccer in A Lyga, Lithuania's top tier.

## Eat

All the towns have cafes / restaurants / pubs serving hearty Baltic fare, with few other cuisines so veggies may struggle.
Hesburger is the national fast-food chain, and western franchises such as KFC are uncommon. The company is actually Finnish.

## Drink

* Tap water is safe to drink, but raw lake water should be boiled or sterilised.
* All the towns have pubs, and several have breweries.

## Stay safe

Beware traffic, safeguard valuables, take care with water activities especially with children, and dress for the weather, same as anywhere else.

## Go next

* Vilnius the must-see capital is just south of this region.
* Samogitia is the region to the west. Šiauliai the main city has several sites of interest, best known is the Hill of Crosses.
* Latvia lies north, with routes converging on fascinating Riga.