Ukmergė District Municipality
Aukštaitija
dammed lake with floating islands
Vepriai town, Ukmergė District
55.14500, 24.57440
1-2 hours by the lake; add 2-3 hours for the full Calvary route
summer for swimming; the islands move most visibly in strong wind or after heavy rain
Vepriai Lake with floating islands, dammed Vepriai Lake
Vepriai Lake and Its Floating Islands
Vepriai Lake beside Vepriai town in Ukmergė District is known for a rare natural phenomenon: floating islands. These are layers of peat and reed roots covered with reeds and shrubs; they are not fixed to the bottom, so they can move across the lake. Reed islands of this scale and mobility are unusual in Lithuanian lakes, and they are the site's main attraction.
The lake is small, so it can be walked around or viewed in an hour or two. However, the islands' movement depends on weather: it is most visible in strong wind or after heavy rain, so the sight is not guaranteed.
How the Floating Islands Formed
The islands formed because the water level was raised. As the water rose, layers of reed roots detached from marshy shores; over time they thickened, grew ferns, willows, black alders, and other moisture-loving plants, joined together, and became whole islands. Several large islands broke away from the southwestern shore and drifted toward the eastern part of the lake.
Local people say that in strong wind the largest island can move almost at boat speed and leave a visible track in the water. Attempts were made to fix it with metal cables and even dozens of wooden stakes driven into the lakebed, but the cables disappeared and the stakes rotted. These vivid accounts should be treated as local observations rather than exact measurements.
A Dammed Lake: Size, Depth, and Water Level
Vepriai Lake is a dammed lake, not a natural-origin lake. Its area is about 38.3 ha, maximum depth 3.2 m, average depth about 1.9 m, and water surface 66.4 m above sea level. The water level was artificially raised several times in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most recently in 2000, and there is a dam near the town.
The lake is also linked with a local story about Sankleras Island. It is said that until the mid-twentieth century there was a real island on the southern shore with an old powerful oak, beloved by a Scotsman who lived at Vepriai Manor and gave the island its name. When the water level was raised, the island was flooded, and people say the cut oak trunk can still be seen underwater. Treat this as a local-history layer that needs caution.
Vepriai Around the Lake: Calvary, Manor, Museum
Between Vepriai Lake and the Šventoji River stretches the Vepriai Calvary, one of the Kaunas Archdiocese's pilgrimage Ways of the Cross. The route is about 5.5 km and includes the church, 35 Stations of the Cross, and masonry chapels. It was first walked in 1846; wooden chapels were replaced with masonry ones in 1882-1900. The Calvary was demolished in the Soviet period and rebuilt in 1989-1990. The complex is listed in the Cultural Heritage Register.
The Šventoji, Lithuania's third-longest river, flows south of the town. A small stream associated with the Calvary is called Cedron, or Kidron, and its water is traditionally believed to have healing power. Vepriai also has fragments of a manor estate and a local museum, so the visit can become both a nature and history route.
How to Visit Vepriai Lake
The lake is an open, free site accessible year-round. Beaches by the town have changing cabins, parking, and rest areas, so summer is convenient for swimming and relaxing. Windy days are best for watching the floating islands.
It is worth combining the lake with the Vepriai Calvary; walking the full 5.5 km route takes an additional 2-3 hours. The largest pilgrim gatherings take place at Pentecost, when traditional services and processions are held.
