Sightseeing places in Prienai might be grouped into 4: a town centre, a Revuona Park with the Nemunas quay, a Paper Factory “Popiernia” and Prienai Region Museum.
A central square of the town is the Freedom Square situated between Vytautas and J.Brundza streets. Here you should leave your car and start your acquaintance with Prienai.
First, you should visit the Christ’s Manifestation Church in Prienai (Kestutis St. 9).
The church is wooden, built according to a criss-cross plan, it has two towers and neo-baroque features. The first church was built in 1604. The parish school was there too. A new church was built in1674. Later, it was rebuilt in 1750, and it was enlarged in 1875. A monument for Saint Casimir is in the churchyard. On the other side of the churchyard, there is a monument for canon Feliksas Martisius, who was a founder of Prienai “Ziburys” gymnasium, also an initiator of Lithuanian gardening.
Let’s come back to the Freedom Square.
Here you could see a building of Prienai District Municipality. The square is divided into two parts: cobbles and lawn. On the side of “Green” space, there is a monument for partisans. On the other side of Vytautas street, there is Prienai Culture and Leisure Centre (Vytautas St. 35), built in 1991. Next to this building, there is a monument for a poet and philosopher Antanas Maceina, who came from Prienai district.
It’s a great pleasure to sit on a bench in the shade of trees and do try ice-cream or biscuits from a nearby bakery.
The second stop of our trip is Revuona Park.
Next is Revuona Park. At the beginning of the street you will see the road sign which forbids to enter this street by car. Therefore, you need to leave your car next to the park, on the roadside of Zemaite street. Revuona Park or simply a town park will meet you with its greenness. This park got the same name as the Revuona stream, which falls into the Nemunas river. In the park, you can see wooden sculptures made during the project “Nature is a spring of cultures”. Also, you will see Prienai Manor on the Nemunas’ bank. A Prienai windmill operated here from 1901 to 1956, and the hotel “Revuona” used to be here from 1984 to 1995. In the park, next to the manor and a newly established Prienai Visitors’ Centre of the Regional Park of the Great Nemunas Loops, there are Revuona ponds, which at first were used for the windmill’s purposes and later for the hotel. Go around the manor to see a tiny waterfall.
Keep going along the Nemunas quay until the Greimai Bridge (Vytautas St.).
This bridge joins two regions Dzukija and Suvalkija, which are separated by the river Nemunas. The landmark on the bridge declares it. On the other side of the street, on the bridgehead, you can see a hill. If you take this direction, you will see a monument for Lithuanian Grand Duke Kestutis made by a sculptor G.Kamarauskas and an architect K.Lupeikis, in 1989.
Coming back from this place, stop and visit Prienai “Popiernia”.
It is a Prienai paper factory dating back to the XVIII-XIX centuries (F.Vaitkaus St. 169). Formerly, the factory produced high quality white and colour wrapping paper and cardboard. It was established in 1785. In front of the factory there is a Popiernia pond. The Drubengis stream flows by the Popiernia building. To tell the truth, you cannot take a walk there as the pond is hedged off, unless only around the factory.
The last stop is Prienai Region Museum (F.Martisiaus St. 13).
Here you will have an opportunity to get to know Prienai Region history, culture, folk art and mode of life; you will get a lot of information about famous people (writers, artists, musicians, scientists, public men) who came from Prienai Region. In the museum, there are special expositions, which introduce life and creation of poet Justinas Marcinkevicius, writer Vytautas Bubnys, linguist Jonas Kazlauskas, priest Juozas Zdebskis, a spreader of Lithuanian national ideas, doctor Juozas Brundza. Also, the museum organizes a lot of educational activities such as baking bread, weaving, flax manufacturing, introducing herbalist’ occupation, organizing thematic excursions about Prienai history, and partisans’ fights.
Lepelioniai Mound
When you pass Aukstadvaris, you need to stop and climb up Lepelioniai Mound or Napoleon’s Hat (it has the other name) You will enjoy colourful and picturesque views of surroundings. According to the story, Napoleon’s soldiers were passing by and had to bring their hats with sand and pour it into one pile. That is the way the mound appeared. As the top of Napoleon’s Hat Mound is smooth, the story goes that sometime the youth used to organize get-togethers there.
This is a great park established by one famous businessperson. The park covers 160 ha territory. In this park, there are SPA centres, conference halls, tourism farmsteads, a stud farm, saunas and swimming pools. It is a great pleasure just to take a walk in this park. On the website of this park, it is written that this is a place where perfectly matches natural nature and modern comfort, simple rest and exclusive entertainment.
St. Luke’s Church in Veiveriai
A chapel was built in Veiveriai in 1782. Later in the place of the chapel, the owner of Aukstoji Freda Manor Juozas Godlevskis built a wooden church in 1818. It was an affiliated society of Zapyskis parish and served by Zapyskis vicars. A parish school was mentioned in 1818. The parish was established in 1846.
In 1853, J.Godlevskis built a present church. Assistant bishop Juozapas Olekas of Seinai consecrated it in 1887. A unit of “Ziburys” fellowship (the head was priest A.Skarzinskas) and a library-reading room were established here in 1907. The unit of Lithuanian Catholic Temperance Society operated here from 1909 to 1914, later in 1912 the house for this society was built, and a shop and a tea-shop were there too.
During the First World War, the church was destroyed, a part of the tower was demolished. In 1922, it was started to rebuild the church. During 1934-1935, priest Mykolas Krupavicius renewed the church: the tower was heightened, the church was enlarged and painted, the ceilings were reinforced, and new floor was installed. All the works were finished by priest Juozas Salcius (1900-1988), (the priest was in prison in Karaganda for 6 years). After the Second World War, priest Antanas Pangonis built a brick presbytery. The government expropriated it.
The church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven in Pakuonis
Pakuonis church was built in 1792, at the same time, bishop Ignotas Jokubas Masalskis formed a committee to establish Pakuonis parish that received villages of Darsuniskis parish, which were on the left bank of the river Nemunas. The parish school was mentioned in 1819. When the church bulding got old, parish priest Kazimieras Jasiulevicius-Jasulaitis together with parishioners built a present brick church in 1883. Assistant bishop Juozapas Olekas consecrated it in 1886. Vicar Juozapas Smulkstys of Pakuonis supported the distribution of prohibited Lithuanian press and book-spreaders. During the search in 1898, manuscript sermons in Lithuanian written by priest J.Smulkstys were taken away. The priest spent two years in servitude in Odessa. A unit of “Ziburys” fellowship established in 1907. A library-reading room was established in 1910. During the First World War, the tower of the church was exploded. Premises of presbytery were destroyed and the church was damaged in 1944. It was renovated in 1945. Parish priest Pranas Lingys renovated the church in 1975. The parish priest was persecuted for the permission given to workers of church pillars to draw the columns of Gediminas.
The church of St. Archangel Michael and John the Baptist in Jieznas
It might be that the church in Jieznas was built in the XVI century. Evangelical and reformed church was mentioned in 1611. Catholic Church inventory was mentioned in 1640. In 1643, the parish priest received as a present 2 farm estates and obliged to build a brick church. Steponas Kristupas Pacas took care after the construction of the church. It was built in 1655, it was consecrated in 1670 (on the initiative of chancellor K.Z.Pacas of Grand Duchy of Lithuania). Steponas Kristupas Pacas established a sanctuary in 1645. The parish school was established at the end of the XVIII century. On the initiative of Antanas and Terese Pacai, the church was enlarged and decorated with mural paintings (2 towers, a presbytery and two lateral sacristy were built) during the period of 1768-1772. The church was consecrated for the second time in 1772, and Russian soldiers robbed it in 1794. After the church arches had cracked, the authority allowed renovating it in 1872 and gave 4000 roubles for restoration works in 1876. Wall paintings were restored. After the Second World War, parish priest Vincentas Vaiciulis of Jieznas was arrested and was exiled to Siberia. He returned to Lithuania in 1960 and died in Jieznas. During the period of 1974-1988, parish priest Bronius Bulika renovated the church, cleaned environment, put the cross in the churchyard (here the parish priest was buried). He was a sincere, kind-hearted person, gave sophisticated and meaningful sermons.
The church of the Holy Trinity in Stakliskes
The first church was built in 1586. Later, villages of Kielionys, Kvedariskiai, Virkininkai, and a lake were donated to this church in 1596. A priest of the church had to know Lithuanian and establish a school. Jonas Alfonsas Lackis enlarged the property of the church in 1641. It is thought that Russian Army burnt down the church in 1655. A new church until the roof was built in 1663 and it was finished in 1674. The parish had 31 village in 1744. During the period of 1770–1776, head of Stakliskes Neighbourhood Juozapas Teodoras Boufalas-Daraškevičius (in Polish – Józef Teodor Bouffał-Doroszkiewicz), arm of coats – Kościesza, built a present brick church, it was consecrated by assistant bishop Tomas Zenkavicius of Vilnius. The storm destroyed the roof of the church, damaged towers in1818. Until 1828, the towers were not rebuilt. Parish priest Vincas Butvydas was moved from Pagramantis (Telsiai parish) to Stakliskes in 1871, he was involved in the case of Motiejus Valancius’ book spreaders. He was the parish priest in Stakliskes for 29 years. He encouraged and developed national consciousness of inhabitants. The unit of Lithuanian Catholic Temperance Society operated here from 1911 to 1914. Vladas Jezukevicius (1886-1956) (later he became an altarist) was a parish priest in Stakliskes from 1925 to 1954. He was a person evoking Lithuanian regeneration and a co-worker of press. He was buried in the churchyard.
Balbieriskis exposure
Balbieriskis exposure – a geological object of natural heritage. It was declared as a natural monument in 1974. The exposure is in Zydaviskis village, Balbieriskis Neighbourhood, Prienai District, on the left bank of the river Nemunas. The exposure is in the territory of the Regional Park of the Great Nemunas Loops. Visit the exposure and enjoy picturesque views of the Nemunas river’ Loop and its valley with meadows and pinewoods.
