Exceptional value

Almost the entire life in the Žemaitija (Samogitia) National Park is centered around the Plateliai Lake. It is the deepest, largest and probably the most beautiful lake in Samogitia with islands, peninsulas, bays, surrounded by hillsides and forests. It is home to the relict fish Coregonus lavaretus holsatus. The national park is rich with dense, shady spruce forests, natural old conifer and mixed tree forest. The abundance of castle mounds, sacred hills and sacred places are the reminders of the old culture. The small chapels and road shrines scattered by the roads and in the fields reflect the lifestyle and traditions of the local people. The old customs are especially emphasized during the traditional Shrovetide festival.

The park is dominated by hill, ridge- rich relief, deep lake waterholes, including the deepest in Žemaitija Plateliai Lake with the cobweb of shoals, islands, and peninsulas. The Plateliai Lake as well as other lakes and rivers are surrounded by forests and wetlands.

The National Park is distinguished by its legendary natural heritage objects: seven islands of Plateliai Lake, Kreiviškės and Auksala peninsulas, and the mysterious islands of Beržoras and Ilgis Lakes. The national park is rich with dense, shady spruce forests, natural old conifer and mixed tree forests also called the Western Taiga. The latter are protected in the entire Europe. Wetlands are rich with various species of organisms. Raganos Ash Tree is the thickest ash tree in Lithuania. In the national park, there are nesting places of the protected in Europe rare bird species (Bonasa bonasia, Crex crex, and Cygnus cygnus), and also relict plant species from the glacial period. Plateliai Lake is home to the relict fish Coregonus lavaretus holsatus. The cultural heritage of the National Park consists of castle mounds, ancient shrines (sacred hills), burial sites, and sites of ancient settlements. Among the most interesting are the Užpelkiai, Gegrėnai, Pūčkoriai, Jazdauskiškiai, Grigaičiai, St. John’s (Žemaičių Kalvarija), Šarnelė, Mikytai castle mounds; the Visvainiai, Mikytai, Vilkai, Gilaičiai, Paparčiai sacred hills, sites of ancient settlement in Gegrėnai and Šarnelė. Standing out with architectural uniqueness are the Žemaičių Kalvarija Church, and Babrungėnai Mill.