Merkinė is a village in Dzūkija, the southern region of Lithuania, with a population just under 1000 in 2021. It stands on the navigable River Merkys, once guarded by a wooden castle.
Get in
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By road from Vilnius follow A4 west, 105 km. This road continues southwest to Druskininkai, the Belarus border, Hrodna, the Polish border then Białystok. It's still possible to cross these borders with the correct documentation, which is impossible nowadays.
Buses from Vilnius run six times a day and take about two hours. Some run via Varėna and continue to Druskininkai. Buses from Kaunas run seven times a day and take 3-4 hours.
Six buses a day from Druskininkai are reasonably direct and take less than an hour. For timetables and fares see Autobusubilieta.
Buses stop at the A4 roundabout east edge of the village, and those terminating in Merkinė go to the main square.
Get around
[edit]Most places of interest are within walking distance. You might want wheels for the Pyramid and the Kreves-Mickeviciaus Museum.
See
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- 1 Merkinė Regional Museum, Dariaus ir Girėno a 1, ☏ +370 310 39136. Tu-Sa 09:00-18:00. A small museum about the town's history, within a former Orthodox church. Adult €2, child or conc €1.
- Church of the Assumption (Švc Mergelės Marijos Ėmimo į dangu bažnyčia), Liepų g 9 (100 m south of museum), ☏ +370 310 57371. Th 09:00-17:00. The RC parish church was built in 1615 over its 14th century predecessor. It was wrecked during the Russian occupation of 1655 but rebuilt.
- 2 Hill of Crosses is the knoll north of village centre. Several crosses commemorate those who died for Lithuanian independence. It's nothing like the densely-packed Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai.
- 3 Observation Tower (apžvalgos bokštas) has a view above the tree tops to the river island. There's another small tower south of the river but it's rotten and unsafe.
- 4 Castle mound (off R133). 24 hr. A piliakalnis is a partly-artificial mound, originally with wooden palisades. This one was probably constructed in the 13th century: it was torched again and again but swiftly rebuilt. A few of these were converted to stone bastions but most, including Merkinė, were abandoned after peace came in the 15th century. Park on R133 and approach via the footbridge. Free.
- R133 Bridge just south gives a view of the castle mound and river islands. Here the larger Nemunas River is joined by the small Merkys, which gives its name to the village. Merkti means it's wet, an observation worthy of the Wise Men of Gotham.
- 5 Healing Pyramid, ☏ +370 682 61617. Daily 09:00-20:00. Geodesic dome erected in 2002. The "pyramid" within is a triangular open frame: apparently this focuses subtle energies to help you regain long-term spiritual balance and physical health. If it doesn't, then you didn't approach in a sufficiently po-faced meditative manner, or stand barefoot in the prescribed spots.
- 6 Kreves-Mickeviciaus Memorial Museum, Subartonių, ☏ +370 310 57210. Tu-Sa 09:00-18:00. Vincas Mickevičius (1882-1954) grew up here on a peasant farmstead. He became a scholar of philology and prolific writer, known in the west as Vincas Krėvė. In 1940 he was Prime Minister for all of a week, for the purpose of humbly inviting the Soviet Union to occupy and annex Lithuania, to which they graciously agreed, as they'd already done just that. In 1947 he emigrated to the USA. No-one can make sense of his last work Dangaus ir žemės sūnūs (Sons of Heaven and Earth), as good a reason as any to nominate him for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Adult €2, child or conc €1.
Do
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- Merkinė Cultural Centre is in the main square opposite the museum.
Buy
[edit]- Iki supermarket is in the main square, open daily 08:00-20:00.
Eat
[edit]- Dzūkynė restaurant is at Kauno g 1 on main square, open Su-Th 10:00-20:00, F Sa 10:00-22:00.
- The canteen and takeaway opposite Dzūkynė is open Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00.
- Merkinės fabrikas is next to the castle mound, open Sa 12:00-20:00, Su 12:00-18:00.
Drink
[edit]No free-standing pub, try the eating places.
Sleep
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- Merkinės viensodis is a self-catering apartment at Vienkiemių g 3, east edge of the village.
- Vila Ula is an apartment at Ežero 3 in Burokaraistėlė, 8 km east of Merkinė.
- Druskininkai 26 km southwest has much more accommodation.
Connect
[edit]As of July 2025, Merkinė and its approach roads have 4G from Bite and Tele2, but no signal from Telia. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
[edit]- Druskininkai southwest was once a fashionable spa town, with very salty waters, so it has sights and amenities out of proportion to its size.
- Alytus is only of interest if you're in the refrigerator trade, but you might stop on the way to Kaunas.