Vepriai

History

Vepriai was founded on a hill near Vepriai Lake and south of Šventoji River. It is first mentioned in Wigand of Marburg's Chronicle of 1384 under the name of Weperen. In the Middle Ages Vepriai was a powerful hill fort which assisted in protection of Lithuanian lands from western threats, primarily the Teutonic Order. Wigand of Marburg asserted that the castle belonged to the Grand Duke of Lithuania. In spring of 1384, during the Lithuanian civil war of 1381–1384 the united forces of Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, under command of Nartautas, and the Teutonic Order, attacked the castle which was under control of Jogaila or Skirgaila and captured it. After the threats were eliminated, in the place of the destroyed wooden defensive castle on a piliakalnis a residential manor was built, ruled by various noble families for several centuries. At the time of the first mention in 1542, the castle's owners were the Kęsgailos Lithuanian ducal family. At the turn of the 17th century the Renaissance residential palace of the (singular: Šemeta) noble family was built. Then it passed to the Ogiński family. The place owned by became a dowry of his daughter Barbara Szemiott née Ogińska in the 17th century and thus passed to the Szemiott (Polonized form of "Šemeta") family but was taken back by Barbara's nephew Marcjan Aleksander Ogiński in 1681. Later it passed to the Tyzenhauz family (again as a dowry) and eventually became disputed between it and the Kossakowski family until 1779. In 1808 Count Ignacy Tyzenhauz sold it to Count Jozef Dominik Kossakowski. Following his death in 1840 the place was inherited by Kossakowski's daughter Pelagia, married to a Scottish esquire, former servant in the Indian Navy, Alexander Bower St. Clair, father of an infamous rebel leader Stanislas…

Geography

The town is situated near the center of Vepriai Meteor Crater, the largest of craters found in Lithuania. Vepriai is located in Aukštaitija Region, in the Middle Lithuanian Lowlands, 4 km south of a major highway connecting Ukmergė, Jonava and Kaunas cities. It is situated 11 km southwest of Deltuva and 10,5 km northeast of Upninkai. The third biggest river in Lithuania Šventoji flows just south of the town. Forests, hills and river valleys are inherent to the landscape of Vepriai and its vicinity. The picturesque Vepriai Lake, situated 67 meters above mean sea level, serves for fishing and various leisure activities of locals and arrivals. Due to its convenient placement, beautiful nature and rich heritage Vepriai is one of the most attractive tourism sites in Ukmergė District.

Most-observed species

• Mistletoe

  Viscum album L. · Magnoliopsida
  35
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  26
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  25
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  23
• Rook

  Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  21
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  20
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  20