Rambynas Regional Park

About

Rambynas Regional Park is one of the Regional Parks in Lithuania, situated at Pagėgiai municipality (Tauragė County) on the right Nemunas river bend in Lithuania, near the border of Kaliningrad Oblast. The park was founded in 1992. It has an area of about 4,788 hectares (11,830 acres).

The Rambynas Regional Park territory for its natural and cultural heritage has been divided into eight protection and conservation zones (83.6% of the total park area) which are:

- Bitėnai Botanical and Zoological Reserve

- Ragainė Inflection Hydro-logical Reserve

- Vilkyškiai Urban Reserve Other areas include: recreation areas (3.2%), defense areas (7.2%), business areas (6, 0% of the total park area) and a park territory tangled in a relatively dense network of roads with about 5.4 km of roads in an area of 100 acres.

Among the eight park reserves the biggest protected park attractions are - the Nemunas valley landscape, Wetland meadows and their typical flora communities, Rambynas hill and its woods, Bitėnai and Bardėnai villages with preserved natural and cultural attractions, The ridge crest of Vilkyškiai, Regional forests characterized by a variety of woods, The environment of Šereitlaukis estate, The old town of Vilkyškiai and unique white stork colonies nesting in the pine trees. In the park area, there are eight villages: Bitėnai, Bardinai, Šereitlaukis, Opstainys, Pempynė, Vilkyškiai and part of Lumpėnai, with a population of 1340 inhabitants, 247 hectares of water ponds (5.1% of the park area).

13 kilometers from the Nemunas and Jūra river confluence to the Rambynas park boundary is the largest river in Lithuania, the Nemunas, and the Lithuanian state border with Russia's Kaliningrad enclave. The Nemunas valley is washed with 33 old river lakes, the largest - the Merguva (44.8 ha) and Bitežeris (13.8 ha).

State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of the Environment, together with a number of Authorities for protected areas in Lithuania will implement the EU Structural Funds for the project “Protected Areas Management"

- Facilitate public access to protected environments

- Facilitate visits to protected areas without harming the environment

- Create conditions for the “ Natura 2000 ” sites improvement “Phase I” completion of the following activities:

Organisation and adaption of 4 heritage sites for visitors:

- Opstainiai I ( Vilkyskiai, Raudondvaris ) mound, Opstainiai II mound, Šereiklaukis mound

- Completion of Rambynas Regional Park Visitors Center in the Bitėnai village

- Completion of Visitor Centre exposition and display stands “Phase II” implementation and outgoing works of the following activities:

- Installation of field information system and visitors infrastructure

- Completed “ Natura 2000 ” territory network of Šereiklaukis forest meadows (about 20 acres)

In collaboration of Rambynas Regional Park direction and “Sandūra” Society in Pagėgiai implemented newspaper and magazine - almanac “Rambynas” publishing project. The newspaper “Rambynas” issued 2 times a year. This 8 -page publication is dedicated to Rambynas Regional Park residents and introduces park visitors to the park values also how Rambynas Regional Park Authority operates in a variety of topical issues related to the park. Magazine –almanac "Rambynas” released once a year. This is a richly illustrated 86 - page publication, a prominent Lithuanian historians and scientists examine Rambynas and Pagėgiai surrounding areas, as well as culture, history, environmental issues and to provide a wide popular readership of Lithuania Minor. The journal provides a summary in English language.

Press, Television, Radio Support Fund ( PTRSF) partially supports and funds project “Rambynas - Lithuania Minor ethnographic identity preservation" - already several years presented on magazine “Rambynas”.

- Preserve the Nemunas River landscape, its natural ecosystem and cultural heritage and manage park resources rationally.