Utena - a bit of history

Utena, one of the oldest cities in Lithuania, is related to the Narkunai castle-mound that is often mentioned in the chronicles of swordsmen. A letter of king Mindaugas in 1261, first mentioned a wooden castle by the Utenele river. According to the story, that castle was built by the Duke Utenis. Utena residents named the city's central square and a regional newspaper after this duke.

Utena was established along the Utenele river in the 14th century. By 1416 the first church had been built and merchants and tradesmen had settled here to live. During the crusades, Utena and its surroundings were terribly ravaged and in 1433 the castle of Utena was destroyed.
The Warsaw-St. Petersburg highway built in 1835 was of major importance to the town and a large post-office station established. In 1889 the narrow gauge railway Svencioneliai-Panevezys was built changing the face of the town. The town developed and grew very fast. Houses were built very close together and in 1879 there was a fire in which, ¾ of the town was burned.  Until the 1st world war, Utena was the regional center for northeastern Lithuania. In 1924, Utena was designated as a secondary town with its own Burgomaster.

Now Utena town is the the center of Utena district and Utena county. We have two lakes, Dauniškis and Vyžuonaitis, and the streams of Utenele, Krasuona, Viesa, Rase wind their ways through our town.
The area of Utena region is 1229 sq. km, 368,7 sq. km of which, is covered by forest . The region is located mostly in the Aukstaiciu hills, the northwestern part of the region on the Aukštaičių plateau. The land of Utena attracts people by the natural beauty of its hills, hollows and forests and clarity of its lakes. There are 186 lakes of various sizes throughout the region including, the deepest in Lithuania, lake Tauragnas (60,5m), one of the longest in the country, lake Aisetas (16 km) and beautiful lake Alaušas so loved by holidaymakers (10,73 km² ).
It doesn’t matter which route you take, whether from Vilnius, Kaunas or Kupiškis, the closer you come to Utena, the more the land seems to be moving with joy and the hills and fields rolling like waves. Each little hill gives way to another, the wetlands are full of flowers and birds and groves of of oak and birch trees whisper to one another in the breeze.

Utena is a center of Utena district which seizes territory of 1229 sq. km. More than 32000 citizens live there in Utena city while in all district there are approximately 47700 inhabitants. Utena is famous for its hosiery products, brewery and horse sports. Nowadays Utena is titled as a capital of Eastern Higher Lithuania. A golden horseshoe in its blazon symbolizes the luck and harmony of the city.

History

Utena is one of the oldest Lithuanian cities. It was first mentioned in a letter of the King of Lithuania Mindaugas in 1261. Then the wooden castle on the river Utenėlė shore was described. According to a legend, Utena castle was built by a duke Utenis. 1373 – 1375 Utena region was wasted in cold blood by the Teutonic Order . In  1433 Utena castle was destroyed and the city was moved to another location which was suitable for economical works better. In 1416 the Utena church was built and the city became a district. As soon as Utena got privilege of trade, city expanded a lot. In the 16th -17th century an alteration of the city was made. Utena was modified under plan of right-angled plan with a square market place in the center. A very bad influence for the city expansion the North war made. In 1700-1721 Utena was demolished by Swedes. It began regenerating only when the highway Peterburg – Warsaw was grounded. That was the first highway in Lithuania built in 1830-1836 which connected Kaunas and Zarasai. The city was capacitated to develop significantly then. In 1899 the narrow railway was stretched along the Utena region. In 1918 the first telephone station was established in local post office. In 1924 Utena got the ciy rights. Till nowadays the city climbed over its historical walls and occupied territory of lakes Dauniškis and Vyžuonaitis, reached the channel of Vyžuona river.

Nowadays

Utena nowadays is a city including many cultural, nature and historic monuments. Some of important heritage objects were destroyed during wars, but those survived all the hardships now are even more valuable as symbolize the unique ethnographic history of the region. In Utena there stands a marvelous Church of Christus Entering Heaven near the old cemetery, a brand new Utena Church of God Divine, a few orthodox churches. A cultural and social life is developed in local Culture center and in a Center of Children Social Support and Education. There are 2 post offices, a Museum of Regional Studies and a nice park attracting people every sunny day. In a Rašė hippodrome in Utena a trotter racing is organized every summer. The event attracts people from all over Lithuania as it is a unique and very exciting annual occasion. In Utena there also overlooks a remarkable Utena stone which distinguishes in its bowl formed by nature. The Utena stone is accredited to be an archeological monument. All in all, Utena district is full of places worth visiting scattered around its center like regional parks, reserves, mounds, folk art objects, beautiful old estates and many more. Beautiful natural surroundings including lakes, rivers, forests and mounds create a very harmonious atmosphere in the city so once came here everyone want to stay as long as it is possible.