Merkys River
Encyclopedia
The Merkys is a river in southern Lithuania
and northern Belarus
. It flows for 13 km (8.1 mi) through Belarus, 5 km (3.1 mi) along the Belarusian–Lithuanian border, and 195 km (121.2 mi) through Lithuania before joining the Neman River
near Merkinė
.
Merkys is mostly fed by underground streams and therefore is cooler during summers and has smaller fluctuations in water level than other rivers in Lithuania. Near Žagarinė (128 km before its mouth) the Merkys is connected with Lake Papys by a canal. The Vokė River originates from this lake and consumes most of the Merkys' water. Before the canal average discharge of the Merkys is 3 m³/s and below it only 0.7 m³/s. At the end of the 19th century the drainage basin
of the Merkys grew by some 410 km² as its tributary Ūla River
overtook some of the Kotra River
's watershed area.
The Merkys is a popular destination among water tourism enthusiasts as part of it belongs to the Dzūkija National Park
and it flows into the Neman near the historical site of Merkinė. Archaeological findings show that people inhabited the area as early as the Mesolithic
period. The Merkys is known for its diverse fauna, being declared a reservoir for trout
in 1974.
meaning to soak.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and northern Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. It flows for 13 km (8.1 mi) through Belarus, 5 km (3.1 mi) along the Belarusian–Lithuanian border, and 195 km (121.2 mi) through Lithuania before joining the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
near Merkinė
Merkine
Merkinė is a town in Dzūkija National Park in Lithuania, located at the confluence of the Merkys and Neman Rivers.First mentioned in 1359, Merkinė is one of the oldest Lithuanian settlements. It received the Magdeburg rights in 1569. The town is the location of The Mount of Queen Bona, a mound...
.
Merkys is mostly fed by underground streams and therefore is cooler during summers and has smaller fluctuations in water level than other rivers in Lithuania. Near Žagarinė (128 km before its mouth) the Merkys is connected with Lake Papys by a canal. The Vokė River originates from this lake and consumes most of the Merkys' water. Before the canal average discharge of the Merkys is 3 m³/s and below it only 0.7 m³/s. At the end of the 19th century the drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Merkys grew by some 410 km² as its tributary Ūla River
Ula River
Ūla is a river in Dzūkija National Park in southern Lithuania.The total length of the river is 84 km. Ūla flows into Merkys....
overtook some of the Kotra River
Kotra River
Kotra River is a long river in Belarus and Lithuania. The river is known due to a rare phenomenon of river bifurcation.At first Kotra and Ūla Rivers form one river, known as Pelesa River. Pelesa originates in Belarus and flows in northwestern direction...
's watershed area.
The Merkys is a popular destination among water tourism enthusiasts as part of it belongs to the Dzūkija National Park
Dzukija National Park
Dzūkija National Park - a national park in Dzūkija, Lithuania, was established in 1991 in order to preserve the pine forests, the landscape, and the villages of the region. The area encompasses approximately 550 square kilometers on the banks of the Nemunas River.The park is the largest protected...
and it flows into the Neman near the historical site of Merkinė. Archaeological findings show that people inhabited the area as early as the Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
period. The Merkys is known for its diverse fauna, being declared a reservoir for trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
in 1974.
Name
The name of the river, Merkys, originate from merkti, an appellative word in the Lithuanian languageLithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
meaning to soak.