BDAR

Ragainė Swing

55.033, 22.064
How to get?
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It's a half-way strip of flooded meadows on the right bank of Nemunas, in front of Ragainė (now Neman). One of the most prominent loops in the Lower Nemunas - the Ragainė nail with sensational lakes and flooded meadows - is stored in a hydrographic reserve. There are about 30 little old lakes here, but only the 4 largest ones have names. It's Merguva (Girl), Bitežeris (Biteger), Juodežeris (Black lake), Bevardis (Nameless). The Ragainė swing has a unique biodiversity. Here are growing plant communities which are rare both in Lithuania and Europe. After the flooding the grasslands become home to deers and snakes. On the banks of Nemunas lives stems, greens, otters, a large variety of rare birds - woodworms, fringes, harrows. Black and brown mice, sea eagles arrive from the Šereiklaukis forest to search for prey. The name of Ragainė shows that much of these meadows belonged to the people of Ragainė. This is one of the few places in Lithuania where the author of the first Lithuanian book, Martynas Mažvydas, has been. He was a priest in Ragainė from 1549 to 1563. The haymower in the meadows belonging to the presbitery of Ragainė, had to be looked after by M. Mažvydas himself. The area of the Ragainė curve and Ragainė were previously connected by ferry.