{{Short description|Protected area in Lithuania}} {{Infobox protected area | name = Raigardas Landscape Reserve | iucn_category = V | image = Raigardo slėnis nuo Švendubrės.JPG | image_caption = View of the Raigardas Valley from the village of Švendubrė | location = Druskininkai Municipality, Lithuania | nearest_city = Druskininkai | coordinates = {{coord|53.966|N|23.963|E|display=inline,title}} | area = {{cvt|10.71|km2}} | established = 1960 }}
thumb|400px|The Raigardas Valley in the triptych by M. K. Čiurlionis '''Raigardas''' is a valley in Lithuania, located 5 km south of the resort town of Druskininkai on the right bank of the Nemunas River.<ref name="vle">{{cite web|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/raigardas-2/|title=Raigardo slėnis|work=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija|language=lt|access-date=2025-10-04}}</ref> A part of the valley (10.71 km²) is designated as a landscape reserve.<ref name="saugoma">{{cite web|url=https://saugoma.lt/teritorijos/raigardo-krastovaizdzio-draustinis|title=Raigardo kraštovaizdžio draustinis|publisher=Saugoma.lt|language=lt|access-date=2025-10-04}}</ref>
== Geography == thumb|View of the Raigardas Valley from the village of Švendubrė The Raigardas Valley is situated between the villages of Švendubrė and Pervalkas (the latter located in Belarus).<ref name="vle" /> The total area of the valley is approximately 14 km², with a length of 5 km from west to east and a width of up to 4 km.<ref name="vle" />
The valley was formed about 5,000 years ago when a meander of the Nemunas River shifted eastward. The old riverbed left behind several oxbow lakes, two of which remain today: Lake Dvarnas near Pervalkas and Lake Nemunykštis near Švendubrė.<ref name="vle" /> The Kubilnyčia stream flows through the valley.
The landscape features floodplain meadows, remnants of terraces covered with pine forests, and a bog with an area of 4.26 km² (426 ha).<ref name="vle" /> The eastern edge and slope of the valley are part of the Raigardas Landscape Reserve.<ref name="saugoma" /> It is also home to Lithuania's largest suffosion cirque.<ref name="vle" />
== Nature protection == The valley and its surrounding slopes are part of the Raigardas Landscape Reserve.<ref name="saugoma" /> The reserve was established in 1960 to protect the largest suffosion cirque in the country, as well as its unique geomorphological, hydrogeological, and biological complexes.<ref name="saugoma" />
== Etymology == The name "Raigardas" is believed to derive from the Lithuanian words ''raistas'' ("bog", "swamp") and ''gardas'' (a borrowing from Slavic languages meaning "city", "enclosure", or "pen").<ref>Gitana Kazimieraitienė. ''Legandos pasakoja: Lietuvos geografiniai objektai.'' Kaunas: Šviesa, 2008. P. 20. ISBN 5-430-04769-4.</ref> Another theory suggests it comes from ''raja'' ("quaking bog") and ''gardas'' ("enclosure", "pen").<ref>Algirdas Vaškelis. ''Turisto vadovas.'' Vilnius: Mintis, 1994. P. 263.</ref>
== Legends == According to local folklore, a wealthy and beautiful city once stood in the location of the valley. Its inhabitants lived a life of debauchery and indulgence, which angered the thunder god Perkūnas.<ref name="vle" /> As punishment, the god struck the city, causing it to sink into the ground, taking all its residents with it. Legend says that the ringing of the city's cursed bells can still be heard from beneath the earth, as the souls of the sinners search for an escape they can never find.
It is believed that the exit is blocked by the "Devil's Stone", located near the village of Švendubrė. The salty mineral waters of Druskininkai are said to be the tears of the damned.<ref>Valentinas Baltrūnas, Vykintas Vaitkevičius, Rasa Žukienė. "Ar iš tikro Raigardas prasmego?" // ''Mokslas ir gyvenimas''. 1999. No. 10.</ref>
== Cultural significance == The picturesque Raigardas Valley was a cherished place for the renowned Lithuanian painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, who spent part of his childhood nearby.<ref name="vle" /> He often visited the valley, drawing inspiration from its landscape, and immortalized it in his famous triptych *Raigardas* (1907).<ref name="vle" />
The valley is also cited in scientific studies as a prominent example of "geoheritage", where geological formations, folklore, and cultural heritage are deeply intertwined.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Juškevičienė|first1=D.|title=Geoheritage as a Source and Carrier of Culture, Lithuania|journal=Geoheritage|year=2021|volume=13|issue=3|pages=1–17|doi=10.1007/s12371-021-00644-x|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-021-00644-x|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
thumb|center|500px|Landscape of the Raigardas Valley
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == * Gitana Kazimieraitienė. ''Legandos pasakoja: Lietuvos geografiniai objektai.'' Kaunas: Šviesa, 2008. P. 20. ISBN 5-430-04769-4. * Valentinas Baltrūnas, Vykintas Vaitkevičius, Rasa Žukienė. "Ar iš tikro Raigardas prasmego?" in ''Mokslas ir gyvenimas.'' 1999. No. 10. * Algirdas Vaškelis. ''Turisto vadovas.'' Vilnius: Mintis, 1994. P. 263.
== External links == * [https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/raigardas-2/ Article on Raigardas in the ''Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija''] (in Lithuanian) * [https://saugoma.lt/teritorijos/raigardo-krastovaizdzio-draustinis Official page of the Raigardas Reserve on Saugoma.lt] (in Lithuanian) * [http://www.culture.lt/satenai/?leid_id=756&kas=straipsnis&st_id=4131 Joana Vaikšnoraitė. „Raigardo slėnis“] – Article in the cultural journal ''Šiaurės Atėnai'', 9 July 2005 (in Lithuanian) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090221162656/http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/mg/nr/99/10/10raig.html Ar iš tikro Raigardas prasmego?] – Article in the journal ''Mokslas ir gyvenimas'', 1999 (in Lithuanian) * [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-021-00644-x Geoheritage as a Source and Carrier of Culture, Lithuania] – Article in the journal ''Geoheritage'' (in English)
Category:Protected areas of Lithuania Category:Geography of Lithuania Category:Druskininkai Municipality Category:1960 establishments in Lithuania Category:Central European mixed forests