Druskininkai is the largest resort in Lithuania, located in the south of the country, 120 km from Vilnius and Kaunas. The resort is famous for its old sanatorium treatment traditions, wonderful nature and rapidly developing tourism services infrastructure. The resort has long been famous for its mineral waters and curative mud, which currently are combined with modern technologies and have a great value for health services. Druskininkai is the international resort for active recreation and treatment, which is aimed at the wide spectrum entertainment industry with its highly developed modern service infrastructure. The resort infrastructure is developed in these directions – sanatorium treatment, tourism, recreation, entertainment and commercial sporting activities. The wide range of available services is suitable for people of all ages.

Visit Druskininkai and you will be convinced of the exceptional nature of this resort and its calm aura. You will sense a harmony of body and soul or maybe you will spend your time very lively in active entertainment.

Health improvement in Druskininkai is a source of energy and good mood. Enjoy your life, care of yourself and remember – you are always welcome in Druskininkai!!!

Traditional treatment

Advantages for personal health in Druskininkai are mineral water, curing mud, and mild climatic conditions. These make this Southern Lithuania resort attractive to visitors and serve as a good background for sanative activity.

Drinking mineral water has positive effect on the mucous membrane of stomach and duodenum, reduces stomach acidity, stimulates bile formation, regulates gastro-intestinal motorics, exchange of electrolytes and hormones. When drinking or inhaling drinking mineral water, it causes variations in hormones, strengthens immune system.
Patients can drink mineral water of different mineralization and composition straight from the springs.

Druskininkai is rich in fields of therapeutic peat mud. It is the product of long decomposition of vegetative organisms with almost no exposure to oxygen taking place in low marshlands. Due to its physical, chemical and microbiological properties it is suitable for treatment with baths, applications and compresses.

Climate is the third remedial factor of Druskininkai health resort. The town is surrounded by coniferous woods and waters. There are no industrial companies, heavy transport or any other kind of pollution round the town.

The key feature of pure air is negative (light) ions predominant in the air. The average temperature in summer is 18,2 °C, relative humidity is 45-59 %, while the average temperature in winter is 5 °C and relative humidity 85-90 %. Annual rainfall is about 600 mm, on a sunny day annually it amounts up to 200, southwest winds 2,9 m/s are dominating. It is the perfect background for treatment procedures, recreation and tourism.

In a tradition of two hundred years, the recreational health resort of Druskininkai proved its potential to stop illnesses exacerbation and progress, to reduce the dangers of disability, and of resort to increase the general quality of life. 

In 2003 Druskininkai resort was admitted to the International Climate Therapy and Hydro Therapy Association that unites about 60 members of various resorts in different countries worldwide.

   

Health improvement treatment

Physical and biological, and sometimes psychological conditions of the patient are actively affected in the resort. Promotion of an active and responsible for his own health person is one of the ways to propagate the health improvement effects of the resort here. Physical activity of people in various social and age groups is encouraged in order to satisfy their biological need for mobility.

The renewed infrastructure of the resort and warm attitudes of the personnel of health treatment centers attract more and more people from Lithuania and abroad successfully. Not only traditional treatment of illnesses is offered, but also the popular programmes for health strengthening, orientated on younger persons recreation and relax.

People from cities here are recovering in a few days time and are able to forget their everyday worries, stresses. They leave but come again because, they say, the pace of time in this beautiful place in Dzukija stops for them.

Besides, medicine specialists designed and supervised special programmes of different scope and intensity helping patients to loose weight, to relieve from the stresses, and to nurture their bodies.

   

Local places of interest

Druskininkai is situated in picturesque surroundings, encircled with interesting places to visit. Many places can be reached by riding on bicycle paths from the town center through the pine forests: the ethnographic Švendubrė village with a monument to nature – the Devil's Stone, and the legendary Raigardas Valley loved by M.K.Čiurlionis, the Museum of Soviet Sculptures "Grūto parkas", or just to see the Ratnyčia river as it meanders along its banks, and bath in its cascades. By bicycle you can reach the interesting surroundings of Latežeris and, along the way, visit the country house of the folk artist A.Česnulis (Naujasodės village). New bicycle and pedestrian paths are planned to Viečiūnai and Liškiava.

An excursion by boat will take you to Liškiava to visit a mound with the remains of the 15th  century castle tower, late baroque church and the Dominican monastery. We invite you to visit the Dzukija National Park, where you can see Dzukija's natural beauty and the local architecture, business and customs of the local inhabitants and sample the traditional food.

In the picturesque city centre, new tennis courts have been opened for those who enjoy physical recreation. 

The Raigardas landscape reserve

The Raigardas valley is a picturesque landscape valley located 9 km from Druskininkai on the road to Gardinas. There are many legends and folk stories about Raigardas. Supposedly, very long ago there was a great city, which was later swallowed up by the earth. From time immemorial it is considered that the slopes of the Raigardas trough together with the pine trees growing on the high and dry slope sink to the springy abyss. The valley has been growing every year. The name Raigardas came from old times, then a city in Lithuanian was called "gardas" and swamps – "raja". From these two ancient words the name Raigardas was coined. The Raigardas valley has been declared a landscape reserve. There are wide meadows with dunes and washes in the bed of the valley. The Raigardas Valley is protected as a rare landscape form. It was formed relatively recently (5000 years ago) and is still forming now. At the foot of the slope there are watery springs, which is the reason why the slope is still on the move.

Švendubrė

Švendubrė is one of villages located in the Druskininkai forests near the Raigardas valley, 5 km from Druskininkai. It is an old street village, which has been declared an architectural monument of local importance. Especially interesting are the old dzukish homesteads with distinctive fenced yards. Around the village in an area of 20 sq km there are meadow seams with streams. Where the Nemunykštis river falls into the Nemunas river, there is a steep hill called the Black Mountain. In olden times it could have served as a defensive point. From the top of the hill there is a beautiful panorama: the blue waters of the Nemunas river, the Raigardas valley, covered with green carpet of grass. In the distance you can see the Užubalis hill, overgrown with pine trees and bushes. Supposedly, in ancient times a small wooden castle could have stood here, surrounded by swamps and bushes. To the north of the village there is a geological monument – the Švendubrė Stone, mentioned in many legends and folk stories.

Liškiava

Liškiava is mentioned in historical sources since 1044. Liškiava is located on the astonishingly beautiful left bank of the Nemunas river, 8 km from Druskininkai. People have lived in the Liškiava area since the second millennium BC. Liškiava has 4 archeological monuments: the Alka mound, the Church hill, a stone with a bull's heel and the so called "the stone of witches".

Liškiava is famous for its architectural monuments: the 14-15th century castle, the remains of its tower, the 17th century sacral ensemble (church, former Dominican monastery and outbuildings), the 18th century churchyard fence, the steps to the churchyard, the 19th century campanile, the memorial column with the sculpture of St.Agatha. Many works of art remain in the church from the 17th to 20th centuries. In the 6th century BC – 9th century AD there was a wooden castle on the mound. The wooden castle was built at the end of 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century and later abandoned after the battle of Grunwald (1410).

The Dzūkija National Park

The Dzūkija National Park is the largest national park in Lithuania, which occupies an area of 55,900 ha. The biologic diversity of the region, distinctiveness of flora and fauna made this territory an exception. Here you can find 147 kinds of flora and fauna written into the Red Book. There are many ethnographic and historical monuments and works of folk art in Naujasodė, Merkinė and Zervynos.

Merkinė

Merkinė is one of the oldest Lithuanian towns, located in the junction of Nemunas and Neris, Merkinė was mentioned in 1377 inthe Teutonic Order chronicles. It was the old capital of Dzūkija, encircled by beautiful landscape. It witnessed the Lithuanian battles with the Teutonic Order, old rulers of Lithuania and Poland and a stay of the Russian czar Peter I. An old tradition of black ceramics still lives in the neighborhoods of Merkinė. Many attractive ecological and ethnological tourist routes start here.

Museum "Grūto parkas"

In the shadows of pine and fir trees, soviet monuments whch were dismantled in 1989 are exhibited. This is a heritage of several decades of the Lithuanian monumental art. These idols were forced on the Lithuanian people in tragic soviet era and reveal the historic truth about the soviet occupation of Lithuania. The exposition aims to show to the people of Lithuania, visiting guests as well as to the future generations, the naked soviet ideology, which oppressed and violated the spirit of our nation for several decades. 

The Town Museum of Druskininkai

The representational villa "Linksma" build in the beginning of 20th century, where the Town Museum is located, is a beautiful architectural monument located on the shores of the Druskonis lake, in the centre of the town. Since 2001, the museum has a permanent exposition, hosts events, shows, chamber music concerts and lectures. During the holiday season, the museum terrace hosts the traditional concerts "Serenades of Druskininkai" and other town events.

The Memorial Museum of M.K.Čiurlionis

The museum was established in 1963, in the house of the parents of the artist and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911), where he lived and worked from 1896 to 1910. In two family houses the authentic life has been recreated. In the other two buildings there are expositions of the art, biography and family history of the artist. The museum has a reading hall, which collects works on M.K.Čiurlionis, hosts concerts, events, evenings and shows films. The various expositions are organized in one of the halls of the museum.

V.K.Jonynas' Gallery

The gallery was founded in 1993 m. The gallery exhibits the works of the Lithuanian artist Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas (1907 – 1997), who worked for a long time in Germany and the USA, his drawings, graphics, paintings and stained-glass projects. Photographs and films show the most valuable interiors of churches and works of monumental architecture created by the artist. 

The gallery hosts art exhibitions from the National Museum of M.K.Čiurlionis and private collections. For schoolchildren and kindergarteners art lessons are organised in the gallery which has 15 easels. Also projects with V.K.Jonynas art school are organised. 

Forest Museum "Girios Aidas"

The museum was established in 1971. It has expositions of animals and birds. Witches and other legendary characters are hiding in the hollows of oaks, birds are singing and the forest sighs.

The following exhibitions are organized:
- wood art works, 
- jewelry works from amber, 
- black ceramics works, 
- works of folk artists, 
- expositions of photographic masters, 
- ethno cultural collections. 

At the end of 2006, an Aqua Park - the biggest and most modern in the Baltics - was be launched in Druskininkai. It offers a large variety of entertainments for both adults and children as well as a wide choice of relaxation procedures.

Source: http://www.lithuanianhotels.com