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Zagare Town
Download and print the Zagare leaflet (Word Document)
Zagare is a small town consisting of two historical parts; Old Zagare and New
Zagare. It is located in the north of Lithuania, on the border with Latvia.
Zagare History
The town is one of the most historical in the country, having first been mentioned
in the history books in 1198, making it even older than Riga. An archeoligcal
find in 1999, revealed evidence of a castle and settlement at Raktuve mound,
inhabited by a Duke of Žiemgaliai [the ethnic region in which Zagare is
located], dating back to the 9th Century.
Zagare is rich in both cultural and natural heritage. The town centre is an
urban monument, owing to the fact that its street network dates back to the
16th Century, and due to its 19th Century red brick buildings. In New Zagare,
the Naryshkin Estate complex can be found including the famous horse stud.
The last century has witnessed Zagare's transformation from a busy market town and
regional centre to a peripheral rural community. Before the world wars, Zagare's
had a prominent Jewish community which stood at around 14,000 people, and which
held an acclaimed status as a centre of thriving business and academic
knowledge. The extermination of the Jews during the Second World War and
post-war Soviet deportations reduced the town’s population significantly leaving
only 2,200 today.
Zagare Today
In 1991 when Lithuania gained independence, life was to change for the many
Lithuanians, in particular for those living in rural communities. The collapse
of the Soviet system saw the closure of farming cooperatives and state owned
dairy farms, which had been major employers in the countryside areas. Nothing
ever replaced these former workplaces and as a result, unemployment soared.
Today, Zagare still suffers from the effects of this Soviet legacy and as the
Lithuanian government attempts to keep up with policy reforms, EU and NATO
membership and attracting foreign investment, it is rural communities such as
Zagare, who are becoming increasingly neglected as the development gap widens
between city and country.Official unemployment in Zagare stood at 20.8 % in
2004.
'Zagare Regional Park'
Zagare also boasts a Regional Park, which was established
to protect the cultural heritage and natural ecosystem of the Svete valley and Zagare forest.
It contains nearly 5,000 hectares of beautiful forest, rivers, and the Ziemgale plain.
The park contains many species of flora and fauna, some of which are rare and protected.
On the shores of Lake Zvelgaitis,
visitors will find picnic shelters with log tables, and bird watching towers.
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