About Utena waters
The whole area of all lakes in Utena district and lakes that are on the junction with other districts is about 46 km². The resources are very concentrated as, for example, the area of Alaušas lake alone makes up 23% of all the area of lakes, and the other six bigger than 100 ha (Aisetas, Alaušas, Indrajai, Tauragnas, Utenas and Vidinkstas) occupy even 58% of all lake area. There are about 145 lakes whose area is one ha or more, and of those bigger than 10 ha there are 62. This publication presents descriptions of lakes larger than 5 ha, with minor exceptions. In total 101. The coastline of all lakes is about 340 km, and the volume of water in their pools reaches nearly 0.4 km3. Actually, however, these and aforesaid statistical indicators are slightly increased since the lakes that are on the administrative junctions of districts were assigned to Utena district.
The greatest concentration of lakes (about 36% of the total number) is in the zone of absolute altitudes, 140–160 m, and with ascending or descending terrain their concentration decreases (at the altitude of 160–180 m – 22%, 120–140 m – 19%, 100 – 120 m – 12% and so on); two thirds of lakes are situated higher than 140 m (Baltic System). The areas of lakes and their feeding basins are defined according to the hydrological studies of the basin of the river Šventoji and south-eastern Lithuania (Jablonskis and Gaigalis 1973; Gaigalis and Jablonskis 1976), and other morphometric indices according to the Lithuanian Lakes Cadaster (1964). Values of areas of lakes are approximated to full hectares (of some of them up to 0.5 ha). The meaning of names is explained using the “Etymological dictionary of Lithuanian hydronyms” (Vanagas, 1981).
Near lakes icehouses were dug. An icehouse is a place cooled by ice for keeping perishable products, an ice storage.
A large icehouse contains an ice room and several chambers for foods which usually are in the middle of the icehouse. The total volume of the ice stored is frequently 3-4 times larger than the capacity of all chambers, so that with melting ice the low temperature could be maintained all year round. Ice is stored in such a way that there are openings for air circulation (ventilation), and for water drainage as well. Melting water accumulates in water collectors from where it is drained and sucked out by water pumps. Ice for the icehouse is prepared (cut out) and stored during the winter.
Icehouses as separate buildings for keeping food products in some rich townspeople‘s houses and some manors in Lithuania were mentioned in historical sources (manor inventories and elsewhere) already since the middle of the XVIII c. Most probably, they were also built earlier. In the XIX c. icehouses were installed in many manor houses, monasteries; they were mostly made of stones or brickwork, sometimes of wood; sometimes they were one-storey, sometimes two-storey buildings with a basement.
The basement of an icehouse with thick masonry and sometimes with a double wooden frame was put into the ground, its ceiling was well insulated with chaff, moss and spruce branches. Sometimes icehouses were installed in the basements of dwelling houses, under barns or other buildings. Quite a number of icehouses of manors and monasteries have remained till the beginning of the XXI c. Icehouses of peasants were in the shape of a pile and installed in the pits dug in shadowy locations: their bottom was laid with twigs, straw or with floor with holes and with paved recesses for water drainage. Icehouses were covered with boards, laid on by straw, spruce branches, peat or turf.
The south-eastern corner of Utena district is crossed by the divide of two large river basins, the Šventoji and Žeimena. It passes approximately from the south-east to the north-east through Kuktiškės, Raudoniškis, Ryliškiai, Klykiai, Sirvydžiai and Antilgė. The river Šventoji and its tributaries drain about three fourths of the area of Utena district, and the remaining part feeds the upper reaches of the river basin of Žeimena. The average density of the river network is about 0.8 km/km², i.e. if put as one band the total length of all rivers and rivulets would reach 1000 km. The annual amount of water that flows through rivers is approximately 0.3 km³ – this much of it is „produced“ by the land of Utena district. The same amount of water is brought to the northern part of the district by the river Šventoji from Zarasai and Rokiškis districts.
In the old times wood was rafted on rivers and lakes. Rafting of forest (more commonly, Timber rafting, rafting) – was a way of transportation of wood by rafting logs by water. This is the cheapest and sometimes the only possible way for transporting timber from logging sites to processing sites. In many wooded locations there are no roads or railways, distances are long, so it is most convenient to let timber drift downstream in watery rivers.
There were three main ways of timber rafting: 1. Loose – most commonly used during spring high water in places where no other means of water transport could get through. Logs are rafted without being tied in between. To control them special floating barriers (buoys) are installed in the river bed. Log congestions are dismantled by raftsmen following behind. However, by using this way of rafting some logs sink and the river bed is completely blocked up. 2. Rafting – timber is tied in groups which form rafts (volume up to 27 thousand m³). They are towed by motorboats, so this way is possible only in navigable rivers. Near dams special canals are installed for taking rafts down. 3. By nets – logs are not tied. They are towed in special nets by motorboats. This way is applied in lakes.
North-eastern Lithuania and especially Utena region is/was characterized by water mills, mostly built in the XIX c. and the beginning of the XX c. on the river Šventoji and its tributaries. A water mill is a generalizing concept, arising from the word „grind“ or “mill“, to turn grain into flour, but in essence, it is equipment of much wider purpose which served, and somewhere still serves, people‘s (most often farmers‘) everyday needs. This is a certain enterprise established by local crafty people which was continually developed for the purpose of grinding corn turning it into flour of different fineness and purpose, making grits with special equipment, sawing wood, carding wool, fulling rough cloth, providing electrical lighting. A lot of legends and stories, phantasy and real events, literary and art works are related with water and wind mills. Today it raises wonder how local craftsmen were able to so ingeniously (without qualified engineers‘ help) create such sophisticated installations. This is a talent of millers‘ profession and craft passed down from generation to generation. Today we can only speak about the bygone epoch of mills. Mills, the original cultural heritage of our nation, either were deliberately destroyed by occupiers or perished in the turmoil of tragic times leaving their traces. Only a small number of them were restored as museums.
Internet, literature and other sources used:
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Utena Region (Gediminas Isokas)
Book “Water mill ring of Northeastern Aukštaitija”
Book “Lithuanian valsčiai. Užpaliai”
Texts by Gintautas Zabiela
Project materials of Utena diving center
Book “Vyžuonos. Region and people“
Book “Manors and castles of Lithuania“(2015)
“Hillforts of Lithuania. Atlas“. Vilnius, 2005.
https://www.lietuvos.dvarai.lt
Leonora Buičenkienė’s book: „Legends of Utena region“