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Settled
on the bank of the Nevė˛is River,
Panevė˛ys city (pop. 116.3 thousand) was founded by the Lithuanian
Grand Duke Alexander when by the letter, dated 7
September 1503,
he donated these lands to the church, which had to fight against pagan
religion that was prospering at the time.
Panevė˛ys is located halfway between two Baltic capitals, Vilnius
(130 km) and Riga (150 km). The Via Baltica International Highway runs through the city on its
way going to feed into the trans-European thoroughfare system. 
Railroads
lead to Klaipėda in the West and to the many cities in the East.
Panevė˛ys lies on the banks of the river
Nevė˛is, the sixth longest river in Lithuania. The river gave its
name to the city itself. Senvagė (the Old River Bed) is considered
the symbol of Panevė˛ys and is a famous place for leisure time and
festivals.
Places of interest
One
can find attractive and mysterious places in every city. A guest in Panevė˛ys
will really find some places to admire. Individuality and comfort of the city will be felt. Many details of
the city have connections with the past. The past and the present verge in
the center of Panevė˛ys.
 Interesting
fact to mention is that the inhabitants of Panevė˛ys were the oldest
pagans in Europe. In 1414 when all Lithuania
had already been baptized altar was burning and the
priests were making sacrifices to the old Lithuanian Gods in the present
place of the Old River Bed.
Nowadays
granite monument
of Alexander, the Great Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland
overlooks in the
settings of panorama of the Old
River. On its palm, it gently swings St. Peter and Paul’s
Church – the descendant of the oldest Christian shrine of the city.
One
more trace is imprinted in the Old River Bed. Between the period of the I and the II
World Wars Panevė˛ys was famous for the mills.
 The
most favorite place for rest and various festivals is the Old River Bed -
it is like a visiting card of the city, which could prove the fact that
for many years Panevė˛ys has been a cozy and green city. Various
sculptures make the Old River Bed livelier.
 The
building of J. Miltinis Drama Theatre is just several steps ahead from the
Old River Bed. Juozas Miltinis, the legendary stage director and his
students - the actors has provided Panevė˛ys with the special aura
and brought honor that is felt even nowadays
 The
seeds of the theatre, which were put in Panevė˛ys several decades
ago, have brought the plants of different arts. A unique Puppet Wagon
Theatre visiting the remotest Lithuanian towns and villages in summer is
established in the city. The Director Antanas Markuckis has been awarded a
prestigious prize of a well-known Danish fairy teller H. Ch. Andersen.
This prize is also known as the little Nobel prize. The visitor of the
city will be curious to see the unique theatre where fantastic puppets 
live, the café is functioning in a small wagon of narrow gauge railway
and the collection of handprints of noble guests is exhibited.
Nearby
there is theatre Menas. In front of it the figure of the great world
dreamer and humanist Don Kichot created by the sculptor Henrikas
Orakauskas is presented. The sculpture of Don Kichot was made of copper,
brass, bronze in accordance to archaic engravings. The butterflies of colored
glass symbolize fragility of human being.
J.Masiulis bookshop located in the building of interesting architecture has
centuries-old history connected with the name of Lithuanian book
smugglers.
Close
to it, the Photography Gallery is situated. It is the center of photo
artists famous in Lithuania and abroad. Photo artists create interesting projects,
publish the photo albums, and prepare photo albums.
 At
hand, there is the Art Gallery, which has accumulated treasures of ceramic works.
Some of the works are presented in the exhibition. Panevė˛ys
is often called the Mecca
of ceramic artists. 129 artists from 30 countries have
created in 15 symposia.
The Ethnography
Museum
is famous for the collection of world insects. It is
one of the biggest in Lithuania.
 If
one is tired of arts, it is worthwhile to sit in one of the coziest cafes
in Laisves square, the heart of the city. Fountains, passers-by can be watched. You can sit and listen to music in the so-called singing square for
24 hours. If you are lucky, you can listen to live music as Brass
Orchestra Garsas rather frequently organizes various projects in the open
air.
The best way of getting to know Panevė˛ys is to visit it. You are most
welcome to a green, compact, cozy Lithuanian city.
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