Great Lekėčiai Spring
The Great Lekėčiai spring is located on the picturesque wooded slope of the Nemunas River,
Rūdšilis. This area is famous for its freshwater crystal clear springs. The natural scenery there is the culmination of natural beauty of Zanavykai land, e.g., the northern part of Sudovia ethnographic area of Lithuania. The majestic of nature in these places makes one forget modern world. This is where you‘ll find the Lekėčiai spring also known as the Great spring. This fast and energetic fresh water source is the longest one in the Rūdšilis woods and produces the most of water. About a 1.5 km long left tributary of the Liekė River falls into the spring which used to produce much more water in the past. The water is pleasantly warm and the spring steams even in the coldest winter weather. The spring is popular with locals, but also those from the neighbouring cities and towns usually do not mind taking a trip of several kilometres to resupply themselves with fresh water.
The story has it that even after the First World War people from the neighbouring villages would still travel to the area of Lekėčiai to do their laundry. Gradually the laundry areas were closed. Villagers used dense spruce tree groves nearby to hide their cattle in at the time of the First World War. Before the Second World War, while supplies lasted, on the left-hand slope of the spring area, there was a basic tree stump processing factory. According to local people, since ancient time the crystal-like water of this spring rejuvenates faces of the young, and helps to ‘remove the fog away from the aging eyes’. So it is so easy to understand why people even nowadays flock to the Great spring.
