Facts & History

Utena, one of the oldest cities in Lithuania, is related to the Narkunai castle-mound that is often mentioned in the chronicles of swordsmen. A letter of king Mindaugas in 1261, first mentioned a wooden castle by the Utenele river. According to the story, that castle was built by the Duke Utenis. Utena residents named the city's central square and a regional newspaper after this duke.

Utena was established along the Utenele river in the 14th century. By 1416 the first church had been built and merchants and tradesmen had settled here to live. During the crusades, Utena and its surroundings were terribly ravaged and in 1433 the castle of Utena was destroyed.
The Warsaw-St. Petersburg highway built in 1835 was of major importance to the town and a large post-office station established. In 1889 the narrow gauge railway Svencioneliai-Panevezys was built changing the face of the town. The town developed and grew very fast. Houses were built very close together and in 1879 there was a fire in which, ¾ of the town was burned.

Until the 1st world war, Utena was the regional center for northeastern Lithuania. In 1924, Utena was designated as a secondary town with its own Burgomaster.

Now Utena town is the the center of Utena district and Utena county. We have two lakes, Dauniškis and Vyžuonaitis, and the streams of Utenele, Krasuona, Viesa, Rase wind their ways through our town.