Senoji Varėna is an old village in Varėna district municipality, near Merkys River and Rivulet Varėnė confluence, 4 kilometers north of Varėna, on the road Vilnius–Druskininkai. The village was mentioned for the first time in Teutonic letters in the year 1413.
Senoji Varėna | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Senoji Varėna Location of Senoji Varėna | |
| Coordinates: 54°15′N 24°33′E / 54.250°N 24.550°E | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Ethnographic region | Dzūkija |
| County |  Alytus County |
| Municipality | Varėna district municipality |
| Eldership | Varėna eldership |
| First mentioned | 1413 |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 1,073 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
It was the hometown of the most famous Lithuanian painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.
Name origins
editThe village name comes from the Varėnė river which goes through it. There is a legend in folk stories that name Varėna comes from goddess Varėnė who was taking care of hunters and fishermen living by the river.