Birštonas is a small, charming health resort on the Nemunas River. In its vicinity, the river forms picturesque meanders. The local mineral waters have been used since the 19th century, and in the center there is a nice spa park with buildings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
From the 14th century, Birštonas was one of the favorite hunting places of the princes and kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty. There was a manor house here, and the surrounding forests abounded in game. The spa career of the town began in the mid-19th century, when the mineral springs were examined and the first spa houses were built. Before World War I, there were 70 mineral baths in Birštonas and the hotels offered over 200 rooms.
In the interwar period, Birštonas was the most important health resort of independent Lithuania, because Druskininkai was then within the Polish borders. In addition to mineral waters, therapeutic mud was used here at that time. The center developed after World War II with the construction of new sanatoriums, including the Tulipany Sanatorium. Currently, it is one of the most important in Lithuania. There is also the oldest mineral water bottling plant in the country.
While visiting Birštonas, you can see a lot of historic spa buildings. It is mainly concentrated around the spa park. Among them are the Kurhaus Birstonas or the wooden villas that now house the Birštonas Museum or the Birštonas Sacred Museum.
The attractions of Birštonas include the Vytautas Hill with the monument to the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the picturesque Kneipp Garden located near the Church of St. Anthony of Padua.
