An educational program with beekeepers Jolanta and Algis Milius in Stračiūnai combines candle-making and honey tasting. During the tasting in the honey room, visitors also learn more about the relationship between people and bees. The two activities have different focuses: candle-making is the hands-on element, while the tasting puts the topic of people and bees at the center. This brings together a practical activity and an exploration of bees and honey.

Bees, village stories and Žolinės

The beekeepers also share stories about the history of the villages of Stračiūnai and Brazdžiūnai. This adds a second subject to beekeeping: the history of the two villages. When planning your trip, you can choose between focusing on honey and bees or on local history. If you would like to include the educational program in your stay, check in advance whether a visit is possible at your preferred time.

The Stračiūnai community organizes traditional Žolinės celebrations every year. They attract an increasing number of residents from the surrounding area, tourists and emigrants. For travelers choosing a cultural event as the occasion for their trip, this is a different focus from the beekeepers’ educational program. Check the dates of the specific edition before planning your trip around it.

Memorial sites and nature conservation

The 1863 uprising is associated with a grave in Stračiūnai and a story about the other insurgents. Twenty men who died after the battle are buried in the grave of the uprising’s participants. The other insurgents traveled through the forests of Živulciškės to Stračiūnai, camped in a forest there and were unexpectedly surprised by the Tsarist army while having lunch. The grave and the story highlight different aspects: the men buried after the battle and the other insurgents’ journey to their camp. A memorial stone nearby commemorates the insurgents who fell in 1863.

A separate subject in the surrounding area is the Stračiūnų herpetologinis draustinis herpetological reserve. It was established to preserve populations of the European pond turtle. Its conservation purpose differs from the historical connections: here, the focus is on preserving turtle populations.

Plan your trip and holiday rental

If you are looking for a holiday rental in Stračiūnai, you can use the purpose of your trip as your first filter. If you want Žolinės to be the highlight of your stay, plan your dates around those of the specific edition. If you would like to visit Jolanta and Algis Milius, check in advance whether a visit is possible on your preferred date. These involve different planning considerations: for the celebrations, the date of the particular edition matters; for a visit to the beekeepers, it is the possibility of visiting on your chosen date. The history of the villages and the uprising, as well as the purpose of the nearby protected area, offer further subjects to explore.

Discover more destinations: Žiogeliai, Leipalingis, Daugai, Vytautai, Varėna, Šventežeris, Taikūnai, Dyviliškiai

For the broader travel overview: Alytus District.