Raigardas valley is a landscape preserve 9 km from Druskininkai on the road to Grodno.
Folklore says that a town was swallowed by the sliding slopes of Raigardas hollow, enlarging the valley floor, currently comprised of wide meadows, small dunes, and river washes. The names derives from ancient times when towns were called ‘gardas’ and the swamps ‘raya.’
Raigardas valley is a preservation area because of its unique soil structure, thought to be only 5000 years old and still evolving. There are many springs at the base of the slopes, and it is thought that these water sources are the reason that at least one slope has been sliding down for centuries.
