Rūdninkai Forest
| Rūdninkai Forest Rūdninkų giria | |
|---|---|
Large uninhabited areas of Rūdninkai forest. Žygmantiškės geomorphological reserve. | |
| Map | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Vilnius County, Lithuania |
| Coordinates | 54°23′N 25°5′E / 54.383°N 25.083°E |
| Area | 37 500 ha |
| Administration | |
| Governing body | Lithuanian State Forest Enterprise, State Service for Protected Areas, Ministry of National Defence |
Rūdninkai Forest (Lithuanian: Rūdninkų giria) is the fifth-largest forest in Lithuania. This old-growth forest in southeastern Lithuania is 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of Vilnius. The forest is within the Vilnius, Šalčininkai and Varėna district municipalities.
The forest stretches over 37,500 hectares (375 km2), of which 26,000 hectares (260 km2) is covered with trees. The KK105 Pirčiupiai-Eišiškės road crosses the forest's western part, while the KK176 Pirčiupiai-Jašiūnai road goes through the northern part. In the forest's north is the town of Baltoji Vokė and roughly 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the southeast is Šalčininkai.