Palūšė

The church is constructed from wood and was built without using nails, only with saws and axes. It was featured on the one litas banknote. According to the 2011 census, it had 83 residents. Lithuania singer and composer Mikas Petrauskas was born in Palūšė.

• Name — Palūšė • Settlement Type — Village • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Type1 — Ethnographic region • Subdivision Name1 — Aukštaitija • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Utena County • Subdivision Type3 — Municipality • Subdivision Name3 — Ignalina municipality • Subdivision Type4 — Eldership • Subdivision Name4 — Ignalina eldership • Established Title — First mentioned • Established Date — 1651 • Population Total — 83 • Population As Of — 2011 • Timezone — EET • Utc Offset — +2 • Timezone Dst — EEST • Utc Offset Dst — +3

Palūšė is a prominent tourism centre within Aukštaitija National Park. Although the village had only 83 residents according to the 2011 census, it attracts significantly larger numbers of visitors due to its location on the shores of Lake Lūšiai, the largest lake in the park. During the 2023 summer season, the Palūšė area was estimated to receive approximately 12,000 tourists. The Aukštaitija National Park Visitor Center in the village recorded nearly 4,800 visits in 2024, with international visitors accounting for about 29 percent of total attendance. Tourism in Palūšė is primarily based on nature and water recreation. The lake serves as a starting point for canoeing and kayaking routes through the interconnected lake system of the park. The village is also known for the 18th-century wooden Church of St. Joseph, Palūšė. Accommodation services, campsites and marked hiking and cycling trails support sustainable rural and eco-tourism development in the area.

The village is located on the eastern shore of Lake Lūšiai, 6 km west from the district center, the town of Ignalina.

• Mikas Petrauskas (1873-1937), a Lithuanian organist, singer (tenor), conductor, and teacher.