The town is closely linked to the village of Old Varena, a little to the north. The settlement began to develop rapidly in 1862, when the St Petersburg - Warsaw railway was built. The growing population gave the name Varėna II to the town.

The town was particularly important during the Polish occupation (1920-1939). The Lithuanian-Polish demarcation line along the Merkys river separated Varėna I (Old Varėna) and Varėna II (on the Polish side) and was the subject of fierce fighting. In 1939, Varėna II was finally returned to Lithuania and became the temporary centre of the county. The town was particularly hard hit during World War II. After the end of the war, Varėna became the centre of the county in 1946, and later (1950) the centre of the district, and its population started to grow again. In 1980 Varėna I was annexed to the town. In 1994, the separated Old Varėna acquired the status of a village. Today Varėna is the centre of Varėna District Municipality and the centre of the district.

Varėna and M. K. Čiurlionis

The St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway in Varėna transported Čiurlionis to his place of study (Warsaw), Vilnius and St. Petersburg. However, the area is also important for its legends, which remind us of the environment in which Čiurlionis grew up.

Varėna

Varėna

Location

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