Smiltene Municipality
Smiltene Municipality is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging the town of Smiltene with the rural Bilska parish, Blome parish, Branti parish, Grundzāle parish, Launkalne parish, Palsmane parish, Smiltene parish and Variņi parish. The administrative centre is in the town of Smiltene.
Geography
Smiltene Municipality is located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Highland on the banks of the river Abuls. The largest natural lake is Lake Klievezers in the southern part of the municipality. In the municipality there are three artificial lakes created on the river. The largest and most popular is :lv:Teperis|Lake Teperis just east of the town.History
In 1904, Count Paul Livens, built the first hydroelectric power plant in the Baltics on Lake Teperis.Smiltene is twinned with:
- Donnery, France
- Drohobych, Ukraine
- Lviv, Ukraine
- Novopolotsk, Belarus
- Pincara, Italy
- Písek, Czech Republic
- Porkhov, Russia
- Pustomyty, Ukraine
- Rovigo, Italy
- Steinkjer, Norway
- Wiesenbach, Germany
- Willich, Germany
