Užupė Village is one of the 26 villages in the Surviliškis eldership, located on the left bank of the Liaudė River. Užupė lies within the territory of Krekenava Regional Park.
Archaeological finds in the village and its surroundings (a stone axe with a quadrangular butt) indicate that people settled here during the Neolithic period. In the 18th century, Užupė was called the royal village and belonged to the estate of the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
On April 17, 1896, Morta Lukošytė, a member of the Constituent Seimas, was born in Užupė. On June 22, 1875, Jonas Kraniauskas, a priest, book smuggler, and educator, was born in the village.
In Užupė, the archaic tradition of Easter washing has been preserved. On the second day of Easter, community members, carrying accordions, a bucket of water, and a basket, visit every household and wash each resident. In return, residents give one another an Easter egg, a piece of cake, or some cookies. Afterwards, everyone gathers at the community center to celebrate. Such a sacred act, like the springtime washing or sprinkling of each other, has disappeared in many other places.
For this initiative, which helps preserve a unique aspect of Lithuanian cultural heritage, the tradition’s caretakers received the nomination “For the Preservation of Tradition” and letters of appreciation from the Lithuanian National Culture Centre. The Easter sprinkling, as a unique phenomenon, has been filmed by Lithuanian and international television. In 2023, the Easter Day Two washing ritual was included in the Register of Lithuanian Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Camino Lituano pilgrimage route passes through Užupė.