![\"2011-01-15-LHERITAGE\"](\"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2011-01-15-LHERITAGE-300x41.jpg\")
<\/p>\nby Gloria Kivytait\u0117 O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
LITHUANIA IS A LAND OF MANY LAKES AND, IT seems, even many more hills. The oval, flat-topped shapes and looming aspect of many hills identify them as hillforts (piliakalniai), or the remains of ancient fortified places. There are more than 800 places in Lithuania that are called piliakalniai. A true hillfort is an earthen elevation containing the remains of a fortress settlement and, ideally, ancient burials. They can range from one meter to many tens of meters in height. The most important, historically significant, date from the era of conflicts with the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai (Teutonic Knights). They have been investigated, some of them many times, by archaeologists, and many are fitted with stairways leading to the top. Other earthen mounds, also called piliakalniai, contain ruins from later eras, which can be just as interesting, but historically less important. The name piliakalnis arose not from the Lithuanian noun pilis (fort, castle) but from the verb pilti (to pour); many of these mounds were built by people intent on erecting a fortification, bringing earth to the location in order to do so. Other mounds were formed by man and nature working together.<\/p>\n
Lithuania\u2019s State Cultural Heritage Commission maintains a list of piliakalniai, reviewing information provided to them, usually by archaeologists, sometimes by ordinary citizens who stumble upon a possible hillfort hidden, as many of them are \u2013 overgrown by forests in the intervening years. Not every hill is an actual hillfort; there are of course many natural mounds in the country consisting of nothing but dirt.<\/p>\n To be acknowledged as a piliakalnis, a site must include an obvious fortification, such as a rocky rampart or moat, and archaeological findings like ceramics or ancient burials. Also considered, is the hill\u2019s role in tradition and many generations of folklore. The Heritage Commission, after what could be years of investigation, having approved a site\u2019s inclusion in the list, assigns a code number, then monitors and reports on events from then on. Piliakalniai are visited by tourists, schoolchildren, archaeologists, historians, and adherents of the old, resurgent, Baltic pagan religion, now known as Romuva. Let us join those visitors, and look at just a few of these places, distinct parts of Lithuania\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n Alytaus piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n Legend talks about Mirgraus\u0117l\u0117, daughter of the noble Raimonas, and Alyt\u0117lis, son of Duke Sm\u016bkninas. In spite of their love for each other, Mirgraus\u0117l\u0117 had to become a vaidilut\u0117 (priestess.) A small fort controlled by Raimonas, one of a defensive network surrounding a valley (now Alytupio sl\u0117nis) of the Nemunas river, was one of a group of forts attacked by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai in 1377; all of Raimonas\u2019s warriors fell in battle, and only Alyt\u0117- lis was left alive and escaped. He rode to the hill of Gabija where Mirgraus\u0117l\u0117 tended the sacred fire, hid her away, and returned to battle, where his courage did not prevent his death. Mirgraus\u0117l\u0117 cried so bitterly and for so long that her tears began to run in a stream to the Nemunas; it is said that the little stream, Alytupis, continues to run into the Nemunas today.<\/p>\n Another legend tells the story of the convent that was built here and later sunk into the bottom of the hill. As it was drawn into the earth, its bell fell into the Nemunas. Even until now, residents solemnly declare, this bell can be heard ringing the call for the twelve o\u2019clock Mass every Sunday. Alytaus piliakalnis is an unusual rectangular shape, 25 x 15 meters wide, 20- 25 meters high. Archaeologists found remains of a burnt cultural layer, with several examples of ceramics, sword handles, spurs and spikes. These items are preserved in the Alytus museum.<\/p>\n Daugai<\/strong><\/p>\n Archeologists investigating this hillfort, in the Alytus region, also known as \u201cSalos kalnas\u201d (\u201cIsland\u2019s Hill\u201d) and \u201cPilait\u0117s kalnas\u201d (\u201cLittle Castle\u2019s Hill\u201d), found ceramics dating to the 13th-14th centuries, and are guessing that the small fort (from 6 to 15 meters high, 30 x 35 meters in area) may have been an early-warning type of defense location. Local legend says that the entire garrison was killed in an attack by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai, leaving only the duke\u2019s daughter, Daug\u0117, who purposely drowned in Did\u017eiulio lake rather than be taken in slavery.—<\/p>\n Geruliai<\/strong><\/p>\n This hill, at Butrimonis township, is 8 to 11 meters high, and 45 x 21 meters across, surrounded by a large rampart, from 1 to 4.5 meters high. There are four deep pits, about 3.5 meters wide, and one trench 23 meters long, which, it is said, were excavated by German soldiers searching for historical finds during the First World War. Examples of ceramics characteristic of the first millennium have been found by archaeologists and are currently preserved in the National Museum in Vilnius.<\/p>\n Kernav\u0117<\/strong><\/p>\n Archaeologists have been digging here for many years, and it is well-established as a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy, whose chronicles state that Duke Kernius built this, the country\u2019s first capital. According to the chronicles, Kernius was a grandson of the legendary Palemonas, who was, say the chroniclers, a member of Roman emperor Nero\u2019s clan. Leaving a decaying Rome with a group of Roman aristocrats and heading north, they reached the Baltic Sea and the Dubysa river via the Nemunas delta, where they settled and eventually gave rise to the Gediminid dynasty. Tradition holds that Kernius upon his death was given full ancient pagan cremation rites, and his ashes were spread at the top of the hillfort. Kernav\u0117 was first mentioned in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle of 1279.<\/p>\n Another story (believe it or not): Somewhere in Kernav\u0117, archaeologists supposedly found an underground path leading to Trakai and Vilnius. Grounded with split logs, this path ends in Kernav\u0117 with iron gates; in Trakai with silver gates; and in Vilnius, with gold gates!<\/p>\n There are five large hillforts in Kernav\u0117; all of them have been well-manicured and fitted with stairs. Kernav\u0117 has a fine museum that has benefited from the investigative work of archaeologists and historians; its exhibits range the complete scope of historical subjects from prehistoric times to the end of the 18th century. The hillforts of Kernav\u0117 have yielded a storehouse of items and remains that have enriched the study of Lithuanian history for many years. A famous international folklore festival takes place in Kernav\u0117 every summer.<\/p>\n Pap\u0117\u010di\u0173 piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n This hillfort is, like most, oval in shape; 24 x 19 meters in area, but it is oriented north to south instead of east and west, as are most others. Its slopes are 7 to 10 meters in height, and from the top, afford a wide, beautiful view of the lakes of Dz\u016bkija. It is said that long ago there was a heavy golden chain protruding from the hill, and folks got together and pulled it. But the chain broke off and the end retreated back into the hill. If anyone tried to pull it out, he would be forcibly dragged into the underground.<\/p>\n Paveisininkai<\/strong><\/p>\n By the shore of Veis\u0117jo lake in Lazdijai, a city in Lithuania\u2019s southwest, and 7 kilometers from the border with Poland stands a hillfort also known as \u201cJotvingi\u0173 Piliakalnis.\u201d Jotvingians, one of several Baltic tribes, inhabited this territory until about the 13th century. A center of the Jotvingians, Paveisininkai, was destroyed by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai in 1278\u20131283. About this time, their Duke Skomantas tried to unite and organize scattered Jotvingian tribes, but he was unsuccessful. The Teutonic Knights were by this time well on their way to the complete conquest and destruction of the Baltic Prussians, and since some Jotvingians were allies of the Prussians, they were caught up in this and suffered the same fate. By the 15th century, the remaining Jotvingians had been assimilated by the Lithuanians. Jotvingi\u0173 Piliakalnis is all that is left of them, except for some place names that might be recognizable to a scholar. Archeologists digging in the area found graves characteristic of Jotvingians. It is known that they cremated their dead, and buried their remains in stone boxes. The graves are known as kr\u016bsniniai kapai, from the Lithuanian word kr\u016bsnis, meaning \u201ca pile of stones.\u201d<\/p>\n Piva\u0161i\u016bn\u0173 piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n This hill, 20 meters high, 52 x 23 meters in area, protected on the south and west by the Alov\u0117s river, is said to have housed a pagan shrine, and belonged to the son of Duke Margiris. Legends say that it started as just a small hill, but a constant flow of devout pagans would visit the shrine often, each man carrying a hatful of earth; in that way, this hillfort grew to its present dimensions.<\/p>\n This site, which had its useful lifetime during the first millennium, lies, like many, at the edge of a forest, and is overgrown with birches and small greenery, the rest of the hilltop lying fallow.<\/p>\n Poteroni\u0173 piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n Alyti\u0161kiai (residents of Alytus) call this hillfort \u201cGiants\u2019 Hill.\u201d They say the place is haunted; that a vaidilut\u0117 in white robes appears, building a fire, crying and moaning, not stopping until the roosters crow at daybreak. Earlier, at the hill\u2019s top, there had been a pit, seeming so deep that a rock thrown into it would fall, and fall, until finally it would hit some kind of mysterious resounding thing. Shepherds later filled the pit with branches and leveled it off. Others say this was a place where people gathered to pray and brought their animals for pagan rites of sacrifice.<\/p>\n Punia<\/strong><\/p>\n This hill, located between Alytus and Bir\u0161tonas, aka Margirio pilis (Margiris\u2019 Castle), is possibly the most famous and one of the largest hillforts in Lithuania, being 155 meters long, and 44 meters in height. Chronicles tell the story of Pil\u0117nai (Castle dwellers): Realizing that they had no chance of winning through a siege of their castle by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai, the residents and defending warriors under Duke Margiris \u2013 rather than allow themselves, their\u00a0families and their wealth to be taken by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai \u2013 built a bonfire, piled onto it every single thing of value, at the last adding the bodies of their wives, children and elderly, finally themselves falling on their swords atop the pyre. So the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai were thwarted in their expectations of loot and slaves \u2013 bitterly disappointed, they went home with nothing. Punios piliakalnis has traditionally for long years been the presumed location of the Pil\u0117n\u0173 fort, though the current belief is that it must instead have been somewhere in \u017demaitija. But a memorial rock remains at Punia, bearing the words of the famous Lithuanian poet Maironis: \u201cThe grave of Margiris\u2019 giants.\u201d<\/p>\n During recent years, numbers of people have traveled to Punia to join in the \u201c\u0160vie\u017eia duonel\u0117\u201d (fresh bread) festival, part of St. Anne\u2019s \u201cOnini\u0173\u201d feast, held annually in July, when many well-known ethnographic ensembles converge on the small village. Spectators are drawn into the games and activities, and dance through the night around a bonfire, a pleasant feature of many Lithuanian celebrations.<\/p>\n Rudaminos piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n Rudaminos castle was built by Duke Ringaudas, and it is said to have been the location where King Mindaugas received the crown of Lithuania. The fort was set up in an area replete with natural obstructions and hindrances that contributed to its general safety. Its hill was surrounded at bottom by wetlands and bogs, especially on the east and north, as well as a heavy rampart from the south and all around. These precautions, however, did not help when this fort was destroyed in the 13th century by the kry\u017eiuo\u010diai.<\/p>\n Sauseri\u0173 piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n Located in the Kretinga region, this hillfort is 35 meters high and 60 x 30 meters in area. In ancient times, a wooden fort belonging to the Kur\u0161iai (Curonians, one of the Baltic tribes) stood there. Among other archaeological finds, axes dated to the period 700\u2013500 B.C. (bronze and iron ages) have been unearthed in this location, but there is no clear evidence that those artifacts did not flow down the river from Semba or the lower Nemunas. The fort was protected by the deep Minija river close by, and by a moat and a defensive embankment.<\/p>\n Zilvios piliakalnis<\/strong><\/p>\n This hillfort is found against the edge of the forest, and when discovered, was well-covered by trees and greenery, much of which has since been cut. Stairs have been added, to make the place more inviting for visitors. On the northern side, there is an embankment 4 meters high, 40 meters long, 17 meters wide, part of it leading to a moat, 2.2 meters deep. Investigators think this site was a well-fortified location, part of a strong Nemunas defense system. Legend says that seventy of this hillfort\u2019s garrison troops were condemned for cowardice, and that each year on St. John\u2019s Night, they exit the hilltop changed into hares. Some hunters claim to have shot at them, but their bullets do no harm.<\/p>\n Voruta (Seimynisk\u0117liai)<\/strong><\/p>\n We know that King Mindaugas reigned during the 13th century, but where was his castle situated? That has been a tantalizing mystery for historians, who were hindered by the scarcity of written historical information. Mindaugas\u2019 castle was mentioned only three times in all the annals and chronicles, and only once was a name given: \u201cVoruta.\u201d Historians have been studying and speculating, and archaeologists have been digging for many years, and no less than fourteen locations have been suggested as possibilities. But now, it seems that general opinion has reached a consensus, and the \u0160eimyni\u0161k\u0117liai hillfort in Anyk\u0161\u010diai is now acknowledged as \u201cVoruta\u201d by a majority of influential historians, archeologists and philologists. Lithuania\u2019s Ministry of Culture approved a project to erect a reconstructed wooden fort on the site, which is now a busy tourist magnet and educational center. Archeologists cut a \u201cslice\u201d down the side of the hill, exposing cultural layers and allowing them to salvage artifacts that are now displayed in a museum at the location. Visitors are invited to try their skill with a bow, or to hurl a spear, perhaps to taste an \u201celixir of strength and accuracy\u201d (stipryb\u0117s ir taiklumo), drunk from a bull\u2019s horn.<\/p>\n These hillforts that we have described are only a small percentage of Lithuania\u2019s existing roster of interesting piliakalniai. Each one has its own unique history, and fantastic stories are told about many of them, limited only by people\u2019s creative imagination. The mere fact that there are so many of them is itself impressive. They are relics of a small nation\u2019s era of greatness, a source of pride, and proof of our ancestors\u2019 determination that their land should remain free of foreign domination or influence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Gloria Kivytait\u0117 O\u2019Brien LITHUANIA IS A LAND OF MANY LAKES AND, IT seems, even many more hills. The oval, flat-topped shapes and looming aspect of many hills identify them as hillforts (piliakalniai), or the remains of ancient fortified places. There are more than 800 places in Lithuania that are called piliakalniai. A true hillfort …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[183,78],"class_list":["post-3772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-nature-travel","tag-kivytaite-g","tag-lith-heritage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.draugas.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2011-01-15-LHERITAGE-2-300x187.jpg\")
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