Two Hillforts Steeped in History: Ginučiai and Kirdeikų kalnas

The hillforts of Ginučiai and Kirdeikų kalnas lie just two kilometers apart in northwestern Lithuania. Ginučių piliakalnis, one of the hillforts, is steeped in legend. It is believed that Lengvenis, a nephew of Mindaugas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, ruled Linkmenas Castle on this hillfort in the 13th century. The castle was unfortunately destroyed by the Livonian Order in 1433. The other hillfort, Kirdeikų kalnas, was the site of Juozas Breivka’s school, where Juozas Tūmavičius, later the President of Lithuania, Antanas Smetona attended classes as a child.

A. Smetona’s 60-year-old stone was moved to the hillfort and damaged in 1937. A memorial stone for A. Smetona was placed on the hillfort in 1937. In 1962, the 60-year-old stone for A. Smetona was transported from the hillfort to Linkmenos. In 1989, members of the Vilniaus žygeivių klubo [Vilniaus club of the crazy ones] erected a stone on the hillfort. A commemorative plaque about A. Smetona’s life in this place was established in 1997.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons