A 20-metre wide depression in the courtyard

Ringovės piliakalnis, also known as Pilikė or Linksmusis kalnas, is a hillfort and settlement located in the Ringovės village of the Kaunas district. It sits on a sharp bend of the Nemunas river where the currents of the Ringovė and Krestinava streams meet, near the Kaunas–Jurbarkas–Šilutė–Klaipėda road.

The site features a rectangular courtyard measuring 135 metres long and 32 metres wide in its southern part. The northern side of the courtyard is 3 metres higher than the southern part, which is 2 metres lower than the center. Running almost through the middle of the courtyard is a 20-metre wide depression, up to 1 metre deep. Along the northern edge, there is a log-shaped mound 17 metres long, 3.5 metres high, and 19 metres wide, with an outer slope descending into a 4-metre wide, 0.5-metre deep ditch.

Further north is a natural coastal slope with a 1-metre high, 13-metre wide rise located 50 metres from the mound. On the western slope, 2-3 metres below the courtyard, sits a 2-metre wide terrace with a 3-4 metre high outer slope that turns toward the southern slope. The surrounding slopes stand between 20 and 30 metres high. The hillfort is covered in fir trees and shrubs, while the southern slope has been cleared.

Archaeological dating places the hillfort at the beginning of the second millennium. Records from 1364 mention a castle at this location during the winter. The site was officially recognized as a state monument on April 29, 2005. Spanning 38,000 square metres, it remains a significant archaeological site and viewpoint.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons