A 1st millennium fortification with a stone wall and post reinforcements

Auksūdžio piliakalnis, also known as Pilale, Kūlių pilė, or Švedų pilė, is a fortified ancient settlement located in the village of Auksūdis. It sits on the left bank of the Darbos stream in the Pilalės forest. The site is difficult to find because the mound blends into the surrounding forest, with no clear landmarks nearby. It is an oval clearing measuring 45 by 35 metres, surrounded by a stone wall 0.4 metres high, which is reinforced by three rows of posts with diameters of 15-20 cm.

Archaeologists date the fortification to the 1st millennium. During a 1995 excavation, an iron brooch from the middle of the 2nd millennium was found in the clearing. The site is surrounded by various other historical features, including an ancient farming site to the west, a pasture to the southeast, and an early cemetery about 1.5 km to the south.

The area is steeped in local folklore and historical legends. Some stories claim that the Swedes built their main army headquarters here, while others say it served as a hideout during the War with Sweden, where people fled from soldiers to nearby threshing floors. Local legends also speak of a devil who lived in the mound and beat peasants with a ladybug-shaped club, and of ghosts that appeared during folk holidays.

Today, the site is a state-protected cultural value covering 0.52 hectares. It can be reached by traveling 500 metres east from the Darbėnai-Įpiltis road into the forest. The mound remains a significant archaeological site, having been surveyed by various researchers since 1905 and officially registered as a protected monument in 1972.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons