Šarnelė hillfort, a popular tourist destination, resides on a hill shrouded in an ancient forest, adjacent to a former marsh. Constructed during the 1st millennium BC to the 13th century AD, it is one of Lithuania's oldest standing structures. The hillfort exhibits a trapezoidal shape, with its base widest in the south and narrower in the north. It measures approximately 50 meters long and 30 meters wide at the top. Two entrances, each guarded by a 35-meter wide and 5-meter high platform, are visible in the wall, leading to towers that stand 11 meters high. The hillfort wall is around 30 meters thick and 4.5 meters high, built using earth and stones. Archaeological research suggests it was used as a defensive structure during the Iron Age. Today, visitors can traverse the ruins and envision the battles that transpired on this hill over 2000 years ago.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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