The 60-meter courtyard of Didžiosios Kuosinės piliakalnis

Didžiosios Kuosinės piliakalnis, also known as Pilaitė, is an archaeological fortification located in the Vilnius district. The site is situated to the south of Didžiosios Kuosinės in the Kalveliai eldership. It is accessible from the Savičiūnai – Šumskas road, located approximately 550 meters from the turn towards the south.

The fortification is built on the top of a large hill. It features a rectangular courtyard measuring 60 by 27 meters, oriented toward the southwest. The southwestern side of the courtyard is 2 meters higher, while the northern side is indented and curved. Archaeological findings include ceramic pottery. Further down the southwest slope, about 3 to 4 meters below the courtyard, is a triangular terrace measuring 20 meters long and 15 meters wide. A second terrace is located on the northeast slope.

The slopes are significantly varied in height, with the northern and northeastern sides reaching up to 35 meters, while the southwestern side reaches 6 meters. The upper parts of the slopes, ranging from 1 to 4 meters in height, were once enclosed. The site is heavily marked by ditches from a topographical tower that once stood in the courtyard. Today, the center of the courtyard is a grassy clearing, and the slopes are covered with pine and broadleaf trees.

First surveyed by the Institute of History in 1971, the site dates to the end of the 1st millennium BC and the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. It was declared a cultural monument in 1998. The protected area covers 116,000 square meters, with a visual protection zone of 1,486,000 square meters.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons