The ancient hillfort that slid into a mill pond

Pūčkorių piliakalnis, also known as Pile, is an ancient hillfort located in the northern part of the Plungė district municipality. The archaeological site is situated in the village of Pūčkoriai, southwest of the crossroads of Žemaičių Kalvarija - Gegrėnai - Medsėdžiai and southwest of the road to Mikytų. It sits on the left bank of the Melnyčėlės stream.

The hillfort covers an area of 12,000 m² and is surrounded by forest. It is situated on a separate mound in a valley on the left bank of the stream. On the northeastern side of the mound, there are remains of packed clay that are about 3 meters high from the rest of the hill and 11 meters high from the valley floor. It is believed that the courtyard of the hillfort slid into a nearby mill pond.

The site has been known since ancient times and was first examined in 1966 by an expedition led by Adolfas Tautavičius. It was declared a regional archaeological monument in 1972 and was officially recognized as a state-protected cultural heritage object in 2005. The hillfort is dated to the beginning of the first millennium.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons