Finding the Varkališkės II hillfort is a bit of a game of hide and seek. It sits on the high terrace of the Nemunas, tucked away where the old forest meets the new. It is difficult to find because the forest-covered slopes are carved similarly to the natural riverbank.
This isn't just a simple mound. It is a piece of military engineering from the first millennium. The site features an oval courtyard measuring 43 by 25 metres. From there, the layout opens into a series of ditches and ramparts. It includes at least three distinct ramparts - some curved and some straight - including one 18 metres wide and another 7 metres wide.
One of the most interesting features is the variety of trenches. They range from a 3-metre-wide ditch to a wide 12-metre-wide gap that separates the fort from the neighboring heights.
Today, the site is a protected state monument covering 60,700 square metres. It remains a quiet, rugged spot of spruce and history. It might not have the obvious flair of a castle ruin, but there is something satisfying about a defense system so well-built that the forest itself now serves as its final cover.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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