Pakalniškiai Hillfort with Bailey

Walking along the shore of the Kaunas Reservoir by the marina or Pažaislis Monastery, you can spot Pakalniškiai hillfort on the opposite bank. Travellers say it is worth climbing this 27 m hill to enjoy, from a single spot, views of the reservoir, Pažaislis and the industrial Petrašiūnai district by the Kaunas hydroelectric dam. According to legend, the hillfort was raised by the ancient Lithuanians. On it stood the wooden castle of Vaišvydas, ruler of the lands of the Nemunas valley, which defended and guarded this area from enemies for centuries. Vaišvydas's subjects lived in the Nemunas valley. But enemies, helped by traitors, destroyed the castle completely and it was never rebuilt. Research by historians and archaeologists does not contradict this legend too much. The hillfort is dated to the 1st millennium – early 2nd millennium. Evidence of a settlement at its foot has been found to the north and west of the hillfort. Declared a state-protected cultural monument in 2006, the hillfort has been reinforced, tidied up and adapted for tourism, and archaeological research has been carried out. This showed that there was another settlement south-west of the hillfort's bailey, and that the overall look of the hillfort has changed considerably over time. The biggest impact came from the trenches dug on the hillfort during the First World War. Large stones left on the shore of the Kaunas Reservoir also bear witness to former fortifications. After visiting the hillfort, you can walk the 3 km Pakalniškiai ecological nature trail.