Places to visit

Vėlaičiai Hillfort

Vėlaičiai hillfort is a hillfort with a settlement at the foot of the hillfort, on the left bank of Alantas, on the promontory of the hill which is at the mouth of Tyrupalis. The hillfort dates back to the second part of the 1st millenium BC - 10th century and the settlement at the foot of the hillfort dates back to the 8th-10th centuries. Vėlaičiai hillfort is the earliest ancient settlements of Kartena surroundings. In the 7th-10th centuries, the old inhabitants of Vėlaičiai lived in the north of the foot of the hill, in the settlement which was located near the river Alantas and was protected by a wooden castle with a forecourt with a built on the hill. The fights with enemies which took place here are reminded by an iron spigot spear found on the south-western slope of the forecourt. The hillfort was abandoned around the 10th century. Over the centuries the swift river Alantas constantly washed the eastern slope. In the 19th century, only a small part of the hillfort remained and its destruction process takes place in our days. The complex of Vėlaičiai hillfort consists of the remains of the hillfort and a settlement at the foot of the hillfort covering 3.78 ha area at the confluence of the rivers Alantas and Tyrupalis.