Kernavė Archaeological Site

About this place

Kernavė Archaeological Site is a group of green hill forts above the Neris valley, in a town that was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, and a state cultural reserve was set up here in 1989. People lived in this area from the end of the Paleolithic era, with settlements growing in later periods. Kernavė first appears in written sources in 1279 as the seat of Grand Duke Traidenis, when the Teutonic Knights besieged it. In 1390 the knights burned the town and castle in the Pajauta valley, and it was not rebuilt, with the remaining residents moving to the top of the hill. A layer of alluvium then covered the remains and preserved them so well that some call Kernavė the Troy of Lithuania. Before you rise tall, steep mounds set close together, covered in grass with wooden steps up them, and from the top you see the river and the plain where the old town stood. The site has reconstructed wooden houses and a small museum of finds. Among the strangest discoveries is a secret wooden road under water, from the 14th century. The site lies about 35.6 km from Vilnius in a straight line. Keep to the steps and paths, since the mounds are fragile and the slopes slippery after rain. Bring a hat in summer, as there is little shade on top, and check museum hours first, since they change with the season.