Lygamiškis hillfort

Lygamiškis hillfort with a settlement, Geniupis mountain, Užpaliai – hillfort and settlement are in the territory of Utena district municipality, in Lygamiškis village, Užpaliai neighborhood. Accessible from the gravel road Užpaliai – Svėdasai, 500m from the center of Užpaliai, over the river Šventoji, turn left in the first junction south-westward and after 1km on the right in the north-west.  

The hillfort was built on the height promontory on the right bank of the Šventoji, on the right bank of Geniupis. The site 70m long, 60m wide. Here is a bow-shaped rampart, 90m long, 1.3m high, 10m wide with an external slope of 1.6m in height. The slopes are steep, 8-10m high.

The hillfort is damaged by ploughing, lies waste, the slopes are overgrown with pine trees.  

At the northern and eastern foothills, in the area of 0.5ha there is a foot settlement where brushed and rough pottery was found.  

Exploratory archaeological research was carried out; the findings are kept in the Lithuanian National Museum. The hillfort dates back to the I millennium.

Legends about Lygamiškis hillfort 

1. There is a large rock at the foot of Lygamiškis hillfort. It is said that the rock closed the entrance into the mountain. And in the mountain there live two witches. They sit at the golden skiff and guard it.

2. Once Jonas and Juozas Daujočiai thought of digging into the mountain and taking the gold. While they were digging and digging they noticed some lordlings riding around restlessly.  “Stop digging, stop digging!”, shouted they. “It will be bad!”. But the Daujočiai didn’t listen to them and kept digging. Suddenly they saw that lordlings started erecting gallows and bringing straw. They realized there would be trouble, quit working and ran home.