Hillforts of Utena District

Utena district has the largest amount of hillforts in Lithuania - fifty nine.
Eleven hillforts and five near-by settlements were explored by archaeologists. Hillforts vary in size. It indicates that different-sized communities were living in them. Large hillforts usually have thick and rich archaeological layer, as they were populated for longer periods. Narkūnai and Spitrėnai are the richest hillforts in Utena region.
Several of Utena district hillforts had castles built on them. Utena castle was erected on top of Narkūnai hillfort, Tauragnai castle was built on Taurapilis hillfort, and Užpaliai castle was standing on Šeimyniškių hillfort. When the warfare against the Teutonic Knights was over, remaining castles were gradually abandoned. Those that burned down were no longer rebuilt. People moved to more comfortable places. Land on hillforts started to be used for farming. Some hillforts became burial
places. For example, during the 15-16th centuries Bikūnai hillfort was used for burying the dead. Daugailiai hillfort is another example - in 1685 the church was erected on it and the dead were buried around it.
Photographs of better known, explored hillforts and archaeological findings are presented at this virtual exhibition. They came from collections of Utena Local Lore Museum and the atlas of Lithuanian hillforts.