2. Introduction
First known habitation of
Lithuania dates back to
the final ice age, 10 000
BC. In 1009, the name of
Lithuania was mentioned
for the first time in the
written account of the
mission of St. Bruno.
3. Grand Duchy of Lithuania
In the Middle Ages, Lithuania had
already its state: the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania. King Mindaugas became a
Christian and received a crown from
the Pope in 1253. After his death,
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania fell
back to pagan ways leading to a
centuries-long conflict with Teutonic
Knights.
The adoption of Christianity by Grand
Duke Jogaila (1387) and being the
largest state in Europe (stretching
from the Baltic to the Black Sea in
the 15th century) did not stop the
Teutonic knights.
4. Kūlgrinda
Back to those times we would
like to represent you one
special Lithunian way fighting
enemies – special secret roads
Kūlgrinda
5. What is this?
Kūlgrinda is a hidden underwater
stony road across swamps and
swampy areas used for defense in
the history of Lithuania.
Kūlgrindas provided a safe
shortcut between
villages, hillforts, and other
defensive structures. They were
built by bringing stones, wood, or
gravel over frozen swamps in the
winter and letting them sink once
the ice melted. Such procedure
would be repeated several times.
6. Secret paths
These were the secret paths that
the ancient Lithuanians rescued
from the attackers who did not
know the paths and which were
very difficult to detect because
the trails were under water. The
place of the Kūlgrinda was kept
secret, so he was severely
punished for issuing it.
Undetectable from the surface,
these roads were usually known
only to the locals, and as such
were an important element of the
defense against various invaders,
including the Teutonic Knights in
the 13–14th centuries.
7. Enemies were specially
tucked into swamps,
where they were
lurking in the mouths
of a treacherous
depth, determined to
swallow their victims,
or rain of arrows
released by defenders
of Lithuanian lands.
8. Kūlgrindas today
Today, the Burbiškės-Reistrų kūlgrinda, consists of 3 sections. The first
passes through the Sietuva River itself. Its length is 250 m, width - 8 m
(through the stream itself - up to 20 m). The other two go through
adjacent swamps, their length is 180 and 150 m, width 3-4. All three
segments are divided into almost one line, so it is believed that they are
one of the remnants of the road, linking the defenders of Shauraičiai,
Megvėgalis and Paršpilis castles.
9. Excursions throught the Kūldringa:
There are some excursions for people who could like this: It's a path
through the forest and swamp that is getting more and more viscous.
10. Swamp “tour” lasts over 2 hours.
It is dirty, tired, but fun. And
bathing in a cool stream dam
recovers all the difficulties and
remains the best memories and
great experience. We have
experienced that last summer. It
was amazing.
