Kernave Archaeological Site - World Heritage site in Lithuania

I continue to introduce you four World Heritage sites of Lithuania. Myself, I mostly like Curonian Spit. This is a very peaceful place where you can recharge your mind while sitting on the sand dunes. But today, my choice is to tell you about Kernave Archaeological Site.

The valley with nearby five hill mounds, and the upper part of the Neris river terrace, which houses Kernave town, enter the territory. Kernave archaeological site is a multi-layered complex of prehistoric values, the inheritance of natural processes (glaciers) and long-term human activity. The undamaged or very little damaged cultural layers of the prehistoric settlements of various periods have survived there, and funeral monuments of various periods cover all ages from the early Epipaleolithic to the early Middle Ages. Yes, the history breaths to your face on every step here.

The terrain formed by the last ice age, the picturesque valley of the Neris River, the authentic traces of human activity, and the defense wall of the five hill forts are an example of an integral, historically developed and little-changed landscape.

In the territory of the Cultural Reserve, a whole complex of cultural heritage objects is preserved, where the Kernave archaeological site and 19 archaeological and architectural cultural heritage objects are registered as Cultural Heritage. I will not list all 19 objects; I think it will be too boring to read.

This site was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. We call it Lithuanian Troy. Existing cultural values, abundant archaeological finds, the landscape that emerged through the centuries tells us about the cultures that have been in this area for 11,000 years. First of all, in the imagination of Lithuanian Kernave emerges as one of the symbols of statehood - the pagan capital of Lithuania, surrounded by legends.

Here, under a layer of sediment, the cultural heritage of the last pagan nation in Europe is hidden from our eyes. And yes, Lithuania was the last country in Europe that adopted Christianity. Our pagans fought against Christian baptism too long and hard till finally were defeated.

Text by @Fortune
Photo by https://www.lzinios.lt