Places to visit in Pasval district

On the initiative of Jeronimas Šarkevičius, the parson of Krinčinas, and Karpiai, the local landowners of Baluškiai, and with the donations of the surrounding people, the construction of a brick chapel, much larger than the old wooden one, began in 1750. There was no permission to build a prayer house, so it was a serious violation. Only in 1782 the Pope himself signed such a document.

The church built in 1803 has baroque and classicism features. It is believed that the sculpture of Jesus of Nazareth in the high altar of the church has magic powers – it heals the most seriously ill.

Daujėnai Pentecost is celebrated every year – the church festival of this region that have been around for more than a century. Pentecost church festival lasted the whole week, worshipers came even from Žemaitija. The most pious ones used to crawl several kilometers to the church on their knees. To this day, many people come to the church festival not only from Pasvalys, the natives, who spread all over Lithuania, return!

The first church is mentioned in 1585. The second was built in 1611 by Dimitrijus Kurbskis who fled from the Russian tsar. It was given 7 voloks of land with serfs. A parish school was established in 1611. The inventory already mentions the new church of Krinčinas in 1736. It was looted by rebels of Kosciuška in 1794.

The current church was built in 1782 under the care of provost Jonas Jeronimas Šarkevičius. Poet Antanas Vienažindys (1841–1892) was vicar here for six years.

The church is of late baroque style with rectangular plan, basilican, and has two towers. Interior of 3 naves. There are 5 altars. A belfry of historic forms stands in the churchyard.

A memorial site that honors the people of Joniškėlis of the 20th century, who died for the freedom of Lithuania. Men from this region assembled into the Joniškėlis death battalion and defended Northern Lithuania from the Soviet Russian army in 1919. An impressive monument depicting an artillery gun was erected in 1935 on the grave of the officer Jonas Stapulionis, who died in the struggle. The names of the volunteers of Joniškėlis village are inscribed on memorial tablets.

Partisans from the Joniškėlis region, who fell for the freedom of Lithuania during the period of armed resistance to the Soviet Union in 1944-1953, are also buried in the memorial. Many died in the battle of Uniūnai Village with NKVD troops in on 23 February 1946.

1,349 people of Jewish nationality from Pasvalys, Vabalnikas, Joniškėlis, Saločiai, Vaškai, and Daujėnai were killed in this place and buried in two mass graves at the end of August of 1941. The execution was carried out by the executioners of the 3rd company of the 1st Lithuanian police battalion.

The exact number of Jews killed is known from SS Colonel Karl Jäger’s report on completed tasks of 1941. In one grave, there are remains of 402 men, in the other – remains of 738 women and 209 children. In the practice of killing, this was done to avoid unwanted emotions and unrest. There are memorials in both places.

The chapel-shaped wooden composition is dedicated to the book smugglers of the Saločiai region – Steponas Pavilionis, Juozas Steponavičius, Antanas Krasinskas-Voverys, and Jonas Burkus. Unveiled in 1993.

Lithuanians defeated the forces of West Russian Volunteer Army on 12 November 1919 in Saločiai. In order to commemorate this victory and honor the fallen soldiers a seven-meter obelisk was erected in the market square of the town in 1928. At its top was a globe pierced by a sword, as a bold statement that Lithuania had won a place for itself among the rest of the world. In the post-war years, the enemies desecrated the bodies of the fallen partisans at its foot. The monument was demolished in circa 1964. The wreckage was taken away and buried somewhere in gravel pits…

Saločiai obelisk was erected again in June 1989, on the initiative of the town’s Sąjūdis group.

Soldiers of the Pušalotas company of the Joniškėlis partisan battalion who died  in the spring battle with the Bolsheviks in 1919 near the village of Bernatoniai (now Panevėžys District) are buried here.

A monument depicting a stepped pyramid was erected on the grave of the soldiers in 1928 with the care of the members of the spring movement and former comrades. President Antanas Smetona participated in the ceremony of consecration of the monument. The monument was created by the architect Vladas Švipas. His model was exhibited at the Paris World Fair in 1937.

During the Soviet occupation, the monument stood abandoned, state symbols and names of fallen soldiers were torn from it.

According to legend, a famous researcher of photochemistry, the first Lithuanian physical chemist, world-famous scientist Theodor von Grotthuß used to sit under this oak tree. He lived and worked nearby in the Gedučiai estate. The basement of T. Grotthuss’ grave remained in the forest, where he was buried, later the remains were moved elsewhere. Oak is a state-protected botanical natural heritage object. 

After the defeat during the uprising against tsarist Russia in 1863, families of Russian colonists were settled in Lithuanian villages. An Orthodox community was established in the village of Gegabrasta. It had its own school, cemetery, and built a cozy house of prayer – a small wooden church in the late 19th century. Bright yellow with even brighter green domes, the sanctuary shines romantically in the tranquillity of the pine forest. There is no longer a Russian community in the village of Gegabrasta, but the church is functioning, the titular church festival is held every year in May, believers from all over the region of Panevėžys come to it.

The stone was lying in the nearby homestead of Šimkūnai next to the house. Glaciers brought it to these parts. Only a small part of the giant was visible above the ground. During reclamation in 1985, the boulder was unearthed and dragged closer to the road by powerful tractors. However, the stone started to jam in the lowest part, the ropes broke, so the boulder had to be left here, stuck about a meter in the ground. A natural monument of national significance. Dimensions 4.5x3x2.5 m.

In the thick of the forest is hidden the centuries old yellow shrine. It is difficult to trace its history because it is studied very little. Historical sources testify that the chapel was built in 1736. Damaged, destroyed, and rebuilt many times. Once a year – on the last Sunday of August – the chapel comes alive and invites you to the church festival of St. Augustine. Lithuanian partisans are buried in the churchyard.

It is believed that a small church could have stood in Pumpėnai in the first half of the 17th century. However, the information is more accurate that landowners Jurgis and Povilas Zavadskiai settled Carmelite monks in the town and built a prayer house for them no later than 1665. The sanctuary and the entire monastery complex burned down in 1770. Not long after, in 1797, the disaster happened again – the buildings, rebuilt from the funds of the monks, burned down. The time has come to have a brick church in Pumpėnai. In order for the parishioners to gather for prayer, the Carmelites set up a temporary structure made of clay covered with straw (šopa). Finally the current stone and brick church was completed in 1818. At that time, 5 Carmelite monks lived in Pumpėnai, they had a jurydyka in the town. After the uprising of 1831, the Russian authorities closed the monastery, but the monastery building remained for the parish. 20-register organ was installed in 1898.

The church is in the late baroque style, it also has features of classicism, with a rectangular plan, of hall layout, and without a tower. Interior of 3 naves, vaulted. A stone masonry belfry is built into the churchyard fence.

The wooden church of folk architectural shapes was built in 1853. Later, it was enlarged and a brick belfry was built at the expense of the landowner Pranciškus Karpis and the parishioners. Antanas Juška, a well-known collector and researcher of Lithuanian folklore, was a provost in Pušalotas in 1855-1862. He renovated the church, built a rectory. An organ was installed in 1882. During the period of the press ban, priest Jonas Jaskevičius organized the distribution of the Lithuanian press, patronized secret Lithuanian schools, and built a shelter. J. Jaskevičius was active in the Pušalotas company of the Joniškėlis partisan battalion in the years of independence struggles in 1919-1920, and is buried in the churchyard.

The first church of Saločiai was small, wooden. Radvilos of Biržai expropriated the property of the Catholic parish, destroyed the church and built a prayer house of Reformed Protestants in its place in 16th century. Catholics sued Radvila in 1632 and won the case. A new wooden church was built approximately in 1755. It burned down on 26 July 1944, the belfry bell melted during the fire. Under the care of administrators-priests Kazimieras Pukenis and Antanas Balys, the church was set up in a brick two-story rectory in 1945.

Įdubala opened more than a hundred years ago (in 1912) in the middle of Moliūnai forest. The depth measured by special devices is over five meters! It is said that once upon a time there was a horse standing in this place. A cursed girl came to ask for help from the boy who was lighting the fire in the threshing barn. When the boy who didn’t save her cursed, a hole opened in which the unfortunate girl disappeared. And a snake the size of a log crawled out of the hole and slithered into Moliūnai mound…

We invite you to search for the sinkhole, and its coordinates will help you not get lost in the forest.