Places to visit in Pasval district

The mound is located at the confluence of two rivers. It is surrounded by Tatula river from the north, and the Ūgė river from the south and southwest. The mound site is triangular, about 60 m long, the site is surrounded by the remains of defensive ramparts. Side slopes about 9 m high, almost perpendicular, eroded by river flows.  The mound was built and inhabited in the 9th-11th centuries. The wooden castle of the Žimegaliai that stood here was part of the defense system of Northern Lithuania. Archaeological research has shown that the buildings had stone ovens, a sand layer floor, and a stone-paved courtyard. The sources of the 13th century do not mention Ąžuolpamūšė mound, but people still lived here, as there is a cemetery nearby. After the German order conquered Žiemgala in the late 13th century, the last inhabitants abandoned this land and the life in Ąžuolpamūšė came to an end. 

Legends. One legend tells that there was a mansion on the hill, which vanished beneath the surface of the earth. On the first Easter day, the nobleman who lived here kicked his serfs to plow the land. After they returned from work, they the mansion was not there. Now two girls come out every night, going down the stairs to the water and rinse napkins and plates. Once the roosters crow, they would disappear right away. As they pass the mountain, people listen uneasily when they hear roosters crowing, scythes beating, and bells ringing underground.

Another legend testifies that once upon a time men were herding horses in during night grazing and sitting by a fire next to the mound. Suddenly, a handsome gentleman with a cane came down from the mountain, said hello and sat down to warm himself. One man offered him snuff tobacco. The man took it, but he didn’t sniff it through his nose, but took it in his mouth. Then the men saw that his nose was without nostrils. When the roosters crowed, the gentleman got up and walked back up the hill. Soon there was a crash and the men were suddenly doused with water. In this way, the mound defended itself from the vandals and protected its secrets with various intimidating things.

The homestead of Gulbininėnai Manor belonged to General Kazys Ladyga from 1925 to 1941. He tried to create a modern farm, to turn the manor into a real cultural center of the area. Thanks to K. Ladyga’s care, a post office, a shop, additional sections of elementary school, and roads were built in Gulbinėnai. He earned the greatest gratitude of the residents by founding a chapel on the estate, later supporting the construction of a church, and the creation of a parish. A seven-year-old school started operating in the palace of the Gulbinėnai manor in 1945 and operated until 1992. Today the manor belongs to a private individual. The territory of the homestead consisted of three zones: representative, economy, and recreational. The composition of the representative zone is characteristic to even the homesteads of baroque manors of the 18th century. All buildings are build from red bricks and stone masonry. Today, 10 buildings or their fragments remain: a palace, a granary, a workshop, barns and outbuildings. Behind the manor palace lies a large park with a unique system of ponds and canals. Acacia trees were planted around the ponds, the dance floor with lindens.

From the mid 17th century to 1940 Joniškėlis manor was controlled by Karpiai, one of the most extensive family in Lithuania. They built a classicist manor house in the second half of the 18th century and started creating a park. The park was designed by the German architect Franz Lehman in the 19th century. The old part of the park on the left bank of Mažupė River was built in the English style. The right bank belongs to the French park. Karpiai arranged the park spaces tastefully, family gatherings and weekend concerts took place here. Prominent Lithuanian cultural figures, writers, and public figures walked along the paths of the park. Today it is one of the ten largest (34 ha) and most valuable manor parks in Lithuania. On the parterre of the palace, 200 rose bushes bloom in summer. Take a walk along the paths of the park, admire the rare species of plants, relax in the gazebo. And come at least once to the mysterious “Night in Karpiai Manor”.

Legend. Once upon a time, trees never took root in the park. The steward of the manor proposed a macabre solution: to water the land of the future park with the blood of innocent babies. Karpis did just that – the trees took root and grew. Oaks grew where boys’ blood flowed, and lindens grew where girls’ blood flowed. However, the soul of the cursed landowner will roam the park as long as there is at least one oak tree in it. And today, when lightning strikes, Karpis face appears in the oak crowns, begging for lightning to strike and burn the giants. Only then will he find peace…

The mound stands near the old road from Pasvalys to Joniškėlis, on the right bank of the Mūša River, at the confluence with the Pušynė Stream. Located on a hill, the slopes are steep, 7-10 meters high, at the top there is a site with a diameter of about 30 meters, surrounded by a well-preserved embankment. Pušynės stream is visible today only in early spring, then it hides in the grass. But the deep valley through which it flows into the Mūša testifies to the existence of a watery river that was present in the past. Water surrounded the mound on three sides and was a natural natural obstacle for the enemy. And the western part was protected by a defensive ditch, it remained about 90 meters long. In the past, the mountain was undoubtedly higher, eroded by plowing and nature, but it has retained its original shape quite well.

It is believed that the mound was built in the 9th century, a wooden castle was built to protect the Žimegali settlement, and later it was part of the defense system of northern Lithuania. As the pressure of the German order intensified in the second half of the 13th century, Žiemgaliai abandoned their lands. It was probably then that life in the vicinity and the mound of Šimoniai finally collapsed. In the 1930s, farmers accidentally found two treasures while working the land near Migoniai mound: brass and silver items of 6th-7th centuries.

Legends. There used to be a pit on the site of the Migonys mound. While retreating, the Swedes hid their weapons there and covered it with soil. The top of the mountain used to be a peak, and on the west side there was an exit, of which, unfortunately, there are no signs anymore. It is also said that Swedes defeated by Lithuanians or even the Swedish king himself with his crown are buried on the mountain. Swedish soldiers poured this mountain with their hats as a tribute to the king.

The legend testifies that a cruel lord built a palace on the mountain. The serfs worked on his estate all day, while the children and elders who stayed at home had to weave sieves and twist ropes for the master. He tortured the disobedient or exchanged them for a horse or a dog. The gentleman died, but it did not get any easier for people. For three years, they fulfilled the last wish of the deceased: they poured a high mountain on his grave with hats. Eventually they placed a red-brimmed gentleman’s hat, a sign of power and honor, at the top. Over the years, the hat has disappeared under the soil. The lord’s manor also collapsed, a lake appeared in its place, which later dried up and gave start to the Sindriūnai Village.

Buildings remaining until the late 19th century – early 20th century. The manor belonged to Klebokas, then to baron Ludvik Rop. He planted a park and built a red brick manor house that has survived to this day. During the Soviet era, the palace served as a cultural center and an administrative center for the local economy. Later, families lived here. The palace building was purchased by a private individual in 2003.

The manor palace is made of red brick, the central part has two floors, with an attic. A mixed-style park stretches along the Jiešmuo stream – a place for local people and guests to relax. A hanging wooden bridge connects the shores of Jiešmuo pond, there is a possibility to ride water bikes. An oak tree grows in the park – a botanical natural monument, its diameter reaches 1.5 m.

In the middle of the 19th century, the family of the landowner Aleksandaras Chodakauskas bought the Vytartai manor. On the side of Pasvalys, on the picturesque bend of Mūša River, the mansion was once haunted by the silhouettes of famous women. Sofija Smetonienė, the wife of Antanas Smetona, the first president of Lithuania, often visited here, at the house of her grandmother Šarlotė Osten Saken Chodakauskienė. Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, godmother of S. Smetonienė, also from the Chodakauskai family, was a frequent guest in Vytartai. Grandfather of S. Smetonienė and father of G. Petkevičaitė-Bitė were brothers.

On the road to the manor an arched bridge was built over Mūša River in 1928. President A. Smetona himself participated in the opening of the bridge. There was a school in the Vytartai manor from 1931 to 1968. Currently, the manor belongs to private individuals.