A beautiful Bražuolės Castle Hill is an important witness of our country‘s historical events. The mound is situated only five kilometres away from Trakai Castle close to the bed of the River Bražuolė.
A wooden castle, that formed a part of Vilnius defense system, stood on this hill in the Medieval times. In the 13th-14th centuries the fortress was even one of the largest centres of the region. Jogaila, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland, resided here for a while. It is known that on 6 July 1382 he entered into a short-termed Bražuolė agreement with the Teutonic Order whereby both parties agreed to abstain from attacking each other for three months. But nobody knows if they held to their promise…
If we had a chance to go back to the ancient times, we could see that the fortress is surrounded with a wooden defense wall. We could also see its tower, and would notice the edge of the household building that was designed for defense. We would also meet on our way the working people. Judging by a large number of the stone work axes that were found under the unearthed turf of the castle hill, their everyday life must had been very difficult…
An old settlement was situated close to the hill. This place was perfect for people to live as they had very good access to Lake Akmena and Lake Galve that are situated nearby. If you had a chance to go back to those days, you could see the contemporary women washing their laundry in the lakes with their skirts lifted up to prevent them from being soaked by the water, and the men watering their horses at the lake.
There also were tumuli nearby Bražuolės Castle Hill in the 9th-12th centuries. They were used as the place of burial of the cremated remains of the deceased local people. It is regrettable that only the remains of the old graves, that are called Kapčiai, have survived into the present…
The old people remember that the neighborhood of Bražuolės Hill had always been very beautiful, and this beauty can also be seen today. If you want to make sure that this is true, you should climb up the steep slopes of the hill that overlooks the beautiful panorama!
Sourse: www.lietuvosgamta.lt
