A very interesting place, which is located twelve kilometers from Šiauliai. In fact, it is a natural hump on which hundreds, if not thousands, of different crosses are located - both homemade, up to several meters high, and those that are hung around the neck. This hill is extremely popular among tourists, as this mountain is the embodiment of the suffering of the people of Lithuania, hope for a better life, freedom. Now the Hill of Crosses is included in the list of places to visit during excursions.
History
The first crosses were erected around the nineteenth century, but there were few of them then. A century later, in the 50s of the last century, there were already several thousand crosses on the mountain, although it should be understood that this area has never been a cemetery. Nevertheless, Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims come to this hill.
And even earlier, from the eleventh to the fourteenth century, there was a castle on this site, entirely made of wood. But it could not withstand the attacks of the Livonian Order, and was destroyed in the middle of the fourteenth century, and was not subject to restoration.
During the Soviet era, this mountain had a special status. It was a reflection of how they resisted the regime. When deportees began to arrive in the country in the 50s, the number of crosses increased, but they had inscriptions that told of suffering and loss. In the 60s, the number of crucifixes exceeded five thousand, and then the government, after futile attempts to negotiate with people so that they would no longer go to this place, gave the order to destroy all the crosses by all means. After that, the mountain was leveled and guarded, they even spread a rumor about some kind of disease to discourage people from going to the mountain, but people, out of old habit, brought crosses here at night. This continued for more than twenty years, until in 1988, the Mountain of Crosses became a symbol of the Christian world. Church events have been and are held here, and at the beginning of the twenty-first century, a Franciscan monastery was built at the very bottom of the mountain.
Legends
There are many stories about how the first cross appeared here. One says that it was erected by a father who buried his daughter. One night, in a dream, he saw a woman, and she told him to make a cross and take it to the mountain near the village of Meškuičiai. He did everything he was told, and when he came home, he saw his daughter alive. When the whole area learned about this, people also began to take crosses to the mountain.
Another legend tells that a man suffering from a serious illness promised God to put a cross on the top of a hill in exchange for God restoring his health.
But be that as it may, there is solid documented evidence that mentions the Hill of Crosses in the mid-nineteenth century. It was at that time, right after the uprising of 1830, when many Lithuanians fell ill and their final resting places were not found, that their grieving relatives began to erect crosses on the Hill in memory of the dead.
Journey to the Hill of Crosses
If you decide to visit this unusual place, it will truly be a majestic event in your life. If you immediately imagined a huge mountain with crosses dotted on top, you are deeply mistaken. This is more of a hill than a mountain, but not high or large. All kinds of crosses are placed here so densely that a very narrow path passes by them. You will climb the path to the top, where there are single crosses. Here you can see crucifixes made of various materials, of different sizes, of different themes, whether in memory of someone or a recollection of something. It is not unimportant what weather you come in, since in sunny and dry weather you can get one impression, and if in cloudy or rainy weather - completely different.
How to get there?
The most convenient way to get to the Hill of Crosses is by car. From Šiauliai, take the A12 highway, heading Joniškis-Riga. When you see the sign for "Hill of Crosses," turn right.
If you are going by transport, you can use the bus that runs from Šiauliai to Joniškis. They leave from the bus station every day, except Sunday, from 7.25 to 17.05. You need the Domantai stop. From here, the last bus towards Šiauliai leaves at 17.27 (Monday, Friday and Sunday – at 19.03).
