Antatilčiai: Hillforts and Memorials

Antatilčiai offers two different perspectives on the area: memorials in the centre and two hillforts with their own names, features and access routes. For planning purposes, it is worth considering the two hillforts separately. Their described routes and historical dates differ. This way, you can decide which focus you would like to shape your trip to Antatilčiai.

Memorials in the town centre

In the centre of Antatilčiai stands a wooden cross intended to protect the village and bearing a wooden rūpintojėlis figure. The inscription on the cross reads “Čia išėjusiems atminti. 2000 m.”, meaning “In memory of those who have passed away. 2000”. The central memorial thus brings together the stated idea of protection and an explicitly expressed remembrance. If you are exploring the area’s memorials, you can consider these details as two aspects of the same cross: its figure and the purpose it is intended to serve, as well as its inscription.

Another memorial in the area is a koplytstulpis dedicated to the printer Juozas Kapočius. It is dedicated to the printer and should be distinguished from the central cross. The two names and associations help distinguish the memorials: the cross bears the commemorative inscription and figure, while the koplytstulpis names Juozas Kapočius. If you are focusing on the area’s memorials, both their different forms and their respective dedications are therefore relevant.

Two hillforts with distinct profiles

The Antatilčių II hillfort, also known as Papilėda, lies at the confluence of the Siesartis and Žydaupis rivers. Its steep slopes are 12 metres high. The platform is triangular and elongated in a west–east direction; it measures 30 × 15 metres. The 12 metres refers to the slopes, while the 30 × 15 metres refers to the platform. This distinction helps you correctly match the different measurements to the terrain, rather than reading them as a single measurement.

Antatilčių I is also known as Pilalė. The two names are useful for clearly distinguishing the hillforts when planning a trip: Papilėda refers to Antatilčių II, and Pilalė to Antatilčių I. Their described access routes also differ.

Routes and starting points

Pilalė can be reached from the centre of Antatilčiai by an approximately 650-metre-long field track. The described route to Papilėda, by contrast, starts at a homestead: from there, an approximately 300-metre-long footpath leads through the forest along the left bank of the Siesartis. The two distances therefore refer to different starting points and route descriptions. The lengths can be compared while each route retains its own course and point of reference. Check the route conditions before visiting, as these details do not specify current access conditions.

Comparing the dates

The historical dates also differ in their chronological scope. Antatilčių I (Pilalė) is dated to the beginning of the second millennium. Antatilčių II (Papilėda) is dated to the period from the end of the first millennium to the beginning of the second. Papilėda’s date therefore covers an earlier-starting period and also extends to the beginning of the second millennium; Pilalė is dated to that beginning. This allows the dates for both hillforts to be considered side by side without confusing their names or the features associated with them.

Discover more destinations: Strėva, Aluona, Švenčionys, Glitiškės, Kiemeliai, Karvys, Lentvaris, Aukštadvaris.

For the broader travel overview: Vilnius District.