Rambynas

Rambynas is a hill (about 46 meters high) in western Lithuania, on the bank of the Neman River. Across the river is Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. The hill belongs to the territory of Rambynas Regional Park. The nearby larger city is Pagėgiai and Tauragė in Lithuania, Neman and Sovetsk in Kaliningrad Oblast.

The hill is thought to have been the place of ancient Skalvian fort, destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in 1276. Later it was used for religious ceremonies of pagan Lithuanians. An old pagan altar stood on top of the hill until early 19th century, when the top of the hill was washed out by the Neman. In the 20th century the place was popularized by Vydūnas, who organized concerts of Lithuanian choirs. A number of legends exists, concerning the Rambynas Hill. The place is still popular for Lithuanian festivals. Saint Jonas' Festival is celebrated on this hill anually.

A large part of this hill is already washed out by the Neman River. Major conservations works were finished in 2003 to preserve it from further erosion.

References

* cite book | first=Giedrė |last=Jankevičiūtė |title=Lietuva |publisher=R. Paknio leidykla | year=2006 | pages=354 |isbn=9986-830-97-4

External links

*lt icon [http://www.spaudos.lt/Muziejai/virt_sueiga_muziejuje_c.htm Some pictures]