Kernavė - UNESCO World heritage site in Lithuania, part 1
One of the UNESCO World heritage sites in Lithuania - Kernavė archeological site
Today in Lithuania there are four sites recognized by the UNESCO as the material heritage of the mankind: old town of Vilnius (but do not make mistake: old town Vilnius is on the list of UNESCO not for architecture but as an unique place of interconnection of different cultures and traditions), Curonian spit, Struve geodetic arc (one of the biggest UNESCO sites geographically since it is located in 10 countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova) and Kernavė archeological site.
Besides that UNESCO included Lithuanian traditional cross making and song festivals in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the World's non-material heritage list.
Kernavė today is small township located about 40 km to the north west from Vilnius and about 70 km to the north east from Kaunas (but you need to leave highway and go to the north). In XIIIth century Kernavė was one of the most important castles of Grand Duke Traidenis. But even before that here existed large township of Baltic tribes (at least in the IXth -XIth centuries). Detailed excavations were done in the 1980s and 1990s by famous Vilnius university archeologist Aleks Luchtan. They showed that below the ground there are well preserved streets, remnants of houses, very many old artifacts, etc. Still there is single known site of such size and complexity in this region. There are now the idea to build in the closest neighborhood reconstruction of this town. These excavations allowed to rewrite some of the chapters in our history. Since 2004 UNESCO included Kernavė in the material heritage list of all mankind.
Now let's go to this township and the site.
On arrival you can see that Kernavė isn't typical Lithuanian township: the interest about Kernavė began to rise in the XIXth century and this township got bigger attention both in the prewar years as well as in the 1970s and 1980s.
Main alley:
Not old but also not new lamps:
Even the toilet isn't rural :))
Ordinary buildings from the 1980s but similar houses weren't very typical for the villages in that period:
Local elderman office :))
Monument "Iron Wolf" - reminiscence to one legend:
Another monument:
Several wooden folk style crosses - remembrance about another UNESCO preserved tradition:
First official remembrance that you at the place included to the UNESCO list:
Old Kernavė church built by Vytautas Magnus in 1413 doesn't survived. Modern church was built in 1910-1913 in the neo-gothic style by Waclaw Michnewicz:
Ruins of the old church from 1413:
Old chapel with folk style "cross":
Another chapel with coat-of-the-arms by Vytautas Magnus:
Several old tombs:
Near the church you can find massive parish house. It is interesting that this parish house was built in 1986-1988. Large monument to Vytautas Magnus was built around 2000. Since the monument belongs to the church the name of the Grand Duke is also Christian - Alexander:
Even more unusual looks decorations on the parish house and in the yard:
The yard:
The oak tree in the township also has special marks :)))
Official UNESCO table:
First view to the archeological site:
walking around:
To be continued ...
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Today in Lithuania there are four sites recognized by the UNESCO as the material heritage of the mankind: old town of Vilnius (but do not make mistake: old town Vilnius is on the list of UNESCO not for architecture but as an unique place of interconnection of different cultures and traditions), Curonian spit, Struve geodetic arc (one of the biggest UNESCO sites geographically since it is located in 10 countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova) and Kernavė archeological site.
Besides that UNESCO included Lithuanian traditional cross making and song festivals in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the World's non-material heritage list.
Kernavė today is small township located about 40 km to the north west from Vilnius and about 70 km to the north east from Kaunas (but you need to leave highway and go to the north). In XIIIth century Kernavė was one of the most important castles of Grand Duke Traidenis. But even before that here existed large township of Baltic tribes (at least in the IXth -XIth centuries). Detailed excavations were done in the 1980s and 1990s by famous Vilnius university archeologist Aleks Luchtan. They showed that below the ground there are well preserved streets, remnants of houses, very many old artifacts, etc. Still there is single known site of such size and complexity in this region. There are now the idea to build in the closest neighborhood reconstruction of this town. These excavations allowed to rewrite some of the chapters in our history. Since 2004 UNESCO included Kernavė in the material heritage list of all mankind.
Now let's go to this township and the site.
On arrival you can see that Kernavė isn't typical Lithuanian township: the interest about Kernavė began to rise in the XIXth century and this township got bigger attention both in the prewar years as well as in the 1970s and 1980s.
Main alley:
Not old but also not new lamps:
Even the toilet isn't rural :))
Ordinary buildings from the 1980s but similar houses weren't very typical for the villages in that period:
Local elderman office :))
Monument "Iron Wolf" - reminiscence to one legend:
Another monument:
Several wooden folk style crosses - remembrance about another UNESCO preserved tradition:
First official remembrance that you at the place included to the UNESCO list:
Old Kernavė church built by Vytautas Magnus in 1413 doesn't survived. Modern church was built in 1910-1913 in the neo-gothic style by Waclaw Michnewicz:
Ruins of the old church from 1413:
Old chapel with folk style "cross":
Another chapel with coat-of-the-arms by Vytautas Magnus:
Several old tombs:
Near the church you can find massive parish house. It is interesting that this parish house was built in 1986-1988. Large monument to Vytautas Magnus was built around 2000. Since the monument belongs to the church the name of the Grand Duke is also Christian - Alexander:
Even more unusual looks decorations on the parish house and in the yard:
The yard:
The oak tree in the township also has special marks :)))
Official UNESCO table:
First view to the archeological site:
walking around:
To be continued ...
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