History of the hill or crosses
The hill of crosses is one of those bucket list items that are unique in this world. That is there is only one place where you can see and experience it. It has been on my bucket list seen the first time I saw a picture of it and thought wow where in the world is that.
Nobody is really sure when people begin leaving crosses on this site. Some say it could have been as early as the 14th century, other believe it was the 19th century. The reason for it beginning is more widely accepted though. It is believed it that the hill became a symbol of peaceful resistance of Lithuanians and Christians.
In 1795 Lithuania was conquered by the Russian Empire. Lithuanians attempted to rise up against the Russian occupation to regain their independence. It is said that a significant number of crosses were added to the site after the 1863 insurrection attempt. Families of those that went missing left a cross to remember them by.
Between 1944 and 1990 Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union. During this period of time religion was not allowed by the authorities. However Lithuanins added crosses to the Hill of Crosses as a sign of protest, but also as an affirmation of thier religion and culture. On serval occasions the Soviet army did destroy all of the crosses on the site. However after each time they destroyed them the Lithuanians placed more crosses there. In 1985 the army said that it would stop destroying the crosses on the site. Since then the number of crosses on the hill of crosses has continued to grow.
The hill of crosses now has a large collection of crosses, crucifixes, statues of the Virgin Mary, effigies and rosaries. They don’t know the exact number of religious items there, but estimates put it over 150,000
My visit to the hill or crosses
The hill of crosses is located a little north of a town called Šiauliai in the northern region of Lithuania. I am lucky enough to have friends that live in Lithuania so getting to the hill of crosses was relatively easy for me. We drove to it from the capital of Lithuania Vilnius. It is just under 220km to the hill of crosses from Vilnius by car. Roads especially main roads are very good in Lithuania so the trip is an easy two and a half hour drive. It was a day in September when I visited so the weather was a little cloudy. But a benefit of visiting out of season is that you have the place almost to yourself.
There is a small shop next to the carpark where you can purchase souvenirs or snacks. There was also an old gentleman outside selling crosses that you could place on the hill. The Hill of crosses is free to visit, but it does become busy during the summer. It was a very surreal experience walking along the path up to the hill of crosses. My mind wandered to thoughts of all the people that have been here before. Who they were, why they were here.
There are paths throughout the crosses. You are just not able to appreciate just how many there on when you look at pictures. There are crosses all over, of all different sizes and different designs. Some look like that they have been there a very long time indeed.
Leaving a cross is a tradition, they say that if you leave a cross and make a wish they will come true. You are able to purchase crosses next to the car park. This simple wooden one in the flowers was the one that I left there after making my wish.
The hill of crosses is a very unique place in the world. It is worth the visit if you find yourself in Lithuania.
Location/Facts
The hill of crosses is located a few kilometres north of Šiauliai. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hill+of+Crosses/@56.0152479,23.4131168,17z/
Getting there
The easiest way to visit the hill of crosses is with an organised tour. Viator has a few different tours to choose from. https://www.viator.com/en-GB/Lithuania-attractions/Siauliai-Hill-of-Crosses/d58-a2815
If you have access to a car it is very easy to get to from the major cities in Lithuania. There is ample free parking on site.
It is possible to use public transport to get there. However you would need to change busses at Siauliai.
Languange(s)
The language spoken in Lithuania is Lithuanian
Currency
The currency of Lithuania is the Euro €
Electricity
The electricity in Lithuania is 240V at 50Hz. There are two types of plugs used in Lithuania type C and type F. The type C version has two round pins, the type F adds two earth strips to the side of the plug.
When to go
The best time to visit Lithuania is late spring or summer. This is when it is usually the warmest in Lithuania. Summer temperatures average around 21 C/70 F Try to avoid the late autumn or winter months as it can get extremely cold in Lithuania.