Velikuškės, Zarasai District Municipality
Sartai Regional Park
hillfort with foothill settlement by Lake Sartai
Velikuškės village, Antazavė Eldership, Zarasai District
55.83361, 25.84750
30-60 minutes; more if also visiting Sala Hillfort
summer evening or autumn, when the panorama of Sartai and Zalvė lakes opens best
Velikuškės I Hillfort, Velikuškės Hillfort with Settlement
Velikuškės Hillfort above Lake Sartai
Velikuškės Hillfort is in Zarasai District, Antazavė Eldership, about 1 km north of Velikuškės village, in Sartai Regional Park. It rises on the right shore of Lake Sartai, by the Bradesa branch, and is known for steep slopes up to 19 m high and a broad lake panorama.
There are two hillforts in the same Velikuškės complex. This page covers the first, the hillfort with settlement; the second, about 1.4 km to the south-east, is called Sala and stands on a peninsula between Lakes Sartai and Zalvė. The two are worth seeing together.
Form and defences
VLE gives the first hillfort platform as oval, elongated north-east to south-west, about 26 m long and 48 m wide, with other sources giving 25 x 45 m. A low rampart lies in the northern part, while the south-western field side has a chain of ditches that, together with the steep slopes, defended the settlement.
South and east of the hill is a foothill settlement of about 1.5 ha. The second, Sala Hillfort, is larger, with slopes up to 25 m and an irregular quadrangular platform of about 73 x 150 m.
Research and finds
The hillfort was investigated several times. In 1933 the excavations were led by archaeologist Petras Tarasenka, and in 1949 and 1972 expeditions of the Lithuanian Institute of History worked here; more than 1400 sq. m were investigated. The platform's cultural layer is 0.5-0.8 m thick.
According to VLE, the hillfort is dated to the first millennium BC-thirteenth century AD. Finds included tools such as knives, sickles, awls, pins, whetstones, and spindle whorls; weapons including spearheads; ornaments such as a neck-ring; pottery, hearths, and even two uncremated human graves.
How to visit
The hillfort is an open natural and archaeological heritage object in Sartai Regional Park and can be visited freely, without tickets. The main reward is the panorama of Lakes Sartai and Zalvė. After rain, steep slopes can be slippery, so wear suitable footwear.
A normal stop takes 30-60 minutes; add more time if you also walk to Sala Hillfort. Stay on existing paths and protect the slopes. Velikuškės combines well with Lake Sartai, Dusetos, the winter Sartai horse-racing tradition, and other Zarasai-region sites.
