The head of the Kernavė reserve reassures about the mounds: as it will not happen with Gediminas Hill, the moles may also be to blame for the landslide



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“Mound landslides are not unexpected, because it is a creation of nature and man. Man contributes by building slopes, nature is trying to restore it to that more natural state, ”says Ramojus Kraujelis, director of the Kernavė State Cultural Reserve.

Not just harm

Showing images hanging in the currently closed museum of the archaeological site of Kernavė, the director smiles: the beginning of a major archaeological investigation is also associated with a large landslide in the spring of 1979 on the eastern slope of the same throne mound. from Mindaugas, just on the opposite side.

Then the mountain was practically divided in half, so according to the technologies and knowledge of that time, it was rebuilt, part of it was poured out again.

“Where there is a disaster, there is some discovery. Thus, after the great landslide, a complex archaeological investigation began. As we say now, the upper site of the Mindaugas throne mound has been explored. Additional research moved to other mounds. If we look at the Mindaugas throne mound, its earrings have slipped more than once.

Where there is a disaster, there is some discovery. Thus, after the great landslide, a complex archaeological investigation began.

According to our data, in the 20th century. late 21st century pr. The eastern slope of the mountain was maintained, the southeast one managed five years ago, as well as the north and northwest slopes, which are still cracked but not inclined. The deformations are visible, but the work done more than 15 years ago has withstood it. It’s just a question of how long it will last, “said R. Kraujelis.

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Ramojus Kraujelis

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Ramojus Kraujelis

Guilty and moles?

The culprit for this year’s landslides is nature.

The end of winter last week produced weather fluctuations that are rare as temperatures jumped from -18 to +14.

The melting snow, which was a lot, was absorbed into the thawed ground and the slopes no longer held.

After joking that maybe the moles could be partly to blame, because all the mounds were covered in moles, the director half laughed, half seriously replied that that version could not be rejected either.

The moles are said to have significantly moved the top site of the mound, which may have affected the stability of the mountain slopes.

We really want to believe that everything has stopped. If it doesn’t rain a lot, the wind will dry the cracks. The wound will need to be repaired.

“We really want to believe that everything has stopped. If there is no heavy rain, heavy rain, the wind will dry those cracks. It will be necessary to fix the wound,” said R. Kraujelis, adding that specialists and experts are currently being consulted on the best way to fix the slope of the mound.

At this point on the hillside, you can see stakes studded with red spikes marking the limits of the current deformation to see how the situation is changing.

No changes have been observed in recent days.

Žygimantas Gedvila / 15min photo / Kernavė Mindaugas throne mound east slope landslide, 1979 Museum photo

Žygimantas Gedvila / 15min photo / Kernavė Mindaugas throne mound eastern slope landslide, 1979 Museum photo

“It just came to our knowledge then. The easiest way is to temporarily liquidate the emergency, until there are larger designed elements or until we see how to solve it. We will see which way we choose, if we will only liquidate the emergency situation or take a longer management, it will last longer, “said R. Kraujelis.

The drifting soil will not go to the landfill either, as the director said, it was already agreed that the dry land will be taken by archaeologists to study.

In an area like Kernavė, important finds can be anywhere.

Expect events in the summer

This wound is expected to be repaired by the summer, as Kernavė is visited by people throughout the year, but especially in hot weather.

Unless the situation is the same as it is now, the pandemic restricts movement between municipalities, so only residents of the Širvintos district can come to Kernavė, unless others have a reason to stay.

“It all comes together in financing, we will definitely not fix it with shovels on our own. They are bigger works, technical solutions. There are well-known classical means – reinforced with wood, wooden posts or braided fences, but this is not a long-term solution. So it should be decided if we want a long-term solution. Maybe we can even until a bigger project comes along, “said R. Kraujelis.

Cracks have also been recorded on Lizdeika Hill.

This mound was handled last year; a troubled spot this year could have turned into a landslide, but it didn’t happen.

The slopes of other mounds are not that steep.

While waiting for the summer, the Kernavė staff reserves the jokes that they have plans A and B for future events.

Plan A is intended in the event that the pandemic situation improves and restrictions on freedom are quarantined, it will be allowed to organize celebrations, events at least in the open air.

If that doesn’t happen, more virtual meetings are planned.

We think about the summer, we dream, we still don’t know in what format we will have those events.

“We are thinking about the summer, we dream, we still do not know in what format we will have these events. We have plans for more traffic, we think there will be those outdoor events. Last year we gave it a try and it really paid off with the “Old Kernavė comes alive” education and reconstruction project.

In our restored artisan village, artisans showed their crafts, how to cook, how to make jewelry. We showed live, the broadcasts were also held online, but it was tailored to a smaller stream of visitors, not thousands of crowds, as Living Archeology Days were held. We did this on the last weekends of the month, and the traffic was spread across three days. We are also thinking of organizing in a similar format this year. We still do not give up hope for more important holidays this year, but we will watch and wait, “said R. Kraujelis.

Both he and his colleagues admit that it was very painful to cancel the Living Archeology Days last year, so the idea that this celebration will not take place this year is worrying.

But they are still hopeful for the event.



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