Tourists have discovered blacksmiths: they have nowhere to set foot, they buy farms in an instant

We visit Kalviai village, Kaišiadorys district, on a weekday afternoon. First of all, the roads attracted the main local tourist attraction – Kalvių Šv. Church of Antanas Paduvietis – towards.

Many first-time visitors are surprised to discover the treasure of architecture surrounded by beautiful nature. We were also surprised. After all, there are only two such round churches in Lithuania. The second is in Sudervė, 16 km from Vilnius.

The first church in this place was built around 1753 by Mykolas Pacas, an employee of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, who also owned the Kalviai mansion. In 1792, the church, under the patronage of José, José’s daughter, caught fire. Juzefa herself died soon, and her widowed husband, Tomas Vavžeckis, built a new one out of brick.

It was the first brick church of its kind in Lithuania. It opened its doors in 1806 and was consecrated in the name of Saint Anthony of Padua.

The entrance to the church, whose author is unknown, is decorated with a wooden sculpture of the Crucified, which has been preserved since its construction.

Its walls are decorated with a mosaic of fine pink gravel, and the view from the patio is worth a million. The largest lake in Kalšiai, the Kaišiadorys district, can be seen in the foothills. The Blacksmith School used to be next to her, but it was closed about five years ago.

A church where you will not hide

“You will always feel in the center of this church, you cannot hide anywhere,” said Rita, pastor and religion teacher at Kruonis Gymnasium, who smiled at us inside.

Cozy and bright in the church. Above the heads there is a dome with windows reminiscent of the Roman pantheon.

Heated stones retain heat until November, so it is not cold. Wedding rings, artists who hold private celebrations like to celebrate gold rings here, because the church is a bit small and very cozy.

It is true, even three altars and all of them, different styles. Pay attention to the unusually decorated wood.

“Once upon a time, the altar was simulated painted, there were no sides at all,” Rita revealed.

She said that around 30 worshipers attend Mass at a time, that number is enough for a small town. A local woman who lives here plays the surviving organ.

“The biggest advantage is that when Mass is ordered here, it is offered on behalf of one person, not ten. Every Sunday someone orders them,” Rita said.

In summer, according to her, the church is considered “on the grid”; without prior agreement with the shepherd who lives in Kruonys, it is possible to see the interior only through the grid.

He returned to the Blacksmiths

After going out into the courtyard, we are greeted by Lina Brazionienė, the president of the blacksmith community. She is probably the most local resident, who returned to the village after studying and working in Kaunas because of her ancestral home.

“Oh, and the man I think comes from here. He is also a man of nature. We decided that we would go to work in Kaunas. After all, “dancing” to the road, and in half an hour you are already in place. Yes, we have lived in Kalviai for 15 years, we are in the construction business. We still have horses and sheep, ”Lina laughed.

After passing the wooden bell tower and crossing the stone wall that surrounds the church through the gate, we began to descend to the foot of the narrow asphalt path. It opens up a piece of state land that stretches for about 100 meters along Lake Kalviai, turned into a cozy spa and bathing place.

According to Lina, crayfish were found in the lake and are an indicator of clean water.

“10 years ago there were breweries here, the locals swam more. It is true that the mountaineers themselves are not going to swim to this new beach yet; they began to rest in the old place again.

Everywhere, pros and cons. At first the breweries, we fix it, it is a problem again, there are no more places to help due to the abundance of vacationers, the local farmers who are working do not go through the furnished machines, they are burping. As in Nida, the joy and anger of the locals came from that joy. It must survive the season. If it was a rainy summer, no one would face such concern, ”Lina laughed.

On a hot weekend, this beach receives many vacationers, they come from both Kaunas and Vilnius, so the main street and access to the church are “blocked” by the abundance of cars.

On a hot weekend, this beach attracts many tourists, who come from both Kaunas and Vilnius.

It was once estimated that around 70 invited vehicles were delivered here, and around 400 people rested on the shores of Lake Kalviai at the same time.

A local woman here takes care of the flower gardens, the general order, without compensation. There are volleyball and basketball courts, swings, changing rooms, restrooms, and even a wooden stage for community summer celebrations. It is believed that he will hold a camera event on the water in the future.

“The blacksmith community can attract a lot of support, more than one place has been renovated. There is no shortage of ideas, but there must be people to implement them. I want to beautify this shore of the lake, offer water entertainment, ”Lina said, sitting on a bench and looking out over the expanses of the lake.

Around 400 people rested on the shores of Lake Kalviai at the same time.

Great place to ski

If you think that there is something to do in Los Herreros only in summer, you are wrong. The president of the community revealed that last winter, when there were heavy snowfalls, she discovered Lake Kalviai in other ways: it is perfect for cross-country skiing.

“Large area: you can skate anywhere. In two hours, I skate around the entire perimeter of the lake. Your own ice rink. And fishermen love Lake Kalviai, especially in winter. Set up a tent for night fishing in the ice, heats it up ”, smiled the interlocutor, revealing that the locals go to work in Kaunas, Kaišiadorys, Alytus, Prienus, Jieznas, and they have set up a grocery store in Kalviai, where you can find everything, many farmers.

“There may be three cows left in our village,” Lina laughed.

Soon we began to explore with him the origin of the name Herrero. Two versions prevail.

“Through the mountainous terrain. Or because many blacksmiths lived here. Our last blacksmith may have died a decade ago, so the city’s main symbol, a wish-fulfilling fish, was struck, curiously, by a non-local blacksmith. The blacksmiths were left without a blacksmith, ”Lina laughed.

If you want to settle in Kalviai today, buy a house on the shore of the lake; It would be hard for you to find it, most of the coast is “privatized”.

“As for how many inquiries I get about housing, none of them would like to buy. Possible but not easy. The supply is not complete. I am not talking about the lakeside at all. If an offer comes up, stop immediately. Oh, what are the prices with us! It was a small plot, that I remember, 100 thousand. He asked for euros “, assured Lina.

When asked why people should go to Kalviai, the interviewee replied that due to the true Lithuanian nature, it is amazing here.

“If you want to spend your free time by the water, escape further from the city, then there is not much to do in Kaunas county,” smiled the president of the Kalviai community.

There is a lack of cafes – pull to another village

What is even more significant at Blacksmiths? It turns out that residents of big cities here also attract goat’s milk cheeses to taste.

In addition, the surroundings of Lake Kalviai are very interesting from a historical and archaeological point of view. Here traces of Paleolithic – Mesolithic settlements (around 11 thousand BC) were found. To the southwest of the village, in the Kalviai forest, there are two burial mounds, typical of the 9th-12th centuries.

Accommodation is also offered in the community house: a room with a fully equipped shared kitchen will cost 30 euros per night.

It is true that the guests of the city lack catering establishments: there are no cafes here, from time to time only a cart with coffee and ice creams arrives on the beach. So for the night, the locals go to Birštonas or Davainonis, 25 km away, where Villa “Forest Natos” is located in the Kaunas Lagoon Regional Park, surrounded by nature.

The remote five-room hotel and restaurant, sheltered by beautiful nature, was especially popular with foreigners before the pandemic.

Although the hotel hasn’t been very busy due to the quarantine lately, the Forest Scores have attracted and continue to attract nights of live music on weekends (often even free), outdoor gazebos, a terrace, and an interesting menu.

The Miško Natų restaurant prepares meals with into the void (French means empty) technology. It is based on vacuum production, at a temperature much lower than normal, so the color and flavor of the product do not change, it remains juicy.

This year, the chef of this place presented an exclusive ice cream flavored with avocado, which alone makes this oasis of peace worth visiting.

“Most of the dishes are born improvised. You put the recipe in your head, and on the plate you have to fulfill the idea, put the points in the” i “.

There is definitely vegetable ice cream in Lithuania, but I wanted to create some avocado, more interesting, kitokesnian. After all, avocado ice cream sounds different than lemon or chocolate ice cream. We use four ingredients to create them. It took 5 tries to get the flavor we wanted, “he said. 15 minutes, Gabrielius Kudrauskas, 26-year-old chef of “Forest Sheet Music”, admitted that when visiting other restaurants it is difficult not to assume the role of evaluator and critic, not to look closely at the work of colleagues.

According to him, the most popular dishes this year are salmon tartare and mussels.

According to Gabrielius’ assistant in the restaurant’s kitchen, Šarūnas Česonis, 25, finding a chef job in Kaunas or Vilnius is easy. At the moment, it is possible to negotiate a good salary, because in the summer most of the restaurant’s employees go to Palanga.

He himself admitted that he was tired of the hustle and bustle of the resort, so this season he chose to work in the town of Davainoniai, and his family is close to Kaunas.