hill of crosses

While travelling with friends we came across the hill of crosses by fortune....it wasn't our destination but we soon stopped and had a look...it's truly inspiring and spiritual....it's not a commercial site but very true and authentic...it not a massive place and there's nothing else there...to wander around and contemplate and to empathise with the people was truly spiritual...I am looking forward to returning one dat....a must see place

...and a little overwhelming! But worth every painstaking part of the journey.We flew to Riga in Latvia and stayed, it was difficult to get to Siauliai, Lithuania, despite the information online saying differently.The Hill of Crosses was one of the most magnificent journeys I have ever made though.CxVisited April 2013, not 2014

engaged a private tour to visit this outstanding place . At first I was reluctant to go due to the private tour service provider charges me Euro220 (as they provide one driver and one tour guide just for me) . At the end of the trip, I must admit that its worth every single cents . The moment i stepped into the sight , I was so touched. There are thousands of crosses at the hill , each of these crosses were left there by believers either to express their gratitude to The Lord or to remember their loved one ... each of theses crosses represents a story of a person of their love or admiration to the God . To prepare to be there for a few hours .

Easy to get to en route from Vilnius to Riga, the Hill of Crosses is a most unusual spectacle. Although there is an altar presented by the Pope, no need to be religious to appreciate the peace of the tributes to thousands of deaths.

This really is a place of Lithuanian History, you might want to read a little about the place before you visit.The place it self is a little morbid but in a good way.Plenty of tourist traps for buying things before you enter but otherwise a 30 min visit is long enough.

Please note the 4 photos currently ONLY show the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.Whereas Lithuania's Hill of Crosses commemorates those who dies in the 19th century rebellions and are made of a wide range of materials and are mostly purchased - the crosses at Ristimägi on Hiiumaa are made of materials visitors find at the site. Because the crosses are natural and insubstantial the display changes from one day to the next depending on the weather. Wonderful! My photos show crosses made of pine cones, pine needles, stones, twigs and yes - one made of steel - YUK! YUK!This site http://www.hiiumaa.ee/tuletorn/tour/hill.html has the official reason for the existence of the site and the local legend (I prefer the local legend.) <<Long ago, a wedding party was traveling along the road from Kärdla and met another wedding party coming from the opposite direction. The road was too narrow for them to pass each other and each refused to give way. Discussion soon gave way to argument and then a fight broke out among the participants in the weddings. In the resulting chaos, the groom of one wedding party and the bride of the other were killed. After the fighting stopped, the people realized what a terrible thing they had done and were overcome with remorse. They all decided that the best way to put this sad event behind them would be for the surviving groom and surviving bride to be married, thus proving that love triumphs over all.>>

nice place to visit especially because of its religious significance. and it is a place that makes people not only look but also think

PROS:- the religious meaning- The atmosphere - There´s a special altar made when the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1993.CONS:- In the middle of no where- LocationSHORT REVIEW:- On a business trip between Riga (Latvia) and Šiauliai (Lithuania) with a local business partner, we stopped here to have a look, but the weather was terrible, so was not possible to leave the car.DO I WILL RETURN?Maybe not, one visit is enough.IMPORTANT NOTE: the Hill of Crosses is ,ocated in Lithuania, not Latvia. Correct address:Jurgaičių, Meškuičių, Šiauliai 81439 - LithuaniaWEBSITE: http://www.hillofcrosses.com/

Set upon what seems to a group of small hills. Littered, decorated and covered in crosses.All you can hear is the rattling of crosses and jewellery. Wonder what it's like to visit at night.....

Nao vale a pena ir lá so pra isso. Mas é no caminho de Riga a Vilnius. Aí sim, da pra parar. Visita é rápida. O mais legal é ver a resistência dos lituanos contra os alemães.... Sempre colocando as cruzes....