Hill of Witches
Encyclopedia
The Hill of Witches is an outdoor sculpture gallery near Juodkrantė
, Lithuania
.
It is located on a forested sand dune about 0.5 kilometer west of the Curonian Lagoon
, on the Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. Begun in 1979, it has been expanded several times, and now contains about 80 wooden sculptures along a series of trails. The artists drew on a long tradition of woodcarving in Samogitia
, and on the equally long tradition of Midsummer
Night's Eve (Joninės) celebrations on the hill. The pieces depict characters from Lithuanian folklore and pagan traditions.
Woodcarving symposia are held at the park on a regular basis, and new works are added. Admission is free.
Juodkrante
Juodkrantė with permanent population of about 720 people is a quiet Lithuanian seaside resort village located on the Curonian Spit. A part of Neringa municipality, Juodkrantė is the second largest settlement on Lithuania's part of the spit...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
It is located on a forested sand dune about 0.5 kilometer west of the Curonian Lagoon
Curonian Lagoon
The Curonian Lagoon is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surface area is . The Neman River supplies about 90% of its inflows; its watershed consists of about 100,450 square kilometers in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast.-Human history:In the 13th century, the area around...
, on the Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. Begun in 1979, it has been expanded several times, and now contains about 80 wooden sculptures along a series of trails. The artists drew on a long tradition of woodcarving in Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
, and on the equally long tradition of Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Night's Eve (Joninės) celebrations on the hill. The pieces depict characters from Lithuanian folklore and pagan traditions.
Woodcarving symposia are held at the park on a regular basis, and new works are added. Admission is free.