21/10/29

Love for the Homeland begins in the backyard (Part I)

A. Kulvietis birthplace

Many people look to faraway countries – Spain, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, other countries – when planning their holidays. Such long journeys require considerable savings, time and, of course, physical strength, and, in the event of a coronavirus pandemic, other difficult issues. There are people in Jonava who spend their weekends travelling around their home country on foot, by bicycle or by car, without waiting for a holiday. If you have any doubts about which direction to take, the above-mentioned project can help.


Let’s start our journey in Kulva. There is probably not a single person who has not heard of Kulva Manor, where Abraomas Kulvietis, the culture promoter who made Lithuania famous several centuries ago, was born. Looking around the park, which has survived to this day and is very diverse in its vegetation, you will find a giant oak tree, which is said to give you energy when you are close to it, and an avenue of lime trees, which continues to lead you back to the past of the manor. Older people still remember the chapel along the avenue where the faithful used to pray. Travellers who like sports can play on the disc golf course in the park.

 
From here you can visit and take a picture at the obelisk to A. Kulvietis, built on the highest hill in our district, from which you can see the towers of Kėdainiai and Jonava, in good weather. It is believed that Kulvietis is buried here.
 

 

Heading in the direction of Lapės, you will soon reach the village of Batėgala, where it is impossible not to stop – herds of reindeer, raised by a local resident, graze on the roadside. The fabulous beauty of the animals will leave you with good emotions.

A few kilometres away, the tree-covered Mažųjų Žinėnai Mound, located at the confluence of the Neris River and the Šlėna River, awaits visitors. This is an exceptional place, as it is the viewpoint of one of the wonders of the Jonava region – the 33-metre Andruškoniai outcrop. The Kulva Geomorphological Reserve (formerly Pabartoniai), which covers an area of more than 800 hectares, should be of interest to tourists. This protected area of the District Municipality is attractive because the Kulva Ozone Ridge, which has formed in its landscape, rises 117 m above sea level.

 
 
Kulva St. In the churchyard, there is the Daunoravičiai chapel with a family tomb. Old local residents say that during the Second World War the church and the bell tower were occupied by Germans. As the front approached, their headquarters were shelled and set on fire. The removed bells were stored for several decades in the wooden bell tower next to the Daunoravičiai chapel. On the initiative of Pastor Raimundas Kazaitis, the bell tower has been repaired, renovated and is still in use today.
 
 

The Memorial Plaque dedicated to the Knights of the Cross and Volunteers of the 1919-1920 Independence Struggle in Kulva Eldorate will provide new information about the Kulva region, and the Museum established in the Abraomas Kulvietis School will open a page of history about the history of the villages, their people, and their everyday life. Visitors to the Rimkai Old Believers’ Orthodox Church will be interested in the guide’s story about the Old Believers who settled in the village of Rimkai, which belonged to Vilnius Voivodeship in the 18th century. Rimkai is considered to be one of the oldest Russian centres in Lithuania.


Author of the article I. Būtėnaitė.

We invite you to visit the described sites!

 
 
 
 
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