Cultural Heritage

Over 400 values of cultural heritage are preserved within the district of Kelmė.
Five out of them have been acknowledged as the cultural monuments o the Republic of Lithuania.

Kražiai Church

Kražiai church of St. Mary the Virgin.

The church of a late baroque style built for Benedictines in years 1757–1763 under a project by Tomas Žebrauskas. Response throughout all Europe was raised by the events of 1893 related to the defence of Kražiai church against the Russian tzar administration. Having closed the monastery down, the tzar power was planning to demolish the church. Believers asked to transfer the monastry church into a parish church, with their request they addressed the tzar and government, leaders and bishops of other countries. Residents guarded the church day and night, not allowing closing it down. On 22 November 1893, the tzar gendarme and Cossacks attempted to dispose of the local residents forcibly. 9 people were murdered and 50 residents injured. This historical event is known by name of the Kražiai massacre and is considered as the symbol of Catholicism and Lithuanian resistance.

Kražiai College

A building of former Kražiai college. Built in years 1616 – 1618. In years 1617 – 1773 there was a Jesuits’ college, in 1773 - 1817 a county school and in 1818 - 1842 a gymnasium. This educational institution was one of the most important educational and religious life centers of Samogitia of those times. Several well-known public and cultural actors worked in the school, such as poet and philosopher Motiejus Kazimieras Sarbievijus, writer Dionizas Poška, scientist and writer Mikalojus Daukša, bishop Motiejus Valančius, writer Simonas Stanevičius, folklorists brothers Antanas and Jonas Juška, ethnographist Liudvikas Jucevičius, etc.

Lioliai Church

Lioliai church of St. Apostles Simonas and Judas Tadas. It was built in 1768 and is valued as a Lithuanian church of wooden baroque. In the churchyard there is a belfry of a very interesting architecture, i.e. of three stages and of intensively narrowing volume, built in 1857.

Tytuvėnai Church

Tytuvėnai church of St. Mary and ensemble of Bernardine monastery. It was built in 17th – 18th century, the ensemble bears a characteristic synthesis of late gothic relicts, renaissance elements and late baroque forms. It remains untouched and did not suffer from any fires or wars. The ensemble of such artistic presence and combination of styles is an original artistic monument not only in Lithuania but also within the artistic context of the north-eastern Europe.

J. Smilgevičius

The grave of Jonas Smilgevičius (1870-1942), signatory of the Independence statement of 16 February 1918. Užventis cemetary. In 1917, during the Vilnius conference J. Smilgevičius was elected as a Lithuanian Council member. He was a founder of several companies in Kaunas, published his book “Pienininkystė Lietuvos ūkininkams“ (“Dairying for the Lithuanian Farmers”), and in 1912 he purchased Užventis estate which became an exemplary farm.

Sixty, the most valuable cultural objects of the district have been included into the Register of Real Cultural Values of the Republic of Lithuania.
In our district three homesteads of former estates remain which are significant due to their architectural, urban and local visual value. These are estate ensembles of Beržėnai, Pagryžuvis and Kelmė. They are the distinct parts of the historical and cultural landscape revealing versatile cultural and ethnographic heritage of 15th – 19th centuries. The Kelmė estate also has its historical value. It was the first place, where in 1831 a rebellion was started in Lithuania. The rebels occupied Kelmė on 25 March, a day earlier than it was planned, liberated peasants taken to recruits as well as announced to the town residents about the start of the rebellion. Julius Gruževskis, landlord of the estate at that time, was one of the rebellion leaders within Raseiniai county. He formed a lancer troop out of his own means and on 26 March together with other leaders occupied the county center, Raseiniai and entered a building of temporary government. An authentic and interesting architecture is preserved in Vaiguva church of St. John the Baptist (years 1804, 1877), Verpena church of St. Ona (years 1775, 1877), Užventis church of St. Virgin Magdalene (years 1703, 1825), Kelmė church of evangelical reformates (years 1615, 1651), chapel of Lioliai graveyard (1853) and chapel – mausoleum of Christ the Messiah in Tytuvėnai (1853).
In Užventis township, Ušnėnai village a house remains in which Povilas Višinskis (1875-1926), Lithuanian cultural actor and publicist was born. In Kražiai township there are three mythological places, such as Medžiokalnis hill and a stone in Pašilė called the “Coffin of Mr. God”. Many legends and stories about Medžiokalnis hill reached our days. According to those stories, there was a holy oak standing on Medžiokalnis hill and holy waters were spurting out from its roots, there was a holy fire nearby and a statue of goddess Medeinė. J.Jucevičius wrote that on the hill of Medžiokalnis there used to be Medžioima temple and that the goddess used to show herself sometimes to people with such words: ,,Lithuania is in the forests, keep cutting them and when you cut all the forests there will be no Lithuania anymore“. Later on, on the hill of Medžiokalnis there was a menagerie of the Kražiai estate, where such noblemen as Kęsgaila, Radvila and Chodkevičius used to go hunting. Žygimatas Augustas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the Queen of England, Catherine Suffolk with her courtiers enjoyed having rest there. Natural beauty of Medžiokalnis inspired famous European baroque poet, M. K. Sarbievijus.

Burbaičiai Mound

Mounds remind us of a long history of the land. There are 12 mounds having cultural layer and remains of former fortifications, such as Burbaičių, Kubilių, Pagryžuvio, Gudelių, Plūsčių, Vaidatonių, Bukantiškės, Galinių, Papilių, Papilalio, Gauciškės and Kalniškių. They vary depending on their size, height, shape and fortifications. Kubilių mound is the largest in the district with the area coming to approximately 16675 square meters, then it is Papilių mound, with the area of 8360 square meters and Burbaičiai. The smallest mound is that of Plūsčių, only with the area of 1800 square meters. The highest are the mounds of Burbaičių and Kubilių which slopes reach as much as 24 m.

Papiliai Mound

According to the shape, the biggest number of mounds is of a cut cone shape, others have the shape of a hill. A true purpose of mounds was forgotten throughout the centuries and various legends were started to create about them. For example, there is a legend telling how a castle on a hill of Papilalis in Vaiguva area was built.

The estate of Akmenių was surrounded by a half troop of horsemen and the same number of infantrymen. They forced all the residents from the surrounding area to build the castle. On the top, an oak wall was built in order to support the soil and to make the hill steeper. Men, women and children carried the soil and poured it there. Food for the builders was brought from Vaiguva. As soon as the castle was built, the forests were cut so that the hill can be seen from Kražiai and in order to watch that there was no army of the enemy coming.
There is a legend saying that Burbaičių mound was made by a giant in old times. Once, a huge giang was walking through the land, he got tired and sat on a high shore of the Kražantė river to have a rest. Then, he took off his giant clog and poured a soil out of it and this way the hill was formed which now is called as Piliukas.
In Kelmė district there are many barrows of the Iron Age and they come to 18% of all the barrows known all over Samogitia and Northern Lithuania. Besides them, 18 old graveyards are preserved in our land.