Lagzdīne Hillfort is the place to be in 2025 / Article

According to him, Lagzdīne Hillfort is an Iron Age fortified settlement on the right bank of the Venta River with a circular rampart along the sides of the flat part of the hill, which is atypical for Kurzeme hillforts.

The hillfort is located in the Ventspils municipality of Piltene near the V1309 Piltene-Zlēkas road.

Photo: Latvijas Arheologu biedrība

Photo: Latvijas Arheologu biedrība

Kalniņš explained that the hillfort played an important role in the control of the Venta waterway in ancient times, because before the construction of medieval castles in Ventspils and Piltene, Lagzdīne hillfort was the first major fortification on the lower reaches of the river from the Baltic Sea. Lagzdīne was first mentioned in written sources in 1253 as a settlement in Lesseden.

The hillfort has been a popular tourist attraction since the 19th century, and various information is available about it, including some that is not always scientifically based. Despite extensive damage caused by the construction of some infrastructure in the 20th century, both at the foot of the mound and on its flat surface, as well as by the activities of the mound’s treasurers, the mound has retained its original extent.

Archaeological research to date indicates that the hillfort was inhabited from the beginning of the modern era as well as in the 11th-13th centuries. In 2024, under the supervision of archaeologists Armands Vijups and Kaspars Markus Molls, the most extensive archaeological excavations to date were started on the mound, which is planned to continue in 2025.

By declaring Lagzdīne Hillfort an archaeological monument for 2025, the Latvian Archaeological Society invites the public to think about issues such as the accessibility of the archaeological monument, the destruction of archaeological sites, as well as the impression created by misinformation about ancient sites and cultural monuments, Kalniņš said.

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