Old hill fort covered in over 100,000 crosses as a symbol of Lithuanian nationalism and beliefs
Located 12 km north of the town of Siauliai, in northern Lithuania, the Hill of Crosses occupies a low rise of ground once thought to have been a Domantai, or hill fort.
The nearby city was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire during the 14th century. Crosses are thought to have first appeared on the site during this time as a way of expressing the desire for Lithuanian independence.
Crosses continued to be placed on the site throughout the medieval period by local Catholics and during a peasant uprising against Russian control of the area in 1831, the practice of placing crosses in remembrance of missing and dead rebels began. By 1895 it is recorded that there were 150 large crosses on the site and this number grew to 400 by 1940.