Crosses on a Lost Fortress
About 12 kilometers north of Šiauliai, Lithuania, lies the Hill of Crosses, a site that has drawn pilgrims for nearly two centuries. Its origins trace back to the 1831 Uprising against the Russian Empire.
Families unable to recover the bodies of fallen rebels began placing symbolic crosses on the remnants of the Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort. By 1900, there were 130 crosses, and despite destruction at various times, the numbers steadily grew.
Suppression and Resistance
During the Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1990, the hill became both a religious and political statement. The Soviet authorities bulldozed the site on multiple occasions, arrested people caught planting crosses, and even considered flooding the area.
Still, Lithuanians returned under cover of night to place new ones. By 1961, 5,000 crosses were destroyed, yet by 1990 there were about 55,000.
Growth After Independence
Following Lithuania’s independence in 1990, the hill flourished openly. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the site, recognizing it as a place of faith and peace.
In 2000, a Franciscan hermitage was established nearby, linking the site with broader Catholic traditions. By 2006, estimates suggested over 100,000 crosses stood on the hill.
Into the Present Day
In 2013, local authorities set regulations for placing crosses, allowing wooden ones under three meters without permits.
The site has also seen moments of controversy, such as a 2019 incident when a tourist removed a political cross. Even so, the hill continues to attract pilgrims and visitors worldwide, remaining one of Lithuania’s most distinctive cultural and religious landmarks.
Twelve kilometers north of Šiauliai, Lithuania, stands the Hill of Crosses, a pilgrimage site believed to have begun after the 1831 Uprising.
From a few early markers, it grew across generations to tens of thousands of crosses placed by visitors…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/7uSNa4jTMj
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) August 19, 2025