The Plungė District is in northwestern Lithuania, in Telšiai County. This region is characterized by a hilly, undulating landscape formed by the Western Samogitian Plateau and the Samogitian Uplands. The Minija River and its tributaries, the Sausdravas, Babrungas, Mišupas and Karkluoja, wind through the green valleys. Lakes glisten like mirrors among the hills, the largest and most beautiful of which are Platelių, Ilgio, Beržoro, Iešnalio and Alsėdžių.
During the inventory we:
– verified the GPS coordinates of the sites
– measured the dimensions of the sites
– assessed surface damage
– took photographs
– collected information from secondary sources
The geological sites collected during the inventory were systematically entered into a GIS database and are continuously updated to create a comprehensive and user-friendly interactive map.
The following geological features were examined during the inventory:
- Ubagų Hill Stone, a natural heritage site, is the largest stone in the Plateliai area, located in the village of Plateliai within Žemaitija National Park. Its height above ground is 1.20 m, length is 5 m, width is 3.40 m, and maximum horizontal circumference is 12.90 m. This stone was designated a natural heritage site in 2007.
- The Devil’s Stone and Footprint, located on the Babrungas River, has the following dimensions: height 1.20 m, length 3 m, width 2.8 m. Legend has it that the keys to the doors of a castle that sank into the mountain are hidden beneath it. However, they can only be retrieved before midnight, as a witch and a devil guard this treasure. Due to the imprint on top resembling a foot, this stone is also called the Devil’s Foot.
- Laumės Stone (Mačiūkai), a cultural heritage site, has a width of 2.7 m, length of 1.81 m, and height of 0.78 m above ground.
- Mikytų Stone, a cultural heritage site, has a width of 4.5 m, length of 2.5 m, and height of 4 m. It features indentations described as a “foot with a heel”.
- Gandinga Hillfort, a state-protected archaeological and cultural monument, is a hillfort with a settlement and a cemetery in the territory of Plungė District Municipality.
- The Mikytai Hillfort is a cultural monument of national importance, dating from the 1st millennium to the 13th century. The site is trapezoidal in shape, oriented in a southwest–northeast direction, measuring 25 × 26 m at the northeast end and narrowing to 8 m at the southwest end.
- Plungė Hillfort is a cultural monument of national significance, dating from the 1st millennium. The site is rectangular, oriented east–west, measuring approximately 40 × 25 m, with the eastern side rising 0.5 m higher. The slopes are steep, about 5 m high, and the northeast slope is eroded in places.
