The best cycling routes in Rūdninkų Girios Biosferos Poligonas

you have to arrange in advance via grikucis.com, we were lucky to be hosted.

A beautiful bridge over the Merkis.

Wooden, without railings.

In 1998, a cross carved by folk artist Juozapas Jakštas was erected on the territory of the monastery, commemorating the Battle of Valkininkai. There have been tragic events in the history of the Valkininkai Monastery. In 1700, a civil war took place in Lithuania between the Sapieha family and the noble opposition that formed the Valkininkai Confederation, who fought against the positions of the Sapieha family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and wanted to limit the power of the Sapieha family. On November 18, 1700, the Battle of Valkininkai took place in the fields between Valkininkai and Liepāny. The Valkininkai Confederation consisted of 4,000 soldiers, while the Sapieha forces, led by the Grand Duke of Lithuania's Grand Horseman Mykolas Pranciškus Sapieha, the son of the Vilnius Voivode and Grand Duke of Lithuania's Grand Hetman Kazimierz Jonas Sapieha, the same one who built the Sapieha Palace in Antakalnis, were half as small. The battle lasted several hours, with several hundred people killed on both sides. The Battle of Valkininkai is also immortalized in the second book of Kristina Sabaliauskaitė's "Silva Rerum", where it is mentioned that near Valkininkai, in a fratricidal war of Lithuanian against Lithuanian, the two eldest sons of Uršulė Birontienė and Jonas Kirdėjas Birontas, Jonas Motiejus and Samuelis Jeronimas, were killed. After the battle, Mykolas Pranciškus Sapiega hid in the Valkininkai monastery, but drunken nobles found him and cut him to pieces with swords right there in the monastery. After the defeat, the Sapiegas were punished with infamia, or deprivation of honor, and their estates were confiscated.

In 1635 or 1636, after the establishment of the Franciscan monastery, Jews began to settle in the town, who in 1642 received a privilege to keep a distillery. The Valkininkai church barely stood out in the town, so in 1635 - 1650 a Franciscan monastery was built. The double-towered church with 2-storey U-plan monastery buildings rose on the western outskirts of Valkininkai, behind Merkys. This Renaissance and Baroque architectural complex became the most important landmark of the town and the surrounding area. In 1832, the Franciscan monastery was abolished, and a military unit was established in it. By 1867-1868, the monastery building was adapted for barracks; the church towers were demolished, and the rest of it was rebuilt into a church. The town and the surrounding area lost a significant landmark. In 1920 – In 1939, Valkininkai was occupied by Poland, many people emigrated, the town almost did not grow. The army was stationed in the former monastery. In 1939, Valkininkai was returned to Lithuania. During World War II, Valkininkai suffered, the former Franciscan monastery was blown up.

The sixth sculpture of the Way of Vytautas the Great. Sculptor S. Milašius, 2000.

A seven-meter-high openwork figure of Vytis, cut from iron sheets, is attached to 25 rods. Sculptor Kęstutis Musteikis needed to create a figure of Vytis that would not obstruct traffic.

The "Sopulingoji Pieta" reminds us of the sad death of Duke Kęstutis in Krėva Castle. This chapel pillar has received special attention from local residents: people often pray at it.