Just off the main street in Juodkrante, Lithuania, the forest is
alive with a vast array of fairy-tale creatures, crow-monsters, devils
and saxophonists. Known as the Hill of Witches, this public trail
through the woods takes visitors on a trip through the most well-known
legends and stories in Lithuanian folk history.
Work began in 1979 on the sculpture park, and it now features 80
different wooden carvings from local artists. Painstakingly
hand-crafted, each sculpture depicts a popular character from folk and
pagan traditions in the Juodkrante. The public park got its name long
before the sculptures were placed along the wooded trails, and is in
fact a reference to the pagan celebrations that take place on the hill
during the Midsummer's Eve Festival.
Each year on June 24th, people across Lithuania dance, sing and bring
in the midsummer with the older folk traditions of the country. After
Christianity came to Lithuania, the celebration was renamed Saint Jonas'
Festival, but many of the practices still have pagan roots, as is
echoed by the fantastic world of the Hill of Witches sculptures.
