Mantagailiškio apylinkės

ENFormer Mantagailiškis manor homestead (unique code 80) is located about 5 km northwest from Biržai and is a part of the territory of Biržai Regional Park. The surroundings of the homestead of this manor are closely linked in geological, archaeological and historical terms. According to the conglomeration and location of sinkholes, geologists have identified that two sinkholes between Mantagailiškis and Šlepščiai crosses one another. Even in Karajimiškis, which has been long a part of Mantagailiškis manor homestead, according to the data from 2004,145 sinkholes were located. Well known geological monuments of Lithuania are located next to Mantagailiškis manor homestead - Lapės, Geologų, Ievos, Velykų, P. Kruopio sinkholes and famous Karvės cave. In 1784 the pastor of Pabiržė Antanas Šarkevičius, while writing about Pabiržė parish to the deanery of Kupiškis, notes that Daudžgiriai manor land is rich in rocks and Kirdonys fields are filled with white and gray gypsum: “In Karajimiškis, abroad field ofKushelevski, rocky and gypsum places, collapsed ground, one of which collapsed several years ago; between the caves water appears”. This letter could be the first and earliest known source currently, describing siknhole phenomena. During the pre-war period, about 7 km north from the manor house, processed logs, along with late Iron Age pottery fragments were found, while meliorating the Šilinis lake. 1° 193°>in Peikšteniai village, a brass Baltic type axe was found, which now is kept in the Museum of Biržai.According to people's stories, in 1875 Tyszkiewicz excavated „the tomb of a giant" in Šlepščiai, where fragments of an iron battle axe and a stone axe were found. While harrowing the „tomb of a giant" in the 1930s, there were ancient tools found that were transferred to the Museum of Biržai. The findings are unindentified because the items were not listed in the papers. In 1932, Viktorija Ambrozonytė in the fields of Karajimiškis found a stone axe and brought it to the Museum of Biržai (1932 0128, kv. Nr. 472). In 1928 Petras Tarasenka declared that “there is an old graveyard in the village of Montogališkės, Biržai parish and county”. In 1939 there was found an ancient settlement of Mantagailiškis and P. Baleniūnas preliminary dated it to the 8th - 10th century. During the Soviet era, it was protected and named as „the remains of an ancient settlement, so called “Ancient Fire”“. In 2006 exploratory archaeological research was carried out by R. Songailaitė. Total researched area was about 50 m2. 34 findings were taken to the Biržai Museum, most of it were fragments of late period clay vessels. Homesteads seems to be drawn on the 1645 map of the Duchy of Biržai, between the manor and the researched area. Therefore, it could be assumed that the fragment of the former 17th century homestead was found in the investigated area. An old burial ground, mentioned by B. Kvyklys, could be associated with the so-called Užubaliai village old burial ground. Two spearheads were found near it and were transfered to the Biržai Museum on June 15,1958 (Inv. No. 1753, 1756).In 2000, during the Biržai region museum “Šėla” archaeological expedition, it was attempted to locate an old burial ground of Užubaliai. 14 m2 area was investigated. The fragments of household ceramics and tiles, that could be dated to the period of 17th-18th centuries, were unearthed. According the to archaeological literature, only the so called „tomb of a giant" in Šlepščiai village is known at present Mantagailiškis manor surroundings. Currently, the for understanding the Mantagailiškis manor homestead in the context of the remaining manors in the northwestern and western part of the district of Biržai the only known historical source should be used, a mentioned letter from the 18th century. The parish of Pabiržė, described by a priest Antanas Šarkevičius in 1784, gives information about the localities, manors and their owners, that shows the view of the parish of Pabiržė during that time. There were 24 manors, 91 villages and 24 taverns in the parish, that belonged to the different owners: Bistromes, Hans, Kildysh, Sak, Dysterlof, Borovsky, Igelstrom, Staszewski, Shlipenbach, Frakoviene and others. The village of Pasvaliečiai belonged to the capitol of Vilnius. Mantagailiškis Manor, Karajimiškis “border” and village of Kirkilai belonged to Kushelevski. The owners of the parish manors changed in 1918, after the establishment of independent states of Lithuania and Latvia and after 1921 border treaty between the countries. In 1784 the part of mentioned areas of the former parish got into the territory of the established Budbergs parish and later went to Latvia. During 1940s, at the beginning of the Soviet occupation, manors were nationalized and the large part of the movable valuables, such as paintings, dishes, furniture, books, family archives, etc., were stolen.[...].