Gaviezes Elkukalns

Elkukalns is artificially built on the bank of the nearby Otankas (Otaņħes) river, 80m from the highway and half a kilometer south of Gavieze manor. It remained intact until the 19th century. Nowadays, it is possible to observe its ancient apprises in nature and feel its historical aura.

Findings of jewelry prove that there was a Latvian settlement on the other side of the river. This means that a single ensemble has naturally formed - Elkukalns, the settlement and the river. The middle of Elkukalns was paved with small broken stones. During the Second World War, German troops built trenches and a military equipment depot on its southern side, as a result of which the external shape of Elkukalns has suffered.

The flat has the appearance of a rounded triangle, which is uneven, because in the place where the natural ridge of the land was higher, the flat was also made higher. In this way, a relatively uniform height of the sides of the hill is achieved. It has been observed that the height of the sides of fortified places, if it is artificially raised, does not reach much beyond 4 - 6 m. Such an embankment has been sufficient to put the attacker at a disadvantageous position in the fight. Now the mountain is planted with Vāczem firs, which are around 50 years old. Linden, oak and apple trees also grow on the mountain.

Today, places of worship can be recognized by compound place names, in which the first part is made up of the words God, idol, saint, cross. Cult monuments are natural formations where ancient Latvians gathered for religious rituals and sacrifices. Things that live longer than humans - mountains, stones, springs, trees - became objects of worship. The ancient ancestors of the Latvian people worshiped them, influenced by the power of heaven and earth.