(plural ; from the Samogitian 'stone' and 'pavement', itself from 'to rake, pull together') is a hidden, usually winding, underwater stony road or ford across swamps, swampy areas, lakes, or along rivers, used as a defense in the lands of Baltic tribes, in particular, in the history of Lithuania.kūlgrinda, Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia Similar secret roads made primarily of wood and ground were known as (from , 'tree') and (from , 'earth, ground') respectively. "Military Mastership of Slavs and Balts of 5–9th Centuries", Ya. Novikov Old Prussians are known to build kulgrindas already in the first centuries (of Common Era), while the Lithuanian ones are dated to the Middle Ages.Šalis ta Lietuva, Institute of Scientific and Encyclopedia Publishing, 2009, , p.47
Function and construction Undetectable from the surface, these roads were usually known only to the locals, and as such were an important element of the defense against various invaders, including the Teutonic Knights in the 13–14th centuries. Kūlgrindas provided safe shortcuts between villages, hillforts, and other defensive structures. They were built by bringing stones, wood, or gravel over frozen swamps in the winter and letting them sink once the ice melted. Such procedure would be repeated several times. Sometimes wooden posts were inserted to protect the elevated area from washing away.
Surviving examples The remnants of kūlgrindas are most often found in the territory of Lithuania, but also in Kaliningrad Oblast (former East Prussia), Belarus, and Latvia. It is estimated that Lithuania has 27 kūlgrindas and 7 medgrindas, about half of them in Samogitia.
The longest and best-known surviving kūlgrinda is in Samogitia. It survived in three segments: the middle segment across the Sietuva swamp and along the between lakes and and two segments on higher grounds: the noertheastern and southwestern parts."Burbiškių, Reistrų, Dargių kūlgrinda, vad. Sietuvos kūlgrinda", Lithuanian Register of Cultural Values It was used up to the 19th century as a road between Kaltinėnai and Tverai. One of the first to investigate the Sietuva kūlgrinda was Ludwik Krzywicki.
Other kūlgrindas are found in the in southern Lithuania and at near Priekulė. The kūlgrinda near Kvėdarna was severely damaged during land amelioration by Soviet authorities. The oldest medgrinda was found in Kernavė and is dated to the 4–7th centuries.
See also Timber trackway Corduroy road Wittemoor timber trackway Wittmoor bog trackway
References
External links Puiki pramoga savaitgaliui: grįšite baisiai purvini, bet labai laimingi [Great fun for the weekend: you'll come back terribly dirty, but very happy], delfi.lt; contains photos and a video of tourists trekking along a kulgrinda in mud in