Puntukas
Puntukas
Dvaronių akmuo | |
|---|---|
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  Puntukas Location within Lithuania | |
| Coordinates: 55°29′3″N 25°3′31″E / 55.48417°N 25.05861°E | |
| Location | Dvaronys, near Anykščiai |
| Geology | Glacial erratic |
Puntukas also known as Dvaronys Stone is the second-largest boulder in Lithuania, a natural monument of the state. It is situated some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Anykščiai on the left bank of the Šventoji River. Next to Puntukas, the treetop trail of Anykščiai Pine Forest is arranged. It was believed to be the largest stone in Lithuania until the discovery of Barstyčiai stone in the Skuodas district in 1957.
Physical characteristics
[edit]Puntukas is a glacial erratic—it was brought by glaciers during the last glacial period (18th–12th millennium BC) probably from Finland.[1] It measures 6.9 metres (23 ft) in length, 6.7 m (22 ft) in width, and 5.7 m (19 ft) in depth (including 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) underground). It weighs about 446 tons according to the latest data.[2][3] It is made of Rapakivi granite. Its reddish mass includes large crystals of potassium feldspar surrounded by green rings of oligoclase.[1]
Sculpture
[edit]
On the southern face of the Puntukas stone is a bas-relief memorializing the pioneering Lithuanian aviators Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. The idea for the monument was conceived by Tomas Algirdas Zauka. Measuring 1.17 by 1.44 meters, the carving was created in secret in 1943 by sculptor Bronius Pundzius during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania to mark the 10th anniversary of the pilots' historic flight. The sculpting process took about 180 days. It features portraits of the pilots bordered by oak branch motifs. Beneath the figures are their surnames, the date of their flight (July 15, 1933), and an excerpt from their final testament, an appeal to the Lithuanian nation written before their ill-fated transatlantic journey from New York City to Kaunas aboard the Lituanica. The memorial was heavily damaged by gunfire from Soviet Extermination battalions in 1945 but was eventually restored in the mid-1970s. Following the second Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Tomas Algirdas Zauka was arrested by the Soviets for organizing the construction of the unauthorized memorial to Darius and Girėnas. Consequently, he was deported to the Gulag labor camps.[4]
Local legends
[edit]
A local legend has it that velnias (devil in the Lithuanian mythology) carried the stone to destroy the Anykščiai Church, however a rooster crowed. The devil disappeared back into the underworld, leaving only Puntukas behind.[5] The legend was featured in the famous poem Anykščių šilelis by Antanas Baranauskas.[6]
According to another story, a brave Lithuanian warrior Puntukas was killed and was burned (a usual pagan custom) on the stone; since then it is known as Puntukas stone. Other legends claim that the stone was a pagan shrine or altar and that oaks growing around are relics of the sacred groves.[7][8][9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Gaigalas, Algirdas (1985–1988). "Puntukas". In Zinkus, Jonas; et al. (eds.). Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 3. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. pp. 469–470. OCLC 20017802.
- ↑ "Pasvėrė didžiausius Lietuvos riedulius". Delfi agro (in Lithuanian). 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ↑ Šmigelskas, Vidmantas (2020-08-25). "Paaiškėjo, kiek sveria Puntuko akmuo". Anyksta.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ↑ Skučaitė, Virginija. "Legendinių lakūnų bareljefai buvo kalami slapta". Kauno diena. Diena Media News. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Laurinkienė, Nijolė (1996). Senovės lietuvių dievas Perkūnas: kalboje, tautosakoje, istoriniuose šaltiniuose (in Lithuanian). Lietuvių literatūros tautosakos institutas. p. 148. ISBN 978-9986-513-14-8.
- ↑ Baranauskas, Antanas (1869). "Anykščių šilelis". Lithuanian Classic Literature Anthology (in Lithuanian). Institute of Scientific Society. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ↑ Semaška, Algimantas (2006). Kelionių vadovas po Lietuvą: 1000 lankytinų vietovių norintiems geriau pažinti gimtąjį kraštą (in Lithuanian) (4th ed.). Vilnius: Algimantas. p. 208. ISBN 9986-509-90-4.
- ↑ "Венцана - Винона. Т. 6". Энциклопедический словарь / под ред. проф. И. Е. Андреевского: 391. 1892.
- ↑ "ЭСБЕ/Вилькомир — Викитека". ru.wikisource.org (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-07-08.