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Founded: 3500-2800 BCCategory: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Germany
Historical period: Paleolithic to Neolithic Period (Germany)
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The Great dolmen of Dwasieden is a megalithic site of the Funnelbeaker culture, which was constructed between 3500 and 2800 BC.
The dolmen lies in a roughly northeast-southwest oriented, trapezoidal hunebed about 35 metres long and 12.5 to 7.5 metres wide. Of the 54 kerb stones - including the four guardian stones - 41 have survived. The rectangular, roughly east-west oriented chamber at the wide end of the frame, with its western entrance and porch consists of seven supporting stones, a half stone the height of the uprights and five slabs, on which there are three large (on the chamber) and three small capstones. Only the central capstone of the chamber is missing. One of the four guardian stones at the southwest end, which had already been overturned in the past, has 40 cup marks, one of the kerb stones has three more. The site is a prime example of the porch dolmen (Großdolmen mit Windfang), typical of this region. A two-metre-long porch runs past the support-high half stone to the 4.0 metre long, 1.7 metre wide and 1.4 metre high chamber. The hall consists of red sandstone slabs, annealed flint and a clay floor.
Neither human bones nor cremated remains were found, but it has been established that it was later used by members of the Globular Amphora culture. The artefacts found include 1,777 shards, the largest amount of pottery in a site in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There were also 19 blades, eleven amber beads, eight cups, six crosscutters, six scrapers, five biconical vessels, five bowls, two funnel bowls, a scraper (Schaber), a hammerstone and a narrow chisel.
References:The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania was built originally in the 15th century for the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Royal Palace in the Lower Castle evolved over the years and prospered during the 16th and mid-17th centuries. For four centuries the palace was the political, administrative and cultural center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Soon after the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was incorporated into Tsarist Russia, Tsarist officials ordered the demolition of the remaining sections of the Royal Palace. The Palace was almost completely demolished in 1801, the bricks and stones were sold, and the site was bowered. Only a small portion of the walls up to the second floor survived, that were sold to a Jewish merchant Abraham Schlossberg around 1800 who incorporated them into his residential house. After the 1831 uprising, the czarist government expelled Schlossberg and took over the building as it was building a fortress beside it. Before the Second World War it was the office of the Lithuanian Army, during the World War II it was the office of the German Army, and after World War II it was used by Soviet security structures and later transformed into the Palace of Pioneers. Fragments of Schlossberg's house have become part of the Eastern Wing of the restored Royal Palace.
A new palace has been under construction since 2002 on the site of the original building. The Royal Palace was officially opened during the celebration of the millennium of the name of Lithuania in 2009.