Bulandu Hillfort

Bulandu Hillfort, also known as Ozolkalns, is located on the right bank of the Irši River, approximately 1 km northeast of Irši, between the river and the main road. The reservoir created by damming the river in 1984 has eroded part of the hillfort's slope.

The hillfort rises only 6–9 metres above the surrounding fields. On the river-facing side, however, its slopes reach a height of 13 metres and are naturally quite steep. On the other sides, the slopes have been artificially steepened, without the use of ditches or embankments. The hillfort has a small, elongated, oval-shaped plateau that slopes down by 2 metres towards the north. The plateau is approximately 40 metres long and up to 22 metres wide. It is covered by a cultural layer containing charcoal, animal bones and other remains. On the slopes of the hillfort, the dark soil layer extends to a depth of half a metre.

According to local legend, during wartime, a chest of money was buried on Ozolkalns. As the Swedish army retreated, its soldiers dug it up and transported it to Koknese. At the place where the chest had been buried, an abandoned book was reportedly found, containing instructions on how to locate the money that had been taken away. The excavated treasure chest was supposedly placed on heavily reinforced iron runners and transported away by two horses.

Old, rusty swords were reportedly discovered when digging potato storage pits in the hillfort. Several hundred metres north of the hillfort, across a meadow, various pieces of jewellery were once found on a small mound. Before the Second World War, some of these items, including horseshoe-shaped brooches, were sent to Riga.

Thanks to the association "Irši iedvesmo" (Irši Inspires), since October 2023 the hillfort grounds have been enhanced with beautiful benches and an information board. Visitors can learn more about the history of the hillfort by reading the information or scanning the QR code.