The hill in Seredžius has been referred to as Palemono Hill since the early 19th century. According to legend, it is the burial site of Palemonas, the ruler of Samogitia and Lithuania. The legend recounts that the duke Palemonas, persecuted by the Roman Empire, reached our lands by sailing across the Baltic Sea with his family. Later, after reaching the location of present-day Seredžius via the Nemunas River, the duke built a castle here and settled.
On Palemono Hill, the Pieštvės Castle stood from 1293 to 1363. It was attacked by the Teutonic Knights in 1293, 1298, and 1318, with the outlying forts burned each time. The castle was also attacked in 1319, 1322, 1345, and 1357. It was only in 1363 that the Pieštvės Castle was captured and burned down after negotiations, with the garrison having withdrawn. The castle was rebuilt after the Battle of Grunwald, with historical records mentioning it between 1412 and 1413.
Palemono Hill, on which the castle stood, was believed to have been a sacred site for ancient rituals.
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