Miedniki Królewskie is a village known mainly for the ruins of one of the oldest castles in Lithuania. It is surrounded by the highest hills in Lithuania, Józefa Góra and Wysoka Góra, which are just over 290 m above sea level.
The castle in Miedniki was built most probably in the first half of the 14th century, but the first records of it date back to the end of this century. It was rebuilt several times and was strengthened due to frequent attacks of the Teutonic Knights. To this day, the complete perimeter of the gothic defensive walls and the tower with historical exhibitions have been preserved. While visiting Miedniki, you can also see a nice wooden church of the Holy Trinity from the interwar period.
Although Miedniki is a small town, for Lithuanians they are of great symbolic importance. In 1991, after the declaration of Lithuania's separation from the USSR, at the local border crossing point, the OMON unit attacked Lithuanian border guards. Seven soldiers died, and the monument in Miedniki is often visited by Lithuanians who want to commemorate the fallen.
The hills surrounding the town are a big attraction of Miedniki. They are among the highest in Lithuania, and on Wysoka Góra, at an altitude of 293.84 m above sea level, there is a boulder pointing to the highest place in the country. Right next to it there is the "Aukštoja" lookout tower.
