In the Ažubalis Forest there is a Čelniukai stone with a depression called the Devil's Foot.
The stone with a foot is bluish-gray, fine-grained, irregularly shaped granite, 1.75 m long, 0.75–1.35 m wide, up to 70 cm high. At the top in the middle there is a depression measuring 10x26–28 cm and up to 3.2 cm deep, called the "Devil's Foot". The stone is a protected state cultural monument.
It is said that the Devil was sitting in a spruce tree growing near a stone, and during a loud thunderclap, he jumped onto the stone and stamped his foot. It is said that if you place a cross in the Devil's Foot, it would begin to shrink – grow.
It is said that a golden plow and a silver harrow are hidden under the stone, or that Napoleon's soldiers, fearing that the Russians would not take their regiment's flag, buried it under this stone and carved a sign resembling an infantryman's foot. In addition, various legends are told and played at the stone. No man will pass there without making a mistake.
It is assumed that the Čelniukai stone was mentioned in 1622 when Petras Pocis donated the village of Kukutėliai and the Erzvėtas manor to the Tverečius monastery. Not only the stone, but also the surrounding area is commonly known as the Devil's Foot. In legends, the Čelniukai stone is associated with the stone with feet that existed in Triluščiai.
In 2021, the Čelniukai Stone moved to the Mielagėnai eldership. When adjusting the administrative boundaries of the elderships, it happened that the Čelniukai Stone, which was in the Tverečius eldership this summer and had not moved a centimeter from its place, ended up in the Mielagėnai eldership. The Mielagėnai eldership not only inspected the newly discovered cultural monument, but also started work in the Ažubalis forest in the fall: they cleaned up the environment around the mythological Čelniukai Stone.
Mindaugas Milinavičius, a folk artist living and working in the Mielagėnai eldership, Kikižerys, gladly agreed to decorate this heritage site. He carved and donated a stylized sign to the eldership.
Information updated 2025-12-12
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