Dotnuva (formerly pl, Datnów, russian: Датновъ, Датново, Датнов, german: Dotnau) is a small town with a 2003 population of 775 in central
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, 10 km northwest of
Kėdainiai
Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest List of cities in Lithuania, cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population is 23, ...
, in the
Kėdainiai district municipality
Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population is 23,667. Its old town dates to ...
. It is located on the
Dotnuvėlė River. The geographical center of Lithuania, in the village of
Ruoščiai
Ruoščiai is a small village in Kėdainiai district municipality, Lithuania. Located about 3 km from Dotnuva
Dotnuva (formerly pl, Datnów, russian: Датновъ, Датново, Датнов, german: Dotnau) is a small town with a 2003 ...
is only a few kilometers away from the town. There is a Catholic church, former Bernardine monastery, former sawmill and watermill in Dotnuva. The Dotnuva manor is in the nearby town
Akademija.
Dotnuva is an important center of agriculture.
History
left, Church of Dotnuva
The first mention of the name Dotnuva was in
1372. The Dotnuva estate was known from the 16th century. In 1636 the first wooden church was built. The Brzostowski family, the owners of surrounding land and town, invited Bernardines from Vilnius and in 1701, a
Bernardine monastery was established in the town. The monastery was begun to be built in 1768 and the church in 1773–1810. This monastery also kept the primary school similar to the other Bernardine monasteries. The school was opened in 1796 and in beginning of the 19th century grew to the level of high school (gymnasium). But as the monks got involved in the
1831 Uprising against Russian rule, the school was closed in 1836.
The town has a long history of farming education. In 1911-1914
Pyotr Stolypin
Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin ( rus, Пётр Арка́дьевич Столы́пин, p=pʲɵtr ɐrˈkadʲjɪvʲɪtɕ stɐˈlɨpʲɪn; – ) was a Russian politician and statesman. He served as the third prime minister and the interior minist ...
founded the farming school in the old estate. A new building for this school was built (destroyed in 1944). In 1924 Dotnuva Agricultural College was founded in Dotnuva estate, these days called
Akademija. On 26 February 1947, the first
kolkhoz
A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership or ...
in Lithuania – the ''
Marytės Melninkaitės kolūkis'' – was established nearby.
From 1956 till 1996 Dotnuva held the status of city but later was declared as a town.
Demography
References
External links
The monastery in Dotnuva
Kėdainiai District Municipality
Towns in Lithuania
Towns in Kaunas County
{{KaunasCounty-geo-stub