Pabradė (; pl, Podbrodzie; yi, פּאָדבראָדז ''Podbrodz'') is a town in Lithuania, in

Švenčionys district municipality Švenčionys District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. International relations Twin towns — Sister cities Švenčionys district municipality is twinned with the following towns: * Świdnica, Poland See also *Švenči ...

, on

Žeimena The Žeimena River is a river in Aukštaitija, eastern Lithuania, and right tributary of Neris River. Žeimena begins in Labanoras Forest and at Lake Žeimenys. Žeimena flows to the south passing Kaltanėnai town, Švenčionėliai city, and P ...

river, 38 km south-west of

Švenčionys Švenčionys (, known also by several alternative names) is a town located north of Vilnius in Lithuania. It is the capital of the Švenčionys district municipality. , it had population of 4,065 of which about 17% is part of the Polish minority ...

. Pabradė is a busy place as the

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

– Daugavpils railway is close to the city. It was quite a small settlement until the 19th century, when the

Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

was built in 1862.

History

About 850 Jews lived in the town in 1939, comprising one third of the total population. After June 1941, at the very beginning of the occupation, about a dozen Jews were executed. In the middle of July, Lithuanian policemen arrested about 60 Jews and shot them behind the mill. On September 1, the rest of the Jewish population was moved into a ghetto that was established on two streets, previously inhabited by Christians. The ghetto was open, so many of its residents escaped at the end of the month, after rumors about the forthcoming Aktion had spread. Over 100 Jews who were interred in the ghetto or who were recaptured were escorted to the military training camp in

Švenčionėliai Švenčionėliai () is a city in Švenčionys district municipality, Lithuania. It is 10 km west of Švenčionys Švenčionys (, known also by several alternative names) is a town located north of Vilnius in Lithuania. It is the capital ...

and shot on October 8–10, along with thousands of other Jews assembled there. Policemen continued searching for Jewish escapees, gathered them in groups and shot them on the outskirts of town.

Population

In 2011, the city's population was composed of Poles - 44.73% (2681), Lithuanians – 26.81% (1607), Russians - 18.45% (1106), Belarusians - 5.27% (316), Ukrainians - 1.17% (70), others - 3.57% (214).

Military base

Near the town, there is Pabradė Training Area ( lt, Pabradės poligonas), a major military facility of the

Lithuanian Armed Forces The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service ( ...

, established in 1904. It has an area of 12,500 ha and can be used for training at a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

level.

References

External links

Virtual Tour of Pabradė
Cities in Lithuania Cities in Vilnius County Wilno Voivodeship (1926–1939) Holocaust locations in Lithuania {{VilniusCounty-geo-stub