Utena () is a city in north-east
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 ...
. It is the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Utena district and
Utena County
Utena County ( lt, Utenos Apskritis) is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is the country's most sparsely populated county. The capital and the largest city in the county is Utena, which is from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. On 1 July 201 ...
. Utena is one of the oldest settlements of
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 ...
. The name of the city is most probably derived from a
hydronym
A hydronym (from el, ὕδρω, , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a ...
.
The name of the settlement has been known since 1261.
[
Utena is an industrial city. It is known for its clothing, food and beverage factories. In recent years, however, streets, public squares and large areas of the parks in the city were reconstructed and Utena is now more attractive for recreation and tourism. In 2007, Utena won a Silver Award in category B (towns with a population between 10,001 and 50,000) of the International Awards for Liveable Communities, held in ]London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
The anniversary of Utena City had been held each year on the last weekend of September. Since 2013 the anniversary has been held on the first weekend of September to take advantage of better weather conditions.
Geography
Utena is located in northeastern 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 ...
. The city covers 15.1 km2 and is the eighth-largest city by area in 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 ...
. Four rivers cross the city territory: Vyžuona, Krašuona, Vieša and Utenėlė. There are also two lakes in Utena, Dauniškis
Dauniškis is a lake located in Dauniškis park, Utena city, 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 thr ...
and Vyžuonaitis.
Districts
The city is divided into 10 districts:
* Aukštakalnis
* Ąžuolija
* Centras (Center)
* Dauniškis
* Pramonės rajonas (Industrial district)
* Rašė
* Vyturiai
* Šilinė
* Grybeliai
* Krašuona
Parks and gardens
* City Garden
* Vyžuona Park
* Dauniškis Park
* Krašuona Park
* Aukštakalnis Pine Forest
* Rašė Park
* Utenėlė Park
* Vieša Park
* Monkey park
Climate
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Lithuania occurred in Utena (-42,9 °C in 1956-02-01).
History
Utena was first mentioned in historical documents dating back to 1261. The settlement was a major center of Nalšia Nalšia or Nalšėnai (sometimes Nalsen, Nalse) was an ancient land (regional duchy, a subject of Polatsk) in the early stages of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is mentioned in written sources from 1229 to 1298. The references to it cease as it wa ...
. It was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
until 1795, when it fell under Czarist Russian rule. From 1802 it belonged to the Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...
until 1843 when it became a part of the Kovno Governorate
Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was formed ...
. The town grew rapidly after the St.Petersburg-Warsaw road was constructed between 1830 and 1835. In 1899 a narrow gauge railway line, connecting Panevėžys
Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...
-Utena-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 ...
, was constructed. At the end of the 19th century two big fires devastated the town.
Germany occupied Utena from 1915 to 1918, until the Soviet Bolsheviks took over. In June 1919, Utena became a district center in independent Lithuania.
Utena, known as the shtetl
A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...
Utyan in Yiddish, historically had a Jewish population. In 1941, approximately 2,000 Jews were rounded up in the town, which was then under the Nazi occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...
and shot in the Rašė Forest about to the north.
Demography
Population
Sport
FK Utenis Utena
FK Utenis Utena is a professional football club, based in Utena, Lithuania. The club plays its home matches at the Utenis Stadium (capacity 3,000).
In 2020, FK Utenis Utena will participate in the II Lyga. As due to financial difficulties in 20 ...
plays in A Lyga
The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. The A Lyga is an abbreviation of Aukščiausia lyga meaning Highest League. It is organized by Lithuanian Football Federation LFF ( lt, Lietuvos Futbolo Federacija). The Auk ...
and BC Juventus plays in LKL.
Hometown of Jonas Valančiūnas
Jonas Valančiūnas ( ; ; born 6 May 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 ...
of the New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
.
Aidenas Malašinskas is the best handball player in Lithuania (2019, 2021).
Twin towns – sister cities
Utena is twinned with:
* Chełm
Chełm (; uk, Холм, Kholm; german: Cholm; yi, כעלם, Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some ...
, Poland
* Kovel
Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population:
Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...
, Ukraine
* Lidköping
Lidköping () is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about
40 000 inhabitants in 2021.
It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vänern and sometimes refers to itself as "Lidköpin ...
, Sweden
* Pontinia
Pontinia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Latina in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about southeast of Latina.
Pontinia was established in 1935, as part of the project under Prime Minister Benito Mu ...
, Italy
* Preiļi
Preiļi (; german: Prely; ''russian: Прейли'', previously also ''Прели'') is a town in Preiļi Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia. It is also the administrative center of Preiļi Municipality.
History
Preiļi is one of the o ...
, Latvia
* Rēzekne
Rēzekne (, ; German: ''Rositten'') is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven hills, Rēzekn ...
, Latvia
* Třeboň
Třeboň (; german: Wittingau) is a spa town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...
, Czech Republic
* Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour or Beit Sahur ( ar, بيت ساحور pronounced ; Palestine grid 170/123) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate of the State of Palestine. The city is under the administration of the ...
, Palestine
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Cities in Utena County
Capitals of Lithuanian counties
Cities in Lithuania
Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania
Vilkomirsky Uyezd
Holocaust locations in Lithuania
Utena District Municipality