Adutiškis
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Adutiškis (; ; ) is a town in
Švenčionys district municipality Švenčionys (; ; known also by several Švenčionys#Etymology, alternative names) is a city in eastern Lithuania, and capital of the Švenčionys district municipality, located north of Vilnius. , it had a population of 4,065 of which about 17% ...
, in
Vilnius County Vilnius County () is the largest of the 10 counties of Lithuania, located in the east of the country around the city Vilnius and is also known as Capital Region or Sostinės regionas by the State Data Agency, Lithuanian statistics department and ...
, in northeast
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 689 people. The town is located near Kamaja river, and at the border with
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. There are the Church of St. Virgin Mary Scapular, built in 1913, Adutiškis Secondary School, customs office, post office and retirement home in Adutiškis


History


Early history

The first documented mention of Adutiškis is from the 14th century. From 1526 onwards, ownership of the town passed to Jerzy Radziwiłł (Jurgis Radvila). It subsequently became the possession of the
Kiszka family The Kiszka family (plural Kiszkowie, ) was a noble family (szlachta) and one of the most powerful families (magnates) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Originating from Mazovia, the family used the Coat of a ...
(Kiška). In 1526, the town, which developed adjacent to the manor estate, was granted the privilege of holding markets and operating a
tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
. In 1608, the town was bestowed upon the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...
. A Catholic church was constructed in the 16th century. In 1790, a parish school and an orphanage were established. In 1795, after the Third Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the area was subjected to incursions by Russian forces, and in 1811-1812 during the
French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...
, it was raided by the French army. As a consequence of the
1863 Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last in ...
, numerous families who had supported the rebels were deported to Siberia by Russian authorities. The construction of a railway line connecting
Pabradė Pabradė (; ; ''Podbrodz'') is a city in eastern Lithuania, in Švenčionys district municipality, on the Žeimena river, 38 km south-west of Švenčionys. Pabradė is a busy place as the Vilnius–Daugavpils railway is close to the city. ...
and
Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...
in 1895 led to a period of rapid expansion for the town, which subsequently gained recognition as a centre for commercial activity.


20th century

The
Vilnius region Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time. The territory ...
, including Adutiškis, was annexed by Poland from 1920 to 1939. During this period, it served as one of the primary centres for Lithuanian activities, with the establishment of a Lithuanian school and library, as well as branches of the Lithuanian St. Casimir's and Rytas societies. The promotion of Lithuanianism was largely spearheaded by Lithuanian priests, notably Aleksandras Burba and B. Krištaponis. Polish repressions against local Lithuanians in Adutiškis started in 1926 following the closure of Lithuanian schools in the district. Lithuanian children were forced to attend Polish schools. Failure to attend school on
16 February Events Pre-1600 *1249 – André de Longjumeau, Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. *1270 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order ...
( Lithuanian Independence Day and a
public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...
) resulted in disciplinary action being taken against the parents and students. In the autumn of 1939, the Soviets crossed into the Vilnius region and Adutiškis. Many men were drafted into the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
, later Lithuanians were discharged from the army, but the local
Belarusians Belarusians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Belarus. They natively speak Belarusian language, Belarusian, an East Slavic language. More than 9 million people proclaim Belarusian ethnicity worldwide. Nearly 7.99&n ...
were not. Soon the war reached Adutiškis. On 19 September 1939, the Red Army captured
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, which it returned to Lithuania. The residents of Adutiškis anticipated the arrival of the
Lithuanian army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...
. However, they did not arrive, and the inhabitants soon learned that they were incorporated into
Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...
. The border between Lithuania and the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
was located between
Švenčionys Švenčionys (; ; known also by several Švenčionys#Etymology, alternative names) is a city in eastern Lithuania, and capital of the Švenčionys district municipality, located north of Vilnius. , it had a population of 4,065 of which about 17% ...
and
Švenčionėliai Švenčionėliai () is a city in Švenčionys district municipality, in eastern Lithuania 10 km west of Švenčionys. The river Žeimena flows through Švenčionėliai. History On 10 July 1920, it was the site of a battle of the Polish– ...
. Many young people fled to Lithuania. In Adutiškis, numerous Soviet troops were deployed. On 25 March 1940, the occupying Soviet government organised
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
. However, few people voted, and those who did often destroyed their ballots. Soon Soviets deported 26 families from Adutiškis to Siberia. The deportations involved the removal of Lithuanians, Jews and Poles from their homes. Polish soldiers who were captured in Adutiškis by the Soviets were taken to the
Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...
region. Those who survived joined General
Władysław Anders Władysław Albert Anders (11 August 1892 – 12 May 1970) was a Polish military officer and politician, and prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile in London. Born in Krośniewice-Błonie, then part of the Russian Empire, he serv ...
, and fought on the 2nd Polish Corps. At the end of the war, some of the men returned to Adutiškis and other towns where, on
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
's orders, they were deported again. For some time, the town was a No man's land, with only about 20 inhabitants remaining. In June 1941, Nazi Germany occupied Lithuania. In September 1941, the Jewish population of Adutiškis and Stajėtiškis were executed at the
Švenčionėliai Švenčionėliai () is a city in Švenčionys district municipality, in eastern Lithuania 10 km west of Švenčionys. The river Žeimena flows through Švenčionėliai. History On 10 July 1920, it was the site of a battle of the Polish– ...
military training ground by an ''
Einsatzgruppen (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the imp ...
'' of Adutiškis policemen. On the preceding day, the Jews were rounded up in the local synagogue. Additionally, non-Jewish residents of Adutiškis who possessed horses were also rounded up at the synagogue as they were forced to assist with the transportation of the Jews. In 1938, the town had a population of 2,000, of whom 700 were Jewish. Some Jews managed to hide in people's homes throughout the German occupation. The Germans threatened the inhabitants with the death penalty for hiding Jews. In 1944, the Germans destroyed the mill and the bridge during their retreat. The Soviets set fire to the town when they arrived and the Soviet re-occupation began. In autumn, a Lithuanian partisan of "Tigras" detachment was formed in the area. After the war, the Soviets deported another 172 people from Adutiškis and its surroundings. In 1949, the inhabitants were forced to join
collective farm Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member-o ...
s.


Demographics

The 1942 census records that 68.9% of the population of Adutiškis parish were Lithuanian, 29.1% Belarusian and 1.7% Polish.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adutiskis Belarus–Lithuania border Towns in Vilnius County Holocaust locations in Lithuania