Kuršėnai
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kuršėnai (; Samogitian: ''Koršienā'') is a city in northwestern
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 ...
,
Šiauliai County Šiauliai County () is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County remains as a territorial a ...
,
Šiauliai district municipality Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
. It is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2023 estimate, it had 10,651 residents.


Etymology

The city's name was first documented in the 16th century. According to historian , its name is derived from the word ''kuršis'' ( Curonian). However, according to
folk legend Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as tales, myths, legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also includes material ...
, the city didn't have a name for a long time. But, one summer day the river Venta flooded and washed all hay bales which were standing at the river banks. People started questioning each other: where is the hay? where is the hay? („Kur šienai? Kur šienai?“). Since then, the city name stayed as Kuršėnai. In other languages the town is referred to as: ''Kurshon''; ; ; .


History


Early history

The town and its surroundings fall within the boundaries of the territory inhabited by the ancient Samogitian tribe. According to historian S. Zajančiovskis, Kuršėnai was first mentioned in the 12th century. Since the 14th century, Kuršėnai village and
Kuršėnai Manor Kuršėnai (; Samogitian: ''Koršienā'') is a city in northwestern Lithuania, Šiauliai County, Šiauliai district municipality. It is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2023 estimate, it had 10,651 residents. Etymolog ...
was the personal property of the Lithuanian Grand Duke. A wooden church was built in 1523. From 1561-1563 Kuršėnai was already referred to as a town. In 1564, King and Grand Duke
Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus (, ; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and t ...
gave Kuršėnai with 162 valakas of land, on the advice of the Samogitian Elder Jonas Chodkevičius, to the Despot-Zenavičiai family. Kuršenai was later the property of
Pac family The House of Pac or Pacowie (, , ) was one of the most influential noble families in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Numerous high-ranking Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officials of the Commonwealth came from their ra ...
and after them a property of
Gruževskiai Gruszecki (; , sometimes anglicized as Grushetsky) is the name of a Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and Russian noble family. History The name originates from the knight Maciej, Chorąży of the King of Poland and Lithuanian Grand Duke, Jog ...
family, who ruled the town with the manor until
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Under George Despot-Zenevičius, the
Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...
of
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 ...
, the town began to expand in the manor lands on the other side of the Venta River. In 1621, the estate was acquired by
Steponas Pacas Stefan Pac (; 1587–17 November 1640) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman, politician and magnate. He was the private secretary of King Sigismund III of Poland since 1611, Grand Clerk of Lithuania since 1615, Recorder of Lithuania since 1626, ...
, the Grand Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and
Great Scribe of Lithuania Great Scribe of Lithuania (; ) was a central, though non- Senatorial, office in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Great Scribe served as an adviser to the Grand Duke of Lithuania and his chancellor. History of the office The office was created ...
. In 1631, by a decree of the King
Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...
, the manor of Kuršėnai was given to George Gruževskis (1591-1651) as a perpetual right for his merits in the
Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Terra Mariana, Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom ...
.


18th-early 20th century

At the end of the 18th century, Kuršėnai were inherited by Stephen Gruzewski. Having brought in the artist J. Rilke with the apprentice team, he built a new (current) manor house and a chapel and renovated other buildings in 1811. The estate flourished still further under the rule of his younger son Edward who took it over in 1846. Kuršėnai Manor has the most valuable heritage of wooden manorial architecture in Šiauliai District. The original staircase, window frames, and wooden front doors have survived. After the Third Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the estate of Kuršėnai was under Russian rule from 1795 to 1914, first in the
Vilna Governorate The Vilna Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. In 1897, the governorate covered an area of and had a population of 1,591,207 inhabitants. The governorate was defined by the Minsk Governo ...
and from 1843 in the
Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Govern ...
. The town itself began to flourish after 1873 when a railway station of
Libau–Romny Railway Libau–Romny Railway was a railway company that built a railway line in the Russian Empire in 1871–74 to connect Romny in Ukraine with the port in Libau (Liepāja) in present-day Latvia. To do so it passed through Minsk. The objective of th ...
was built here. During the years of
Lithuanian press ban The Lithuanian press ban () was a ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet, in force from 1865 to 1904, within the Russian Empire, which controlled Lithuania proper at the time. Lithuanian-language publications t ...
, the banned press was spread by A. Kairys, P. Milašauskas, S. Rupšys and other book smugglers. In 1899, a secret
Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...
school by Eleonora Karaveckaitė was opened. During
Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...
strikes and demonstrations took place in Kuršėnai and the local Russian administration was expelled. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
the manor and the park were severely damaged by the occupying German army who stole the manor's valuables. In 1914 the town's Jewish population was expelled by the Russian army, who accused them of collaborating with the Germans.Josef Rosin,
Protecting Our Litvak Heritage > Kuršėnai (Kurshan)
', accessed 2016-01-02
The fire of 1915 destroyed the peasant farms, barns, and sheds. The manor belonged to George Gruzewski at that time. Owing to advanced farming, the estate was flourishing during the interwar period. The manor was nationalized in 1940.


World War II and later

In 1939 there were around 900
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
living in the town (out of the total population of around 3000). Their persecution began in July, 1941. Immediately following the arrival of the
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
a Lithuanian squad was formed in Kuršėnai. They arrested supporters of the Soviet regime and assigned the Jews to various
forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
tasks. When a
ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
was set up in Kuršėnai by an order of Nazi authorities many Jews were housed in the two synagogues. At the end of July Nazis and a group of Lithuanian nationalists (white armbanders) together with police seized approximately 150 to 168 Jewish men and murdered them in a mass execution in a nearby forest, about three kilometers from the city. After World War II, during the
Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...
,
Lithuanian partisans Lithuanian partisans () were partisans who waged guerrilla warfare in Lithuania against the Soviet Union in 1944–1953. Similar anti-Soviet resistance groups, also known as Forest Brothers and cursed soldiers, fought against Soviet rule in E ...
of the
Kęstutis military district The Kęstutis military district (Lithuanian: ''Kęstučio apygarda'', previously Joint Kęstutis military district; ''Jungtinė Kęstučio apygarda'') was a military district of Lithuanian partisans which operated from 1946 to 1959 in the counties ...
, later the Voverė and Kunigaikštis Žvelgaitis detachments of
Prisikėlimas military district The Prisikėlimas military district (Lithuanian: ''Prisikėlimo apygarda''; "Resurrection district") was a military district of Lithuanian partisans which were active from 1947 to 1969, and comprised the counties of Šiauliai, Joniškis, and partial ...
, were active in the area. The town was home to the Pavenčiai Sugar Factory, the Daugėliai Building Materials Company, and the Jiesia ceramics factory. Currently Agrokoncerno grupė agricultural company established a Grain Processing Plant in the territory of the former sugar factory. 24 October 1994. The coat of arms of Kuršėnai was adopted by the Decree of the
President of Lithuania The president of the Republic of Lithuania () is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania. The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania, represents the nation internationally and is the commande ...
. In 2014, the settlement of Ringuvėnai was incorporated into the town.


Economy

Since
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
deposits that were ideal for making fine ceramics were discovered near Kuršėnai,
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
has long been thriving in the city. In the last century, Kuršėnai became famous for fairs abundant in
earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...
. Kuršėnai is called the “Capital of Potters” not only due to the abundance of such handicraftsmen in the city but also because the All-Time Potter's Crown has been solely won by the folk artists from Kuršėnai such as J. Paulauskas, V. Damkus, B. Radeckas, and J. Vertelis. It clearly is no coincidence that a pitcher is one of the elements of the coat of arms of the city.


Famous dishes

Kuršėnų vyniotinis, a type of sweet rolled pastry with cheese curd filling, was named after the city. The dessert was created by Eugenija Dragūnienė, a
gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
survivor who opened a local confectionery store after her release.


Famous people

*
Stasys Raštikis Stasys Raštikis (September 13, 1896 – May 3, 1985) was a Lithuanian military officer, ultimately obtaining the rank of divisional general. He was Chief of Defence (Lithuania), the commander of the Lithuanian Army from September 21, 1934, to Apr ...
, Lithuanian army general *
Donald Kagan Donald Kagan (; May 1, 1932August 6, 2021) was a Lithuanian-born American historian and classicist at Yale University specializing in ancient Greece. He formerly taught in the Department of History at Cornell University. Kagan was considered am ...
, Yale Classics professor *
Vacys Reimeris Vacys Reimeris (3 August 1921, Kuršėnai – 6 February 2017, Vilnius) was a Soviet and Lithuanian poet, translator, and Honored Culture Worker of the Lithuanian SSR (1965). Biography He graduated from elementary school in Kuršėnai in 1934 and ...
, poet * Stasys Lipskis * Arieh Kubovy, chairman of
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

Arjeh Kubovy, Head of Yad Vashem,dead; Was Israeli Career Diplomat
', Jewish Telegraphic Agency archive, accessed 2016-01-02
*
Kazimiera Kymantaitė Kazimiera Kymantaitė (June 29, 1909 – May 21, 1999) (Surname by the first marriage: Gregorauskienė, by the second marriage: Banaitienė) was a Soviet and Lithuanian stage and film actress, Lithuania's first female professional stage director.
(1909-1999), Lithuanian film and actress and stage director


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kursenai Cities in Šiauliai County Cities in Lithuania Shavelsky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Lithuania Šiauliai District Municipality