Radviliškis () (german: Radwilischken; pl, Radziwiliszki; yi, ראדווילישאָק, ''Radvilishok'') is a town in the

Radviliškis district municipality Radviliškis () (german: Radwilischken; pl, Radziwiliszki; yi, ראדווילישאָק, ''Radvilishok'') is a town in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of th ...

Šiauliai County Šiauliai County ( lt, Šiaulių apskritis) 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 re ...

, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of the district since 1950, and is an important railway junction.

History

Radviliškis was founded at the end of the 15th century. It was first mentioned in the book on state economics by M. Downar-Zapolsky listing the towns taxpayers in 1567. In 1687,

John Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...

, the king of Lithuania and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, granted the right of holding a market to it. Radviliškis was devastated many times by military forces, plague and hunger in the 17th–19th centuries. There were no citizens left in Radviliškis after the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

in 1708–1710. Town growth began when the Liepāja–Romny Railway line, crossing the town, was built in 1870 and Radviliškis–

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

line was built in 1873. Railwaymen constituted the majority of the residents. Around July 12, 1941, all 300 Jews of Radviliškis were murdered in the Durpunas Forest near the Jewish cemetery by Germans and Lithuanian Activist Front members from Radviliškis. In 1998, a sculpture of the Victory goddess

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

was unveiled in the center of Radviliškis to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the victory over the united

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

–

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

West Russian Volunteer Army The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a pro-German military formation in Latvia and Lithuania during the Russian Civil War in 1918–20. History The Western Russian Volunteer Army, unlike the pro- Entente Volunteer Army, was sup ...

. It was created by sculptor P. Mazuras.

Name and coat of arms

Supposedly, the name originated from the name of the noble Radziwiłł (Radvila) family of Lithuanian origin. This family ruled Radviliškis for more than 200 years, from 1546 to 1764. A rising and light-emitting horse, representing communication, motion, town development and flourishing, is depicted in the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

of Radviliškis. The light is a symbol of civilization's role in the town development. It was created by artist Laima Ramonienė in 1992.

Attractions

Radviliškis, settled on

everglade Everglade may refer to: * Everglades, region of tropical wetlands in the US * Everglade Township, Stevens County, Minnesota, township in Stevens County, Minnesota, the United States * "Everglade" (song), a 1992 song by L7 * "Everglade", a song b ...

s, was famous for its railway and black-from-locomotive-smoke sparrows. The two symbols of the town are the railways, and black

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

s. There are Evangelical-reformed, Protestant, Lutheran, and Orthodox chapels, Jewish synagogues and Catholic Churches in Radviliškis. The stone windmill of Radviliškis was erected in remembrance of the violent and triumphant battles in 1919 against the German–Russian armed forces(Bermontians). The wooden belfry of Radviliškis parish's Blessed Virgin Mary church of the Immaculate Conception is a topical architecture monument. It was set in 1878. The belfry burned twice. It was reconstructed in 1984.

Twin towns – sister cities

Radviliškis is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Bauska Bauska () is a town in Bauska Municipality, in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on the busy European route E67. The ...

, Latvia *

Daliyat al-Karmel Daliyat el-Karmel ( ar, دَالِيَةِ ٱلْكَرْمِل, he, דַלְיַת אֶל-כַּרְמֶל, "vineyards ( دالية) of Carmel") is a Druze town located on Mount Carmel in the Haifa District of Israel, around 20 km southeast ...

, Israel *

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, Poland *

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, Poland *

Horki Horki ( be, Горкі, , pl, Horki) or Gorki (russian: Горки) is a town in the Mogilev Region of Belarus, an administrative center of Horki District. As of 2009, its population was 32,777. History For the first time Horki was mentioned ...

, Belarus * Kadzidło, Poland *

Khashuri Khashuri ( ka, ხაშური ) is a town in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia. It is the administrative centre of Khashuri Municipality. It is located on the Shida Kartli plain, on the Suramula riversi ...

, Georgia * Lillehammer, Norway * Minsk District, Belarus *

Nyasvizh Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region ...

, Belarus *

Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It is also a place steeped in history with its archaeological sites, the goddess Sequana; nymph Sources close to the Seine and Alesia, the remnants of its anci ...

, France *

Skara Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. On ...

, Sweden *

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

, Ukraine

References

External links

Official websiteFeasibility and EIA study for Radviliskis WWTP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radviliskis Cities in Šiauliai County Cities in Lithuania Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania Shavelsky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Lithuania Radviliškis District Municipality