Viešintos Ridge
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Viešintos is a town in
Anykščiai district municipality Anykščiai (; see #Name, other names) is a ski resort city in Lithuania, west of Utena, Lithuania, Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring in height. Anykščia ...
, in
Utena County Utena County () 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 2010, the county admini ...
, 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 281 people. Town established near Viešinta river.


Etymology

Viešintos is a hydronymic
place name Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...
- the town is named after the river Viešinta, whose source is located near the town. In other languages, the town is known as:


History

The Viešintos manor has been mentioned since the 16th century. In 1591, its owner Francas Kulvietis was granted the privilege to establish a town and to organise a market, and in the course of a few centuries the town of Viešintos overtook the nearby rival town of Jurgiškis. In 1734, 33 families lived in the town. The first church was built in 1787. The
Kaunas 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 from the western part of Vilna Governorate, and the order ...
archives mention that in 1853 Viešintos manor with 191
serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...
belonged to Pranciškus Krasauskas. Then, until the beginning of the 20th century, Viešintai manor belonged to the Petkevičius and Komar families, and after the death of its last owner, Antanas Komaras, it was mortgaged to the Vilnius Land Bank. In 1902 a primary school was founded. After the restoration of Lithuania in 1918, there were 2 mills, a
dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...
, a small credit union, and a branch of the
Lithuanian Riflemen's Union The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union (LRU, ), also referred to as Šauliai (''the Riflemen''; from for ''rifleman''), is a paramilitary organization supported by the Government of Lithuania and regulated by the dedicated law. It is active in three ...
. At the time, about 30
Jewish 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 ...
families lived in Viešintos, a synagogue was built before
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 ...
, but demolished by the
Soviet government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...
around 1962. From 1941 to 1951 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 ...
authorities deported 28 residents of Viešintos. On 07.07.1941, on the orders of the
Nazi occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...
authorities, most of the Jews of Viešintos were executed in the
Kupiškis Kupiškis (; Yiddish: קופישוק) is a city in northeastern Lithuania. It is the capital of the Kupiškis district municipality, mainly known for its sculptures and fourth biggest water reservoir in Lithuania. Kupiškis is located on the Lėv ...
Freemasons' Cemetery. After World War II,
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 Šarūnas detachment of
Dainava military district Dainava military district (also Dainava partisans military district) is a military district of Lithuanian partisans which operated in 1945–1951 in the counties of Alytus, Lazdijai and Varėna in Dainava (Dzūkija). The most significant battles ...
were active in the area. The coat of arms of the town was adopted in 2006 by the decree of the
President of the Republic 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 ...
.


Buildings and structures

* 246 metres tall guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting


References

Towns in Utena County Towns in Lithuania Vilkomirsky Uyezd Anykščiai District Municipality {{UtenaCounty-geo-stub