Kedainiai
Encyclopedia
Kėdainiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania
. It is located on the Nevėžis River
. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle
of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2008 was 30,214. Its old town dates to the 17th century.
The city is the administrative centre of the Kėdainiai district municipality
. The geographical centre of the Lithuanian Republic is in the nearby village of Ruoščiai, located in the eldership of Dotnuva
.
, Keidan (קיידאן) in Yiddish, and Kedahnen in German. Its other alternate forms include Kidan, Kaidan, Keidany, Keydan, Kiejdany, Kuidany, and Kidainiai.
The area was the site of several battles during "The Deluge"
, the 17th century war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
and Sweden. In 1655 a short-lived treaty with Sweden, the Union of Kėdainiai
, was signed by two members of Radziwiłł family in their Kėdainiai castle. While little remains of the Radziwiłł castle, the crypt
of the Calvinist church (1631) houses the family mausoleum, including the tomb
s of Krzysztof Radziwiłł and his son Janusz.
Scottish
Protestants arrived in the late 16th and 17th centuries, encouraged by the conversion of Anna Radziwill; the community exerted considerable influence in the city and persisted until the mid-19th century.
A local custom called on all visitors to bring a stone to be used in the town's construction.
. Keidan was captured by the Nazis in the summer of 1941. On August 28, 1941, the entire Jewish community of Keidan, a community which had been there for 500 years, were killed under the direction of German Special Police Battalions, with the aid of the local Lithuanian pop ulation. The Jewish population prior to the Holocaust was 3000.
During the Cold War
it was home to Kėdainiai air base
, a major Soviet military airlift facility.
For many years, Kėdainiai was known for its chemical and food processing industries. The Kedainiai Chemical Plant began operations in January 1963. Publicized as a milestone in the industrialization of Lithuania, it emitted significant quantities of sulfuric acid
and was the subject of ecological protests in the 1980s. Following years of stagnation, old enterprises have come back to life, and new ones have been established, contributing to its status as an economic stronghold.
, and the Museum of Wooden Sculptures of V.Ulevičius.
Since the city is known as the cucumber
capital of Lithuania, it sponsors an annual cucumber festival.
A small Polish minority of approximately 700 people live in the city, associated in Stowarzyszenie Polaków Kiejdan (The Kiejdany Polish Association); their cultural activities involve public celebrations of Polish Day of Independence and Day of the Constitution of Third of May
, as well as organizing a festival of Polish culture. Since 1994 a School of Polish Language exists, whose graduates study in Poland or work in Polish institutions in Lithuania.
with:
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is located on the Nevėžis River
Nevežis River
Nevėžis River is the sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Neman River. Its length is , and it flows only within the geographical confines of Lithuania. It is the second longest river in Lithuania, after the Šventoji River, that flows exclusively within its borders...
. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle
Livonian Chronicle
Livonian Chronicle may refer to one of the following chronicles.*Livonian Rhymed Chronicle**By anonymous **By Bartholomäus Hoeneke *Chronicle of Henry of Livonia *By Hermann de Wartberge...
of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2008 was 30,214. Its old town dates to the 17th century.
The city is the administrative centre of the Kėdainiai district municipality
Kedainiai district municipality
- Structure :District structure:* 1 city – Kėdainiai;* 10 towns – Akademija, Kėdainiai, Dotnuva, Gudžiūnai, Josvainiai, Krakės, Pagiriai, Pernarava, Surviliškis, Šėta and Truskava;* 534 villages.Biggest population :*Kėdainiai – 32048*Josvainiai – 1545...
. The geographical centre of the Lithuanian Republic is in the nearby village of Ruoščiai, located in the eldership of Dotnuva
Dotnuva
Dotnuva is a small town with a 2003 population of 775 in central Lithuania, 10 km northwest of Kėdainiai, in the Kėdainiai district municipality. It is located on the Dotnuvėlė River. The geographical center of Lithuania, in the village of Ruoščiai, is only a few kilometers away from the...
.
Names
The city has been known by other names: Kiejdany in PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Keidan (קיידאן) in Yiddish, and Kedahnen in German. Its other alternate forms include Kidan, Kaidan, Keidany, Keydan, Kiejdany, Kuidany, and Kidainiai.
History
The Deluge (Polish history)
The term Deluge denotes a series of mid-17th century campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, thus comprising the Polish–Lithuanian theaters of the Russo-Polish and...
, the 17th century war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and Sweden. In 1655 a short-lived treaty with Sweden, the Union of Kėdainiai
Union of Kedainiai
Union of Kėdainiai was an agreement between several magnates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the king of the Swedish Empire, Charles X Gustav. It was signed on 20 October 1655 during the "Swedish Deluge", part of the Second Northern War...
, was signed by two members of Radziwiłł family in their Kėdainiai castle. While little remains of the Radziwiłł castle, the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the Calvinist church (1631) houses the family mausoleum, including the tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
s of Krzysztof Radziwiłł and his son Janusz.
Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Protestants arrived in the late 16th and 17th centuries, encouraged by the conversion of Anna Radziwill; the community exerted considerable influence in the city and persisted until the mid-19th century.
A local custom called on all visitors to bring a stone to be used in the town's construction.
Modern years
For a period during 1940, the town served as home to about 300 students and teachers from the Mir YeshivaMir yeshiva
Mir Yeshiva or Mirrer Yeshiva may refer to:* Mir yeshiva * Mir yeshiva * Mir yeshiva...
. Keidan was captured by the Nazis in the summer of 1941. On August 28, 1941, the entire Jewish community of Keidan, a community which had been there for 500 years, were killed under the direction of German Special Police Battalions, with the aid of the local Lithuanian pop ulation. The Jewish population prior to the Holocaust was 3000.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
it was home to Kėdainiai air base
Kedainiai (air base)
Kedainiai , also spelled Kedaynyay, is an airport in Lithuania located 45 km north of Kaunas. It has 28 large pads. Aeronautical sources list it as "civilian", so its military use has been retired....
, a major Soviet military airlift facility.
For many years, Kėdainiai was known for its chemical and food processing industries. The Kedainiai Chemical Plant began operations in January 1963. Publicized as a milestone in the industrialization of Lithuania, it emitted significant quantities of sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
and was the subject of ecological protests in the 1980s. Following years of stagnation, old enterprises have come back to life, and new ones have been established, contributing to its status as an economic stronghold.
Cultural activities
The Kėdainiai Regional Museum, established in 1922, now operates four branches: a Multicultural Centre, the Mausoleum of the Dukes Radziwill, the House of Juozas PaukštelisJuozas Paukštelis
Juozas Paukštelis born Juozas Ptašinskas was a Lithuanian author and translator. His works have been translated into Russian, Polish, and Kazakh....
, and the Museum of Wooden Sculptures of V.Ulevičius.
Since the city is known as the cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
capital of Lithuania, it sponsors an annual cucumber festival.
A small Polish minority of approximately 700 people live in the city, associated in Stowarzyszenie Polaków Kiejdan (The Kiejdany Polish Association); their cultural activities involve public celebrations of Polish Day of Independence and Day of the Constitution of Third of May
Constitution of May 3, 1791
The Constitution of May 3, 1791 was adopted as a "Government Act" on that date by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Historian Norman Davies calls it "the first constitution of its type in Europe"; other scholars also refer to it as the world's second oldest constitution...
, as well as organizing a festival of Polish culture. Since 1994 a School of Polish Language exists, whose graduates study in Poland or work in Polish institutions in Lithuania.
High schools
- Janusz Radziwiłł College (Kėdainių Jonušo Radvilos studijų centras)
Famous citizens
- Mikalojus DaukšaMikalojus DaukšaMikalojus Daukša was a Lithuanian and Latin religious writer, translator and a Catholic church official...
, Lithuanian writer, translator - Martin (Moshe) Kagan, a leader of the anti-Nazi resistance group HaShomer HaTzairHashomer HatzairHashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
- Ezekiel KatzenellenbogenEzekiel KatzenellenbogenEzekiel Katzenellenbogen ben Abraham was a Polish-German rabbi.At first rabbi at Kėdainiai , he was called to Altona in 1714...
, rabbi and prolific author - Moshe Leib LilienblumMoshe Leib LilienblumMoshe Leib Lilienblum was a Jewish scholar and author born at Keidany, Kovno, October 22, 1843. From his father he learned the calculation of the course of the stars in their relation to the Hebrew calendar . At the age of thirteen he organized a society of boys for the study of En Ya'aqob Moshe...
, Jewish scholar and author - Antanas MackevičiusAntanas MackeviciusAntanas Mackevičius – was a Lithuanian priest and one of the initiators and leaders of the 1863 January Uprising in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, on the lands of the partitioned Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.- Biography :Antanas Mackevičius was born into a family of minor...
, a priest and a leader of the 1863 uprisingJanuary UprisingThe January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire... - Czesław Miłosz, Polish writer, Nobel Prize winner. Born in ŠeteniaiŠeteniaiŠeteniai is a village in Kėdainiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated 13 km north of Kėdainiai, on the left bank of the Nevėžis River....
village - Viktoras MuntianasViktoras MuntianasViktoras Muntianas is a Lithuanian politician and former Speaker of the Seimas. In 1968 he finished school in Marijampolė. In 1973 he enrolled in the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute, completing his studies in 1978. Between 1986 and 1990 he was first deputy of Kėdainiai municipality chairman...
, Lithuanian politician, former Speaker of the SeimasSeimasThe Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation... - Juozas PaukštelisJuozas PaukštelisJuozas Paukštelis born Juozas Ptašinskas was a Lithuanian author and translator. His works have been translated into Russian, Polish, and Kazakh....
, author - Juozas UrbšysJuozas UrbšysJuozas Urbšys was a prominent interwar Lithuanian diplomat, the last head of foreign affairs in independent interwar Lithuania, and a translator. He served in the military between 1916 and 1922, afterwards joining the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
, Lithuanian diplomat. Born in ŠeteniaiŠeteniaiŠeteniai is a village in Kėdainiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated 13 km north of Kėdainiai, on the left bank of the Nevėžis River....
village
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kėdainiai is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
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