Švencionys
Encyclopedia
Švenčionys is a city located 84 kilometres (52.2 mi) north of Vilnius
in Lithuania
. It is the capital of the Švenčionys district municipality
. As of 2005, it had population of 5,658 of which about one-third is part of the Polish minority in Lithuania
.
-onys. Another hypothesis states that it is derived from a personal name, Švenčionis. In other languages the name is rendered as , , , , and .
One of the oldest towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, the settlement was a major center of Nalšia
. Grand Duke Vytautas brought Lipka Tatars
to the town and built a Catholic church in 1414. The city grew during the 14–16th centuries when it was the site of a local court and monastery. Since 1801 the town was part of the Russian Vilna Governorate
. It grew significantly after completion of the nearby Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway in 1862, but eventually lost competition to Švenčionėliai
, which grew around the train station. Around the turn to the 20th century the town had one Greek Orhodox
church and one Roman Catholic
church.
During the 1812 French invasion of Russia
, Napoleon stayed in the town for 12 hours to write orders and receive an envoy from the King of Naples. The town was one of the main centers of the November Uprising
(1830–1831) in Poland and Lithuania against the Russian Empire
. During World War I, it was the location of the German Sventiany Offensive
. The city was part of the Second Polish Republic
for most of the interwar period. It had a significant Jewish population (according to the 1897 Russian census – 52%), but during World War II
its ghetto was destroyed and the inhabitants deported and murdered. Soviets placed it firstly in as part of Vileyka Oblast of Belarussian SSR in 1939 but incorporated into Lithuanian SSR
in 1940. In 1942 Lithuanian Security Police
murdered around 1,200 Poles in the village. Later, it was part of the Lithuanian SSR
except Oszmiana region was reincorporated into Belarussia in 1944.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in Lithuania
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 the capital of the Švenčionys district municipality
Švencionys district municipality
-Twin towns — Sister cities:Švenčionys district municipality is twinned with the following towns: Świdnica, Poland...
. As of 2005, it had population of 5,658 of which about one-third is part of the Polish minority in Lithuania
Polish minority in Lithuania
The Polish minority in Lithuania numbered 234,989 persons, according to the Lithuanian census of 2001, or 6.74% of the total population of Lithuania. It is the largest ethnic minority in the country and the second largest Polish diaspora group among the post-Soviet states...
.
Name
There are two established hypotheses about the etymology of the Švenčionys' name: one that the city bears the name of the nearby lake Šventas (literally: saint) with the addition of the Lithuanian suffixSuffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-onys. Another hypothesis states that it is derived from a personal name, Švenčionis. In other languages the name is rendered as , , , , and .
History
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 1833 | 1,128 |
| 1880 | 6,795 |
| 1897 | 6,025 |
| 1931 | 5,893 |
| 1959 | 4,006 |
| 1970 | 4,617 |
One of the oldest towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, the settlement was a major center of Nalšia
Nalšia
Nalšia or Nalšėnai was an ancient land in the early stages of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is mentioned in written sources from 1229 to 1298. The references to it cease as it was fully incorporated into the Grand Duchy...
. Grand Duke Vytautas brought Lipka Tatars
Lipka Tatars
The Lipka Tatars are a group of Tatars who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of 14th century. The first settlers tried to preserve their shamanistic religion and sought asylum amongst the non-Christian Lithuanians...
to the town and built a Catholic church in 1414. The city grew during the 14–16th centuries when it was the site of a local court and monastery. Since 1801 the town was part of the Russian Vilna Governorate
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate or Government of Vilna was a governorate of the Russian Empire created after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795...
. It grew significantly after completion of the nearby Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway in 1862, but eventually lost competition to Švenčionėliai
Švencioneliai
Švenčionėliai ; is a city in Švenčionys district municipality. It is 10 km west of Švenčionys. The river Žeimena flows through Švenčionėliai.-External links:*...
, which grew around the train station. Around the turn to the 20th century the town had one Greek Orhodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
church and one Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church.
During the 1812 French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
, Napoleon stayed in the town for 12 hours to write orders and receive an envoy from the King of Naples. The town was one of the main centers of the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
(1830–1831) in Poland and Lithuania against the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. During World War I, it was the location of the German Sventiany Offensive
Sventiany Offensive
The Sventiany Offensive was a military operation mostly undertaken by the 10th German Army against the 10th Russian Army as part of the Eastern Front during World War I. On September 9, 1915, four German cavalry divisions, enforced from September 13 by two others, filled the gap in the Russian...
. The city was part of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
for most of the interwar period. It had a significant Jewish population (according to the 1897 Russian census – 52%), but during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
its ghetto was destroyed and the inhabitants deported and murdered. Soviets placed it firstly in as part of Vileyka Oblast of Belarussian SSR in 1939 but incorporated into Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
in 1940. In 1942 Lithuanian Security Police
Lithuanian Security Police
The Lithuanian Security Police, also referred to as Saugumas , was a Lithuanian Nazi collaborationist police force that operated from 1941 to 1944. It had a staff of approximately 400 people, 250 of them in Kaunas and around another 130 in Vilnius....
murdered around 1,200 Poles in the village. Later, it was part of the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
except Oszmiana region was reincorporated into Belarussia in 1944.
Notable residents
- Yitzhak AradYitzhak AradYitzhak Arad , is an Israeli historian, retired IDF brigadier general and a former Soviet partisan who has served as director of Yad Vashem from 1972 to 1993...
(born 1926), Israeli historian, director of Yad VashemYad VashemYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
from 1972 to 1993 - Mordecai KaplanMordecai KaplanMordecai Menahem Kaplan , was a rabbi, essayist and Jewish educator and the co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein.-Life and work:...
(1881–1983), Rabbi and founder of the Reconstructionist JudaismReconstructionist JudaismReconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism, before it splintered...
movement - Mark NatansonMark NatansonMark Andreyevich Natanson was a Russian revolutionary and one of the founders of the Circle of Tchaikovsky, Land and Liberty, and the Socialist-Revolutionary Party...
(1850–1919), Russian revolutionary - Wiktor ThomméeWiktor ThomméeWiktor Thommée was a Polish military commander and a Brigadier General of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Great War and the Russian Civil War, he is best known for his command over Piotrków Operational Group and the battle of the Bzura during the Polish Defensive War of 1939.- Early life :Wiktor...
(1881–1962) , Polish general - Franciszek Żwirko (1895–1932), Polish aviator