Panevėžys ( ) see also
other
names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania
. As of 2008, it occupied 50
square kilometers with 113,653
inhabitants.
History
Symbol of Panevėžys
Panevėžys was first mentioned in 1503, in documents signed by the
Grand Duke of Lithuania
Alexander I, who granted the
town building rights to construct a church and other structures.
Alexander II, is considered the founder of the city, which
celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2003. The city lies on the old
plain of the
Nevėžis River.
The city name means "along the Nevėžis." Throughout the 16th
century, the city maintained a status of a Royal town. Communities
of
Poles, and
Karaites, settled in the area as early as the 14th
century. A Karaite
Kenesa, and a Polish
Gymnasium, existed in Panevėžys
until the
Second World War (the
Polish version of the name of the city was
Poniewież). In
the 17th century, the part of the city on the left bank of the
river started to develop and expand further. The town played an
important role in both the
November
Uprising, and the
January
Uprising, and the fights for independence continued there in
1864. After the
Industrial
Revolution, at the end of the 19th century, the first factories
were established in the city, and industry began to make use of
modern machinery. As products were oriented towards the mass
market, banking intensified and commerce increased. The educational
system became more accessible, and literacy increased, as well. By
the end of 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century,
Panevėžys became a strong economic and cultural center of the
region. At the time it was the fourth most important city in
Lithuania. It was also a center of operations by local
knygnešys. One of them -
Juozas Masiulis in 1905 opened first
Lithuanian bookstore and
printing house. The building is still a landmark of Panevėžys, and
local people are proud of a
bookstore that
is functional for more than 100 years.
Between
the World Wars, in the newly independent Lithuania, Panevėžys continued to grow. According to
the first census the government carried out in 1923, there were
19,147 people in Panevėžys, among them 6,845 Jews (36%) (in
Yiddish the town's name was
פוניבעזש, transliterated as
Ponevezh).
The
Ponevezh yeshiva was one of the
most notable
Haredi yeshivas in the
history of the Jews in
Lithuania that was established and flourished in the town.
Rabbi
Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman
(1886-1969), was its
rosh yeshiva
(head) and president, who became known as the "Ponovezher Rov" was
the head of the yeshiva and was also the leading rabbi of
Panevėžys.
He managed to escape to the British Mandate of Palestine
where he set about rebuilding the Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak
where it is to be found in modern day Israel
by the same
name of "Ponevezh yeshiva" with a very large student body of young
Talmudis scholars.
The town's population rose to 26,000 between 1923 and 1939. On June
15, 1940, Russian military forces took over the city, as a
consequence of the forced incorporation of Lithuania, into the
Soviet Union. A number of political prisoners were murdered near
the sugar factory.
A great number of the residents were exiled
to Siberia
or suffered
other forms of persecution.
After Germany attacked the USSR, Panevėžys was occupied by German
forces, as it had been in the
First
World War. It acquired the status of a district center
("Gebietskommissariate") within the
Reichskommissariat Ostland.
During the Nazi occupation nearly all the Jewish population of the
town was killed in 1943 during
the
Holocaust; only a few managed to escape and find asylum
abroad.
After World War II, the natural process of the city's evolution was
disrupted. The
Soviet Communist
Party, exercised dictatorial control, and the city was
transformed into a major industrial center. During the 1960s and
1980s, several large-scale industrial companies were established.
Soviet authority also destroyed old town and only after massive
discontent of local people total destruction of old city center was
stopped.
The number of inhabitants increased from 41,000 to 101,500 between
1959 and 1979. In 1990, the population reached 130,000. In 1990,
after Lithuania regained its independence. The city’s industry
faced some major challenges. For some time it was regarded as a
place, where
plastics cooperatives were
making a big bucks. There is still left a
suburb region, called by the locals
Plastic Kings Castles with very big
and sometimes bizarre houses.
Geography
Panevėžys
is situated in the middle of Lithuania; it is halfway between two
Baltic capitals - Vilnius
and Riga
. The
good geographical location with good road infrastructure, and the
international highway
Via Baltica
provides opportunities for business.
The city is connected
by railway to Šiauliai
(Lithuania)
and Daugavpils
(Latvia), as well as with Rubikiai
/Anykščiai
and Biržai
by narrow gauge railway. This
railway is preserved as a historical monument and serves as a
tourist attraction.
Panevėžys city municipality
Panevėžys, situated in the centre of
Aukštaitija, is sometimes called the
capital of the
region.
It is a
municipality on itself (Panevėžys city municipality) and is also
the capital of Panevėžys district
municipality, and Panevėžys County
. The coat of arms with the red gate was
adopted and formally approved in 1993.
Culture
The Museum of Ethnography has accumulated a lot of artifacts of
historical and cultural heritage. The Art Gallery organizes about
20 different exhibitions every year as well as music and literature
evenings, lectures and discussions about culture and art research.
The Photography Gallery arranges 30 exhibitions of photography
every year. 10 photo artists had personal exhibitions abroad and
won international awards. The Public Library has 8 branches.
Since 1989 Panevėžys has been organizing International Ceramics
Symposia. The unique collection of ceramics is the biggest in the
Baltic countries and is added to each year. The
Chamber orchestra, Women's Choir "
Golden Oriole" ( ), ensemble "Muzika" ( ) are
well-known for various music projects not only in Lithuania but
also abroad. The
Brass Orchestra
"Panevėžio Garsas" (English:
Panevėžys Sound) plays not
only for Lithuanian audience but also for people in the Baltic
countries, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The Orchestra won
the Grand Prize in a festival in France in 1997.
The city is a home to many theatres.
Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre is famous in
Lithuania and Europe. Juozas Miltinis has brought up a number of
actors. One of them is
Donatas
Banionis who is known internationally. Theatre "Menas"
(English:
art) was established in 1991. The city boasts of
Puppet Wagon Theatre which is the only in Europe.
Antanas Markuckis, the
director of the Theatre was awarded International Prize of Hans Christian Andersen in Copenhagen
in 2003. Every two years the theater
organizes the International Theatre Festival "Lagaminas" (English:
suitcase). There also is a musical theater and school
called
Juozas Miltinis school where are drama lessons
lectured.
Notable residents
see also:
famous Jewish natives of Ponevezh
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Panevėžys is
twinned with:
See also
References
- Istorija (History). City of Panevėžys. [128318]
Footnotes
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