Kaišiadorys

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Kaišiadorys

Coat of arms

Kaišiadorys

Location of Kaišiadorys

Coordinates: 54°52′N 24°27′E / 54.867, 24.45

Aukštaitija

Kaišiadorys district municipality

Capital of

Kaišiadorys district municipality

First mentioned

1590

Granted city rights

1946

Population (2001)

- Total

10,002

- Rank

39th

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

- Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Kaišiadorys is a town in central Lithuania. It is well-known for its poultry farm. It is located between the two major cities in Lithuania, Vilnius and Kaunas, and therefore enjoys good infrastructure. The Lithuanian Veterinary Institute is located in the town. Kaišiadorys is one of the six Lithuanian diocese centers. The town is home to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ built in 1932.

The town name is interesting because of its Asian origin after a noble tatar Khaishadar who lived in the area in the 16th century. The town started to grow when a railroad connecting Vilnius with Liepaja was built in 1871. In 1915, under German occupation, it became a capital of an administrative unit for the first time. In 1919 a first train departed from Kaišiadorys to Radviliškis. While Trakai and the rest of Vilnius region was under Polish control, Kaišiadorys became a temporary capital of Trakai Apskritis.

[edit] Famous people

The first President of the reestablished independent Lithuanian state, Algirdas Brazauskas, had studied in Kaišiadorys; there is a secondary school named after him. One of the best European basketball forwards Ramūnas Šiškauskas was born in Kaišiadorys and started his professional career there.