Josvainiai

Josvainiai
Town

Coat of arms
Josvainiai
Coordinates: 55°14′50″N 23°50′00″E / 55.24722°N 23.83333°E / 55.24722; 23.83333Coordinates: 55°14′50″N 23°50′00″E / 55.24722°N 23.83333°E / 55.24722; 23.83333
Country  Lithuania
Ethnographic region Aukštaitija
County Kaunas County
Municipality Kėdainiai district municipality
Eldership Josvainiai eldership
Capital of Josvainiai eldership
First mentioned 1538
Granted city rights March 29, 1792
Population (2004)
  Total 1,545
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Josvainiai is a small town in Kėdainiai district, central Lithuania. It is located on the Šušvė River 10 km southwest from Kėdainiai. In the town there is a Catholic church, secondary school, post office and public library.

History

Historians believe that there was a medieval castle in Josvainiai, and it was attacked by the Teutonic Knights many times.

The town was granted city rights and coat of arms on March 29, 1792. On July 19, 2006 the town was granted renewed coat of arms by a presidential decree.

Jews first settled in Josvainiai in the 17th Century, by 1897, 534 Jews lived in the town, constituting 40% of the total population.[1] There was a synagogue and a Jewish school. Most Jews were expelled during World War I. During their absence, a large part of the town burned down. After the War, some returned. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish population was 270, about 70 families.[2] They lived around the market place and the nearby streets. During World War 2, the Jews were murdered outside the town.

References

  1. Shmuel Spector,ed, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, New York University Press, 2001, p578
  2. Schoenburg, N&S: Lithuanian Jewish Communities, Northvale, New Jersey, 1996
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josvainiai.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.