Anykščiai

Updated on Nov 20, 2024

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Country Lithuania County Utena County First mentioned 1440 Local time Monday 8:40 AM		Ethnographic region Aukštaitija Eldership Anykščiai eldership Population 11,958 (2001)

Capital of Anykščiai district municipalityAnykščiai eldership Weather 3°C, Wind SW at 3 km/h, 95% Humidity Municipality Anykščiai District Municipality Points of interest Treetop walking path, Kalita hill, Aukstaitijos siaurasis gelezinke, A Baranausko ir A Vien, Anyksciu ratas

Anykščiai ( pronunciation ; see other names) is a ski resort town in Lithuania, 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring 79 metres (259 feet) in height.

Map of Anyk%C5%A1%C4%8Diai, Lithuania

The city has a football club FK Anykščiai.

Name

Anykščiai is the Lithuanian name of the town. Its name in other languages includes Polish: Onikszty; Russian: Они́кшты (Onikshty); Belarusian: Ані́кшты (Anikshty); Yiddish: (Aniksht) אַניקשט‎; German: Onikschten; and Latvian: Anīkšči.

History

Archeological research in the area has revealed settlements dating from the late Neolithic. Its location on the Šventoji River, connecting it to the Baltic Sea via the Neris River and Neman River, contributed to its development. It also lay on a land route between the cities of Vilnius and Riga. Its strategic importance led to frequent assaults by the Teutonic Order. The first written mention of the town dates to 1442; its first appearance on a map is dated tentatively to about 1578.

Prior to Lithuania re-establishing its independence after World War I, Anykščiai was part of the Kovno Governorate of the Russian Empire. A shtetl existed within the town (Yiddish: Aniksht אַניקשט‎), with a Jewish population of 2,754 in 1900.

Wool processing facilities, a winery, and Lithuanian and Jewish schools were established after World War I, when its population reached about 4,000. During World War II, its bridges and city center were destroyed. In summer 1941, 2 mass executions of the local Jewish population occurred. Around 1,500 Jews were shot. Over 20 members of the Lithuanians nazis assassinated them.