| Švenčionys | |||
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| — City — | |||
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  Švenčionys
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| Coordinates: 55°08′N 26°10′E / 55.133°N 26.167°E | |||
| Country |  Lithuania |
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| Ethnographic region | Aukštaitija | ||
| County | Vilnius County | ||
| Municipality | Švenčionys district municipality | ||
| Eldership | Švenčionys eldership | ||
| Capital of | Švenčionys district municipality Švenčionys eldership |
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| First mentioned | 1800 | ||
| Granted city rights | 1961 | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - Total | 5,658 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Švenčionys (Polish: Święciany, Belarusian: Свянцяны, Latinized Russian: Sventiany, Yiddish: סווענציאן/Sventzion) is a city 84 kilometers (52 mi) north of Vilnius in Lithuania, with a population of 5,658 (as of 2005). About one-third of the current population belongs to the Polish minority in Lithuania.
One of the oldest towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the city grew during the 14th–16th centuries, when it was the site of a local court and monastery. It was one of the main centers of the November Uprising (1830–1831) in Poland and Lithuania against the Russian Empire. The city was part of the Second Polish Republic for most of the interwar period. It had a significant Jewish population (according to 1897 Russian census - 52%)[1], but during World War II its ghetto was destroyed and the inhabitants deported and murdered.[2] Thousands of local Jews and Poles perished during WWII. [3] Later, it was part of the Lithuanian SSR.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Švenčionys |
- (Lithuanian) (English) (Polish) Official Website
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