Širvintos () is a city in Vilnius County in eastern Lithuania. It is the administrative center of the Širvintos district municipality.[1]
Širvintos | |
|---|---|
Town | |
|
Coat of arms | |
Širvintos Location of Širvintos | |
| Coordinates: 55°2′10″N 24°58′10″E / 55.03611°N 24.96944°E | |
| Country | |
| Ethnographic region | Aukštaitija |
| County | |
| Municipality | Širvintos district municipality |
| Eldership | Širvintos eldership |
| Capital of | Širvintos district municipality Širvintos eldership |
| First mentioned | 1475 |
| Granted city rights | 1950 |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 6,790 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Names
editThe word Širvintos is the plural form of the name of the Širvinta River, which flows through the town.
Its alternate names include Shirvintay, Shirvintos, Širvintai, Širvintar, and Szyrwinty (Polish).[1]
History
editDuring World War II, the town was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940, then by Nazi Germany from 1941, and once again by the Soviet Union from 1944. Before the war, the town had an important Jewish community representing one-third of the total population.[2] In September 1941, Jews of the town are murdered in mass executions perpetrated by Germans and Lithuanian collaborators.[3]
Since 2010, the city started expanding and renovated the city center which improved its image and popularity.
References
edit- ^ a b United States Board on Geographic Names – Lithuania – Širvintos. Accessed January 24, 2014.
- ^ "Preserving Our Litvak Heritage, Volume II (Pages 166-177)". jewishgen.org. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ "המכון הבין-לאומי לחקר השואה - יד ושם". yadvashem.org. Retrieved July 15, 2017.