Širvintos
Širvintos | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Municipal office | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Širvintos Location of Širvintos | |
| Coordinates: 55°2′10″N 24°58′10″E / 55.03611°N 24.96944°E | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Ethnographic region | Aukštaitija |
| County |  Vilnius 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) |
Širvintos (, German: Schirwindt) is a city in Vilnius County in the eastern part of Lithuania. It is the administrative center of the Širvintos district municipality.[1]
The 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
[edit]Before World War II, 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]- ^ Jump up to: 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.
