Ignalina
City
Coat of arms of Ignalina
Coat of arms
Ignalina is located in Lithuania
Ignalina
Ignalina
Location of Ignalina
Coordinates: 55°21′0″N 26°10′0″E / 55.35000°N 26.16667°E / 55.35000; 26.16667
Country Lithuania
Ethnographic regionAukštaitija
County Utena County
MunicipalityIgnalina district municipality
EldershipIgnalina town eldership
Capital ofIgnalina district municipality
Ignalina town eldership
Ignalina rural eldership
First mentioned1810
Granted city rights1950
Government
 • MayorJustas Rasikas (LSDP)
Area
 • Total7 km2 (3 sq mi)
Population
 (2023[1])
 • Total4,998
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Websitewww.ignalina.lt

Ignalina (Polish: Ignalino; German: Ingelin) is a city in eastern Lithuania. It is known as a tourist destination in the Aukštaitija National Park. Ignalina is also famous for the now decommissioned Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in nearby Visaginas.

Legend

It is said that Ignalina has got its name from two lovers Lina, daughter of duke Budrys, and Ignas, captive of the crusaders, whom people cursed and drowned in Ilgis Lake. Lina and Ignas are quite popular Lithuanian names.

History

Archeological findings and artefacts - mounds show that people lived in the territory of Ignalina already in 9th century. It is supposed that the territory of Ignalina earlier belonged to the ancient land of Nalšia, which was mentioned in 1229–1298. The toponyms and hidronyms demonstrate that it was inhabited by the Baltic tribe Selonians.

Even though there is archeological evidence that people lived in Ignalina area in the Stone Age, Ignalina was mentioned only in 1840. It started to grow only after the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway was built in 1860. It is regarded as one of the new industrial cities.

After World War I, the area was disputed between Poland and Lithuania. It was occupied by troops of Lucjan Żeligowski,[2] and internationally recognized as part of the Second Polish Republic in 1923. Nonetheless, Lithuania continued to claim this territory.[3][4] Before September 1939, Ignalina (Ignalino) was situated in the Wilno Voivodeship.[5]

Following the invasion of Poland, Ignalina became the capital of Ignalina eldership. More than half of the population was Jewish, 1200 people before the Holocaust.[6] During World War II, in 1941, Jews were imprisoned in a ghetto and exploited through forced labour. They are later murdered in mass executions.[7][8][9]

In 1950 city become a capital of Ignalina District Municipality in Vilnius County. In 1995 Ignalina District Municipality become a part of Utena County.

Sports

Lithuanian Winter Sports Center is located in Ignalina near Šiekštys or Žaliasis (Green) Lake. During the winter Sports Center offers mountain skiing, snowboarding, ski equipment rental services, ski lifts, freeskiing instructors. In the summer there are boats or water bikes rental, tracks for roller skates, mountain bikes.

Also, there is the shooting range, Sports and Entertainment Center, “Žuvėdra” amusement park.

In Ignalina, there are organizing pedestrian, hiking, bicycle and car routes in the interesting places. In the summer there are popular kayak, boat or water bikes trips.

Ignalina used to be the main ski jumping venue in Lithuania until the 1970s when this sport was discontinued in the country.[10]

Nature and geography

Ignalina located in the Aukštaitija National Park. It is a town above 9 lakes.

Ignalina is surrounded by woods and waters. Town takes pride in nine lakes named Gavys, Gavaitis, Ilgys, Šiekštys, Mekšrinis, Paplovinis, Palaukinis, Agarinis and Gulbinis.

In the Ignalina District Municipality there are more than 200 lakes.

Places of interest

In Ignalina and around the town there are more than 130 interesting places to visit. For example, Ignalina Regional Museum, Paliesius Manor, Monument to Ignas and Lina, Palūšė St. Joseph's Church, Bell Tower, and Chapel, which is a Cultural Monument built in the second half of XVIII century, Beekeeping Museum in Stripeikiai, which is the only beekeeping museum in Lithuania, etc.

In some places there are organizing educational programs and special showcases, such as the baking of Šakotis in the restaurant "Romnesa“.

Festivals

In Ignalina, there are traditional festivals including the opening and closing of the summer season, the biannual festival "Ežerų sietuva", spring and autumn fairs, etc.

Education institutions

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Ignalina is twinned with:[11]

References

  1. ↑ "GYVENTOJAI GYVENAMOSIOSE VIETOVĖSE" (XLSX). Osp.stat.gov.lt. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Tessaris, Chiara (2014). Peace and Security beyond Military Power: The League of Nations and the Polish-Lithuanian Dispute (1920-1923) (Thesis). Columbia University. doi:10.7916/D81G0JXW. Retrieved 6 January 2019. Kaunas petitioned the League of Nations "to take necessary steps without delay to put an end to those persecutions and to extend its protection to the Lithuanian element in the Vilna region occupied by General Zeligowski."
  3. ↑ Reddaway, W. F., ed. (2016). The Cambridge History of Poland. From Augustus II to Pilsudski (1697-1935). Cambridge University Press. p. 577. ISBN 978-1316620038. in March 1923, international recognition was accorded to the Eastern frontier of Poland as it then existed de facto (...) Polish sovereignty in Eastern Galicia and in the Wilno territory was recognized.
  4. ↑ Gross, Jan Tomasz (2002). Revolution from Abroad: The Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia. Princeton University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0691096032.
  5. ↑ Megargee, Geoffrey P. (2009). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945. Vol. 2, part A. Indiana University Press. p. 1058.
  6. ↑ "המכון הבין-לאומי לחקר השואה - יד ושם". Yadvashem.org. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  7. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania". Holocaustatlas.lt. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  8. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania". Holocaustatlas.lt. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  9. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania". Holocaustatlas.lt. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  10. ↑ "Šuolininkų nuo tramplino bus daug!". Sportas.info (in Lithuanian). 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  11. ↑ "Mokytis niekada nevėlu". Ignalina.lt (in Lithuanian). 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
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