Anykščiai

Sister cities

• Nepomuk
• Uniejów
• Olaine

History

Archeological research in the area has revealed settlements dating from the late Neolithic. Anykščiai was first mentioned on 7 November 1442 as a possession of Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV Jagiellon. Its location on the Šventoji River, connecting it to the Baltic Sea via the Neris River and Nemunas 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. Anykščiai is a place where many Lithuanian poets and writers originated - Antanas Vienuolis, Antanas Baranauskas, Jonas Biliūnas. It is called Weimar of Lithuania for that reason. There are about 250 culturally and historically important places in Anykščiai and Anykščiai district - Anykščių šilelis, to which the poem The Forest of Anykščiai of A.Baranauskas was dedicated, Puntukas boulder, the Beacon of Happiness monument, canopy walkway, horse museum, manors and old Lithuanian fort hills shrouded in mystery and legends. 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, 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, two mass executions of the local Jewish population occurred. After the Soviet occupation, Anykščiai became a center of Aukštaitija partisans. Anykščiai district was the only one in Lithuania which belonged to 5…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  125
• Meadow Pipit

  Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  120
• Middle Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocoptes medius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  120
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  119
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  118
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  117
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  116
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  111