Maišiagala

History

Maišiagala, first mentioned in 1254, is one of the earliest Lithuanian settlements. It had a large defensive castle, which was part of the defensive network around Vilnius against the Teutonic Order's knights. The wooden castle was destroyed in 1365, but was rebuilt. According to Jan Długosz, Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas died in this castle in 1377. After the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387, Maišiagala was one of the seven towns in Lithuania where a Catholic church was built. It became property of various nobles: first Sapieha, then Tyzenhauz family. In 1805 the Houwald family bought the town from heirs of Ignacy Massalski, Bishop of Vilnius. They built a manor, which now houses a school, in the Classical style. After World War I, the town was a target of clashes in the Polish–Lithuanian War. After Żeligowski's Mutiny in 1920, it became part of the Republic of Central Lithuania (1920–1922), which merged into the Second Polish Republic in 1922. After the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty of 1939, Maišiagala was returned to Lithuania.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,149
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  724
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  653
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  570
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  562
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  454
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  442
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  397