Mažeikiai

Sister cities

• Sumy

History

Mažeikiai was first mentioned in written sources in 1335. A chronicler of the Livonian Order wrote about a campaign of the Order, during which the land of Duke Mažeika was devastated. It was located in the Duchy of Samogitia in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The town started growing rapidly in 1869 when the Libau–Romny Railway connecting Vilnius and Liepāja was constructed. In 1893, the town had 13 shops and 5 alehouses. In 1894 an Eastern Orthodox church was built, and a synagogue had been founded several years earlier. In 1902 a Catholic church was established, followed by an Evangelical-Lutheran church in 1906. From 1899 to 1918 the town was called Muravyov. In 1919, Mažeikiai became the county centre and received the rights of self-government. During the first years of independence, Mažeikiai was subject to a territorial dispute between Lithuania and Latvia because of its importance as a railway hub between the Latvian cities of Riga, Jelgava and Liepāja. In 1921 Latvian claims for the town were rejected by an international commission. A hospital and a library were opened in 1922 and a museum in 1928. In 1939, the population of the town was recorded as 5,618. In 1940 26 industrial companies, 4 banks and a credit union operated in Mažeikiai. During World War II, Mažeikiai was under occupation of Nazi Germany from 26 June 1941 until 31 October 1944. It was administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Litauen of Reichskommissariat Ostland. In August 1941, a mass killing occurred in which 4,000 Jews from the Mažeikiai district were killed. In 1950, Mažeikiai became the district centre.

Most-observed species

• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  20
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  16
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13