Rietavas

History

Rietavas was first mentioned in written sources around 1253. During the Middle Ages it belonged to Ceklis land. Rietavas' eldership was mentioned in 1527. Since 1533 Rietavas was known as a town however the town rights were not granted until 1792. In the 14th and 15th centuries Rietavas was one of the most important defence centres in Samogitia and also a crossing of commercial roads. It was located in the Duchy of Samogitia in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 19th century Rietavas was an important educational centre as between 1812 and 1909 it belonged to Ogiński family, who loved culture and education. In 1835 there was established a hospital and four year later a parish school. In 1859 the school of agriculture was established in Rietavas, which was closed in 1863. Lithuanian was the official language of this school (there were any other such schools where Lithuanian would be an official language at that time). In 1873 current Catholic Church reflecting features of Romanesque Revival architecture was built. Rietavas also became an important centre of progressive technologies of that time. In 1882 the first telephone line in Lithuania was built. It connected Rietavas and Plungė cities. In 1892 started to produce electricity the first power station in Lithuania. On 17 April 1892 in Easter the first street lights were turned on in Rietavas manor, park and church. In 1915 Rietavas was the centre of the county and later on centre of the eldership. During the Inter-war period there were established a public library in 1928, a cinema in 1931. During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. The Jewish Community was entirely destroyed by the Nazis and…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  69
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  53
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  52
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  52
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  49
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  49