Vievis

Sister cities

• Budapest District III

History

Vievis Manor was first mentioned in 1522. The town, which belonged to the Ogiński family, was mentioned in 1539. In the first half of the 16th century, the first Catholic church was built there. About 1600, the Ogiński family built a Uniate church and founded the abbey of the Holy Spirit (Lithuanian: Šventosios dvasios). At the beginning of the 17th century, a printing press was established near the abbey, notable for printing books by various Protestant Calvinist scholars. The printing press is featured on the modern coat of arms of the city, adopted in 1999. In 1794 and 1812, the church burned down and was rebuilt in 1816. In 1837 an Orthodox church was built. In the period between World War I and World War II, after the Polish–Lithuanian War, Vievis was near the dividing line between Lithuania and Poland. The town used to be among those with the largest Polish population, with roughly 77% inhabitants identifying themselves as Poles. In 2011 census, only 10.9% of inhabitants identified themselves as Poles as well as 3.74% Russians and 82.56% Lithuanians.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  233
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  222
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  191
• Great Crested Grebe

  Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  165
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  164
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  135
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  135
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  121