Kėdainiai

Kėdainiai (Lithuanian: [kʲeːˈdâːɪ.nʲɛɪ̯ˑ] ^ⓘ) is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania.^[2] It is located 45 km (28 mi) north of Lithuania's second largest city Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River.^[3] Kėdainiai were first mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2022^[update] was 23,051.^[3][4] The Kėdainiai Old Town dates to the 17th century and many of its historical buildings were preserved.^[5][6]

Kėdainiai
City
Didžioji Street of the old town Kėdainiai Town Hall Evangelical Reformed Church Catholic Church of St. George Old architecture in Market Square Catholic Church of St. Joseph and its belfry Nevėžis River flowing through Kėdainiai
Flag Coat of arms
Kėdainiai Location of Kėdainiai
Coordinates: 55°17′N 23°58′E
Country	Lithuania
Ethnographic region	Aukštaitija
County	Kaunas County
Municipality	Kėdainiai district municipality
Eldership	Kėdainiai City Eldership
Capital of	Kėdainiai district municipality Kėdainiai City Eldership
First mentioned	1372
Granted city rights	1590
Neighbourhoods	List Babėnai Jonušava Justinava Old Town
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Mayor	Valentinas Tamulis[1]
Area
• Total	26.97 km2 (10.41 sq mi)
Elevation	39 m (128 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	23,447
• Density	870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Kėdainians (English) kėdainiškiai (Lithuanian)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	57xxx
Website	kedainiai.lt

The town is the administrative centre of the Kėdainiai District Municipality. The geographical centre of the Lithuania is in the nearby village of Ruoščiai in the eldership of Dotnuva.

In a ring of five miles, the St Jurgis church is surrounded by smaller villages – Lančiūnava, Kapliai [lt], Labūnava, Josvainiai, Dotnuva, Kalnaberžė.

Names

The city has been known by other names: Kiejdany in Polish, Keidan (קיידאן) in Yiddish,^[7][8] and Kedahnen in German. Kėdainiai other alternate forms include Kidan, Kaidan, Keidany, Keydan, Kiedamjzeÿ ^[9] ("j" /e/), Kuidany, and Kidainiai.^[10]

History

Józef Brandt, The March of Swedes for Kiejdany (Kėdainiai) (1889)

The area was the site of several battles during "The Deluge", the 17th century war between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. In 1655 a short-lived treaty with Sweden, the Union of Kėdainiai, was signed by two members of Radziwiłł family in their Kėdainiai castle. While little remains of the Radziwiłł castle, the crypt of the Calvinist church (1631) houses the family mausoleum, including the tombs of Krzysztof Radziwiłł and his son Janusz.

Scottish Protestants arrived in the late 16th and 17th centuries, encouraged by the conversion of Anna Radziwill; the community exerted considerable influence in the city and persisted until the mid-19th century.^[11] The grouping of the buildings around the town square still include the imposing homes of merchants known as the "Scottish Houses". These include; the George Anderson House, the John Arnot House, the George Bennet House, the James Gray House, the Steel Property, and the surviving basement of the Alexander Gordon house.^[12]

A local custom called on all visitors to bring a stone to be used in the town's construction.^[5]

The 1st Lithuanian National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in the town in 1790.^[13]

World War II

Kėdainiai in 19th century by Napoleon Orda

In 1940, the town was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union. During Operation Barbarossa, Kėdainiai was occupied by the German Army in the summer of 1941. On August 28, 1941, the entire Jewish community of Kėdainiai, a community which had inhabited the area for 500 years, were killed under the direction of German Special Police Battalions, with the aid of the local Lithuanian population. The Jewish population prior to the Holocaust was 3000.^[14]

Soviet occupation

Lifosa AB chemical plant in Kėdainiai

During the Cold War, it was home to Kėdainiai air base, a major Soviet military airlift facility.

For many years, Kėdainiai was known for its chemical and food processing industries. The Kėdainiai chemical plant, Lifosa, began operations in January 1963. Publicized as a milestone in the industrialization of Lithuania, it emitted significant quantities of sulfuric acid and was the subject of ecological protests in the 1980s.^[15][16]

Independent Lithuania

Following years of stagnation, old enterprises have come back to life, and new ones have been established, contributing to its status as an economic stronghold.^[17]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1823 3,000 —     1833 2,597 −1.43% 1865 3,455 +0.90% 1895 4,368 +0.78%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1897 6,113 +18.30% 1923 7,415 +0.75% 1931 7,761 +0.57% 1939 8,662 +1.38%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1959 10,580 +1.01% 1966 15,900 +5.99% 1970 19,795 +5.63% 1974 24,500 +5.48%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1976 26,600 +4.20% 1979 27,886 +1.59% 1989 33,840 +1.95% 2001 32,048 −0.45%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2006 31,308 −0.47% 2011 26,648 −3.17% 2018 23,367 −1.86%
Source: 1902, 1923, 1959 & 1970, 1979, 1989, 2001, 2011

Transportation

Kėdainiai is accessed by Via Baltica highway from Kaunas and Panevėžys, and by rail from Vilnius, Klaipėda and Šiauliai. It is also served by Kaunas International Airport, the second largest airport in Lithuania, located in Karmėlava.

Culture

Monument for Prince Jonušas Radvila

Kėdainiai minaret

The Kėdainiai Regional Museum, established in 1922, now operates four branches: a Multicultural Centre, the mausoleum of the Dukes Radziwill, the house of Juozas Paukštelis, and the Museum of Wooden Sculptures of V.Ulevičius.^[18]

Since the city is known as the cucumber capital of Lithuania, it sponsors an annual cucumber festival.^[17]

In 2013, the band Bastille shot a music video for their single "Things We Lost in the Fire" in the location.^{[citation needed]}

A small Polish minority of 329 (0,61%)^[19] people live in Kėdainiai district municipality, but only 30 people participate in Stowarzyszenie Polaków Kiejdan (The Kėdainiai Polish Association), the elder people; their cultural activities involve public celebrations of Polish Day of Independence and Day of the Constitution of Third of May, as well as organizing a festival of Polish culture. Since 1994 a School of Polish Language exists.^[20][21]

Education

• Jonušas Radvila College (Kėdainių Jonušo Radvilos studijų centras)
• Kėdainiai Atžalynas gymnasium
• Kėdainiai Šviesioji gymnasium

Sport

Basketball club BC Nevėžis, which participate in Lithuanian basketball league. Football club FK Nevėžis, named after the nearby river plays in second-tier league I Lyga. Other football teams include FK Lifosa and FK Nevėžis-2, the reserve team of Nevėžis.

Mayors of Kėdainiai

Mayor	Term of office		Political party
	Took office	Left office
Independent Lithuania
Petras Baguška	1990	1994
Vigimantas Kisielius	1995	1997	Homeland Union
Viktoras Muntianas	1997	2004	Labour Party
Virginija Baltraitienė	12 November 2004	12 December 2005	Labour Party
Nijolė Naujokienė	2005	2011	Labour Party
Rimantas Diliūnas	2011	2015	Labour Party
Saulius Grinkevičius	17 April 2015	2019	Liberal Movement
Valentinas Tamulis	17 March 2019	Incumbent	Valentino Tamulio komanda – mūsų krašto sėkmei

Notable citizens

• Jonušas Radvila (1612–1655) - Lithuanian nobleman, magnate
• Antanas Mackevičius, a priest and a leader of the 1863 uprising
• Czesław Miłosz, Polish writer, Nobel Prize winner. Born in Šeteniai village
• Mikalojus Daukša, Lithuanian writer, translator
• Martin (Moshe) Kagan, a leader of the anti-Nazi resistance group HaShomer HaTzair
• Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen, rabbi and prolific author
• Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan (1890–1924), prominent Orthodox rabbi.
• Moshe Leib Lilienblum, Jewish scholar and author
• Viktoras Muntianas, Lithuanian politician, former Speaker of the Seimas
• Juozas Paukštelis, author
• Juozas Urbšys, Lithuanian diplomat. Born in Šeteniai village
• Shlomo Zalman Zoref, re-established the Ashkenazi community in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1811
• Bernard G Richards (b. March 9, 1877 Dov-Gershon Rabinovich in Keidan, Lithuania - d. 25 June 1971 in the US) author and Jewish leader.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Lithuania

Kėdainiai is twinned with:^[22]

• Brodnica, Poland
• Fălticeni, Romania
• Kohtla-Järve, Estonia
• Łobez, Poland
• Melitopol, Ukraine
• Sömmerda, Germany
• Svalöv, Sweden
• Telavi, Georgia

Gallery

• 
  City Hall and Monument of Janusz Radziwiłł
• 
  Kranto II street in the old town
• 
  Senoji Street in the old town
• 
  Kėdainiai Old Town
• 
  Kėdainiai Old Town
• 
  Didžioji street
• 
  Nevėžis river in city center
• 
  Kėdainiai new synagogue
• 
  Holy Transfiguration Church

See also

• Kėdainiai railway station