Šešuoliai is a small town in central Lithuania. It is located just east of the Lake Šešuoliai. According to the Lithuanian census of 2011, it had 138 residents.[1] The town's central square and street layout is protected as an urban monument.[2]

Šešuoliai
Town
Coat of arms of Šešuoliai
Šešuoliai is located in Lithuania
Šešuoliai
Šešuoliai
Location of Šešuoliai
Coordinates: 55°10′41″N 24°58′19″E / 55.17806°N 24.97194°E / 55.17806; 24.97194
Country Lithuania
County Vilnius County
MunicipalityUkmergė district municipality
EldershipŠešuoliai eldership
First mentioned1334
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
138
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Church of Šešuoliai

Its alternate names include Šašuoliai, Šešuolių, Shesholi, Sheshuolyay, Sušuoliai, Szeszole, and Szeszole.[3]

History

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The town was first mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge when it was attacked by the Livonian Order in 1334.[4] Since the times of Grand Duke Vytautas, there was an estate, which became a property of Kristinas Astikas. Sometime before 1478, Šešuoliai passed to the Bishop of Vilnius. Bishop Walerian Protasewicz sponsored construction of a Catholic church and establishment of a parish.[4] Protasewicz also directed the priests to open a parish school, but it is known only from 1777. The settlement grew into a town and center of a volost. The town burned down in 1656 during the Russo-Polish War.[2] Šešuoliai recovered; the church was reconstructed in 1698 and 1751. The priests sponsored a parish school and a shelter for the poor. Šešuoliai Manor had a library and alcohol distillery.[4] During the interwar years it was briefly owned by Jonas Variakojis. Today it is a school building.[5] The town had 100 residents in 1814, 64 in 1845, 169 in 1890, 317 in 1923, 156 in 1959, 193 in 1970, 123 in 1979.[2]

In the summer of 1941, a number of Jews from the town were marched to -they were told Želva. They were murdered by local Lithuanian collaborators on the outskirts of the forest as soon as they left the shtetl.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "2011 census". Statistikos Departamentas (Lithuania). Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c (in Lithuanian) Jonas Zinkus; et al., eds. (1985–1988). "Šešuoliai". Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija. Vol. IV. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. p. 174. LCCN 86232954.
  3. ^ United States Board on Geographic Names – Lithuania – Šešuoliai. Accessed January 27, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Kviklys, Bronius (1965). Mūsų Lietuva (in Lithuanian). Vol. II. Boston: Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla. pp. 516–517. OCLC 3303503.
  5. ^ Semaška, Algimantas (2006). Kelionių vadovas po Lietuvą: 1000 lankytinų vietovių norintiems geriau pažinti gimtąjį kraštą (in Lithuanian) (4th ed.). Vilnius: Algimantas. p. 482. ISBN 9986-509-90-4.
  6. ^ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania".
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