Vievis

54°46′30″N 24°48′30″E / 54.77500°N 24.80833°E / 54.77500; 24.80833Country LithuaniaEthnographic regionDzūkijaCounty Vilnius CountyMunicipalityElektrėnai municipalityEldershipVievis eldershipCapital ofVievis eldershipFirst mentioned1539Granted city rights1950Population • Total4,521Time zoneUTC+2 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Vievis (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a small city in Elektrėnai municipality, Lithuania. It is located 14 km east of Elektrėnai, on Lake Vievis.

History

Its alternate names include Anastasevskaya, Jewie (Polish), Vevis, Viyevis, V’yevis, and Yev’ye.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^{[citation needed]} In 2011 census, only 10.9% of inhabitants identified themselves as Poles as well as 3.74% Russians and 82.56% Lithuanians.^[3]

The Lithuanian Road Museum is in the city.

Gallery

• 
  Cultural centre and library
• 
  Primary school, named after Jurgis Milančius
• 
  Lake Vievis
• 
  Aerial view of Lake Vievis
• 
  An 1843 Eastern Orthodox Church
• 
  Church of St Anne

Twin towns

• Óbuda-Békásmegyer – Hungary, since 2016

Notes and references