Šventoji, Lithuania
Šventoji | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Šventoji Location of Šventoji | |
| Coordinates:56°1′31″N21°4′54″E/ 56.02528°N 21.08167°E | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Ethnographic region | Samogitia |
| County | Klaipėda County |
| Municipality | Palanga City Municipality |
| Eldership | Šventoji eldership |
| Capital of | Šventoji eldership |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
| Website | http://www.sventoji.lt |
Šventoji(Samogitian:Švėntuojė;Latvian:Sventāja) is aresort townon the coast of theBaltic SeainLithuania.Administratively it is part ofPalanga City Municipality.The total population of Šventoji as of 2012 was 2631. The town is located about 12 km north of Palanga center and close to the border withLatvia.Further north of the town isBūtingėand its oil terminal.Šventoji Riverflows into the Baltic sea at the town. The town also has a famous lighthouse, which is located 780 meters from the sea. Its height is 39 meters. The town is a popular summer resort for families, during summer it has many cafes, restaurants and various attractions for the visitors.
Šventoji is an important archaeological site as the first artefacts are dated about 3000 BC. A famous cane shaped as moose head was also found in the town. It is a former fishing village now turned into a tourist town. The town always struggled to develop a port, which had to compete with nearbyKlaipėdaandLiepāja.A larger port was constructed in the second half of the 17th century, especially since 1679, when it was leased to English merchants. It was destroyed in 1701 during theGreat Northern War.During the times of theRussian Empire(1795–1915) the port was moribund.
In 1919, after the breakup of the Russian Empire, Šventoji became a part ofLatvia,like the rest of theCourland Governorate.In 1921 the town was peacefully transferred toLithuaniafollowing a Lithuanian-Latvian treaty.[1]
After the territorial transfer, the town became crucially important for Lithuania as one of its few points of access to the sea. The sea port began developing again: two piers were constructed, but they were frequently covered in sand.
Thus, it never grew into a bigger port, although Šventoji briefly became vital to Lithuania in the brief period between theGerman occupation of Klaipėda(March 1939) andLithuania's incorporationinto theSoviet Union(June 1940).
Notable people from Šventoji[edit]
- Evaldas Kairys(born 1990), professional basketball player
References[edit]
- ^Latvijas iegūtās un zaudētās teritorijas,NeoGeolv, November 10, 2011]
- Semaška, Algimantas (2006).Kelionių vadovas po Lietuvą: 1000 lankytinų vietovių norintiems geriau pažinti gimtąjį kraštą(in Lithuanian) (4th ed.). Vilnius: Algimantas. pp. 497–498.ISBN9986-509-90-4.