Alanta
Alanta | |
|---|---|
 St. Jacob's church in Alanta | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Alunta | |
  Alanta Location of Alanta | |
| Coordinates:55°21′N25°17′E/ 55.350°N 25.283°E | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Ethnographic region | Aukštaitija |
| County |  Utena County |
| Municipality | Molėtai district municipality |
| Elderate | Alanta elderate |
| Seat of | Alanta elderate |
| First mentioned | 1436 |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 348 |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
Alanta(dialectalAukštaitiannameAlunta,Polish:Owanta,Yiddish אַוואָנטע) is a small town inMolėtai district municipality,Lithuania.It is the administrative seat of the Alanta Elderate. According to a census in 2011, Alanta had 348 residents.[1]It is situated at the crossing of two roads:Molėtai–AnykščiaiandUtena–Alanta–Ukmergė.The town's St. Jacob's church was built in 1909.
The Synagogue of Alantais one of only 17 surviving wooden synagogues in Lithuania.[2]
Etymology of the name
[edit]The name of the town is derived from theAlanta River,tributary ofVirinta.The name of the river is derived from an ancientLithuanianverb "alėti",which means 'to stream merrily' or 'to run'.
History
[edit]In 1436,Sigismund Kestutaitisgranted Alanta toKristinas Astikasto commend him for his aid in defeatingŠvitrigailain theLithuanian Civil War (1431–1435).In the 16th century, the town'sCatholic churchwas built, and in 1581 theGrand Duke of LithuaniaStefan Batorygifted Alanta toGáspár Békés(Lithuanian:Kasparas Bekešas), aHungariangeneral. After 1598 the town belonged toRadziwiłłfamily and from 1828 until theWorld War Iit belonged to the Pamarnacki family. From the 18th century to the LithuanianUprising of 1863,Alanta had a parish school.
Alanta suffered heavily from many wars, includingNapoleon's invasion of the Russian Empire,World War IandWorld War II,because of its location on the crossing of two important roads.
The entire Jewish community of 30 families,[3]which comprised the majority of the population of Alanta, was killed during the Holocaust in August 1941.[4]Alanta has a rare, survivingwooden synagogue.[5]
Palace of Alanta estate
[edit]
The palace of the estate, which houses a library and an ethnographic museum, has been renovated and its park trimmed. The founder of the Alanta library, Elvyra Satkūnaitė, was named "The best librarian of Lithuania" in 1996.
References
[edit]- ^"2011 census".Statistikos Departamentas (Lithuania).RetrievedAugust 16,2017.
- ^"Alantos sinagoga".jewish-heritage-lithuania.org. 2 May 2019.
- ^"BHS".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-02-02.
- ^"Pinkas Hakehillot Lita: Alunta".
- ^Center for Jewish Art (2004). "Preserved Wooden Synagogues in Lithuania". The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved on December 17, 2008."Wooden Synagogues in Lithuania".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-05.Retrieved2008-12-17.
External links
[edit]- (in Lithuanian)Website of Alanta
- The estate of Alanta before renovation
| Authority control databases:National |
|---|
