Akmenė

City

Coat of arms

Akmenė

Location of Akmenė

Coordinates: 56°19′N 22°54′E / 56.317°N 22.900°ECoordinates: 56°19′N 22°54′E / 56.317°N 22.900°E

Lithuania

Akmenė district municipality

Eldership

Akmenė eldership

Capital of

Akmenė eldership

First mentioned

1511

Granted city rights

1592

Population (2001)

• Total

2,813

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Akmenė (pronounced: [ɐkmæˈːneː]) is a city in northern Lithuania.

Following the discovery of large reserves of limestone and clay in the region, in 1947 construction work began on one of the largest cement production complexes in the Baltic States. Nearby, a new town grew up which was to become the region’s administrative centre: Naujoji Akmenė ("New Akmenė").

Most probably the name is derived from a rivulet that flows north of the town: the Akmenupis (approximate meaning – "river with a lot of stones"). Foreign renderings include: German: Akmene, Yiddish: אקמעיאן/Akmian, Polish: Okmiany, Russian: Окмяны/Okmiany.

Akmenė is first mentioned as an estate owned by the Kęsgaila family circa 1511. In 1531 a privilege was granted by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund I the Old to build a town, named Dabikinė near te Dabikinė River. It was built in Wallach reform style. The town grew fast, and by the time there were 3 streets, 82 households and 28 inns in 1561. In 1596 Grand Duchess of Lithuania Anna Jagiellon founded a wooden church.

City rights were granted to Akmenė in 1592.

The city was devastated and burned down in 1705 during the Swedish occupation after a nearby battle. A plague of 1710–1711 left the city without inhabitants, although it recovered fast, and in 1754 received a privilege to hold a market and four fairs per year. In 1792 Akmenė city rights were reconfirmed and a coat of arms was granted.

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Wikipedia