Jašiūnai

Town

Jašiūnai Manor

Coat of arms

Jašiūnai

Location of Jašiūnai

Coordinates: 54°26′20″N 25°18′40″E / 54.43889°N 25.31111°ECoordinates: 54°26′20″N 25°18′40″E / 54.43889°N 25.31111°E

Lithuania

Šalčininkai district municipality

Eldership

Jašiūnai eldership

Capital of

Jašiūnai eldership

First mentioned

1402

Population (2001)

• Total

1,879

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Jašiūnai (Polish: Jaszuny, Belarusian: Яшуны) is a town in Lithuania. It is situated on the Merkys River and an edge of the Rūdninkai Forest. According to the 2001 census, it had population of 1,879. The town's population is primarily Polish (some 70%), with Russian (10%) and Lithuanian (5%) minorities.

The town was first mentioned in written sources in 1402. From the 15th to 18th century, the town belonged to the Radziwiłł family. In 1811 it was bought by Ignacy Baliński, father of historian Michał Baliński. His wife from the Śniadecki family initiated construction of the neoclassical Jašiūnai Manor, designed by architect Karol Podczaszyński. The construction was undertaken between 1824 and 1828. The manor became a cultural center: it was a residence of Jan Śniadecki and Juliusz Słowacki frequently visited by Adam Mickiewicz, Tomasz Zan, Stanisław Bonifacy Jundziłł, Józef Mianowski. This generation of Polish Romantics studied and idealized the history and culture of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. These studies had great influence on the worldview of the szlachta of the Vilnius Region: they would identify themselves as Poles while remaining loyal to the Grand Duchy.

Alongside cultural life, the manor owners encouraged small industry: a ceramics workshop (still operating as of 2009), a factory of resin and turpentine, brickyard, paper factory. After the Uprising of 1863 and Baliński's death, Jašiūnai lost its position as a cultural center. The valuable library collection was transported to Poland or lost during the wars. As part of the Vilnius Region, Jašiūnai belonged to the Second Polish Republic during the interwar period.

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Wikipedia