Radviliškis

City

Flag

Coat of arms

Radviliškis

Location of Radviliškis

Coordinates: 55°48′N 23°33′E / 55.800°N 23.550°ECoordinates: 55°48′N 23°33′E / 55.800°N 23.550°E

Lithuania

Radviliškis district municipality

Eldership

Radviliškis town eldership

Capital of

Radviliškis district municipality
Radviliškis town eldership
Radviliškis eldership

First mentioned

1529

Granted city rights

1923

Government

• Mayor

Antanas Čepononis

Population (2015)

• Total

16,344 (19th)

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Website

http://www.radviliskis.lt

Radviliškis ( pronunciation ) (Polish: Radziwiliszki) is a city in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of the district since 1950, and is an important railway junction.

Radviliškis was founded at the end of the 15th century. It was first mentioned in the book on state economics by M. Downar-Zapolsky listing the cities taxpayers in 1567. In 1687, John Sobieski, the king of Lithuania and Poland, granted the right of holding a market to it.

Radviliškis was devastated many times by military forces, plague and hunger in the 17th – 19th centuries. There were no citizens left in Radviliškis after the plague in 1708–1710.

Town growth began when the Liepāja–Romny Railway line, crossing the town, was built in 1870 and Radviliškis–Daugavpils line was built in 1873. Railwaymen constituted the majority of the residents.

Around July 12, 1941, all 300 Jews of Radviliškis were murdered in the Durpunas Forest near the Jewish cemetery by Germans and Lithuanian Activist Front members from Radviliškis.

In 1999, a sculpture of the Victory goddess Nike was unveiled in the center of Radviliškis to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the victory over the united German–Russian West Russian Volunteer Army. It was created by sculptor P. Mazuras.

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Wikipedia