Veisiejai | ||
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City | ||
Ančios lake and Veisiejai panorama
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Location of Veisiejai | ||
Coordinates: 54°6′0″N 23°42′0″E / 54.10000°N 23.70000°ECoordinates: 54°6′0″N 23°42′0″E / 54.10000°N 23.70000°E | ||
Country | Lithuania | |
Ethnographic region | Dzūkija | |
County | Alytus County | |
Municipality | Lazdijai district municipality | |
Eldership | Veisiejai eldership | |
Capital of | Veisiejai eldership | |
First mentioned | 1501 | |
Granted city rights | 1956 | |
Population (2007) | ||
• Total | 1,637 | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Veisiejai ( pronunciation ) is a city in the Lazdijai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located 18 km (11 mi) south-east of Lazdijai. The Esperanto language was created in Veisiejai where L. L. Zamenhof started his practice as an ophtalmologist in 1885. There is a church dedicated to St. George (built in 1817), an old estate with a park, high school, kindergarten "Ąžuoliukas", a post office (postal code LT-67043), a museum and monuments dedicated to the composer J. Neimontas and L. L. Zamenhof.
Veisiejai is one of few towns that are located in a lake peninsula. The western part of the town is surrounded by a park from the 18th century. There are several lakes in the vicinity of the town. The biggest of them – Ančia – divides the town into two parts. Lake Snaigynas is in the east, Lake Vernijis in the north, and Lake Veisiejis in the southwest. The town is named after the lake Veisiejis which is situated 6 km south-west of Veisiejai.
The Vishay Intertechnology semiconductors manufacturer is named after this city. Its founder, Dr. Felix Zandman, chose the company name after his ancestral village, in memory of family members who perished in the Holocaust.
Veisiejai estate was first mentioned in 1501. The town was first mentioned in the 1st half of the 16th century. Yuri Olelkovich, Duke of Slutsk, managed to get market privilege in 1525 and built first church in 1526.
Between 1950 and 1959 Veisiejai was a district center. In 1956 it became a town. Its coat of arms was created by Laima Ramonienė and was approved by the President of Lithuania on March 23, 2000.