Pandėlys

Pandėlys
City
The church of Pandėlys
Coat of arms
Pandėlys Location of Pandėlys
Coordinates: 56°1′0″N 25°13′0″E
Country	Lithuania
Ethnographic region	Aukštaitija
County	Panevėžys County
Municipality	Rokiškis district municipality
Eldership	Pandėlys eldership
Capital of	Pandelys eldership
First mentioned	1591
Granted city rights	1956
Population  (2005)
• Total	985
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Pandėlys (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a city in northern Lithuania. It is located some 26 km (16 mi) west from Rokiškis, on the road to Biržai. Apaščia River originates near the town and flows through it.

History

The origins of the name are associated with trade. One explanation goes that the name was derived from a word meaning "warehouse." Merchants from Vilnius and Riga would meet and exchange the goods somewhere in the area. Lithuanians called their storage places podėlis and Latvians – pondėlis. The other explanation claims that the name comes from panedėlis – Monday, the day of the week when the market was open.

The town is first mentioned in 1591. The manor belonged to the Rajecki family, who sold it to the Kościałkowskis in 1767. The new owners, Stumbrai, demolished the manor. Only a park is left, planted according to Italian traditions. Ignacy Kościałkowski built a brick church in 1801. Antanas Strazdas, a famous poet, worked for short period in the church. The city had an important Chasidic Jewish community before their murder in 1941; before the First World War, the population numbered approximately 150 Jewish families and 50-60 Christian families. Today, an important Jewish cemetery is still visible.

References

• Semaška, Algimantas (2006). Kelionių vadovas po Lietuvą: 1000 lankytinų vietovių norintiems geriau pažinti gimtąjį kraštą (in Lithuanian) (4th ed.). Vilnius: Algimantas. p. 406. ISBN 9986-509-90-4.