Akmene
Encyclopedia
Akmenė 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").
: Akmene, Yiddish: אקמעיאן/Akmian, Polish
: Okmiany, Russian
: Окмяны/Okmiany.
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 street
s, 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.
After the Partitions of Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth
the neighborhoods were donated to the wife of Russian
General Fitinhof.
arrived in Akmenė in the eighteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century the majority of the population in the town was Jewish. The first mass migration of Jews followed the notorious May Laws
of 1881. Many of the Jews who left in the face of increasing Tsarist persecution settled in Cork, Ireland
, where Jews today still refer to themselves as Akmianers.
In 1915, some of the Jews were expelled into the Russian interior.
By 1939 the Jewish community had fallen in number to around 30 families. At the end of June 1941, following the Nazi occupation of Lithuania, Jewish people were arrested. The Rollkommando Hamann
with the help of local collaborators, shot and killed three Jews, and on August 4, 1941 all the remaining prisoners were transferred to three silos on the bank of the river Venta
, near Mažeikiai
. The men were taken immediately to dig pits and the women were imprisoned in Mažeikiai together with other Jewish women prisoners. All of them were murdered together with the Jews of Mažeikiai and the surroundings on August 9, 1941. In 1958, one of the nationalists who escorted the Jews from Akmenė to Mažeikiai was tried for his involvement in the murder of the Jewish population.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
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
Naujoji Akmene
Naujoji Akmenė is a new town that was established in 1952 and is therefore one of the newest cities in Lithuania. Its name means the New Akmenė. It is an industrial base with concrete as its main product, with Public company Akmenės cementas producing 700,000 tonnes of concrete annually...
("New Akmenė").
Name
Most probably the name is derived form a rivulet that flows north of the town: the Akmenupis (approximate meaning – "river with a lot of stones"). Foreign renderings include: GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Akmene, Yiddish: אקמעיאן/Akmian, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Okmiany, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Окмяны/Okmiany.
History
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
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
to build a town, named Dabikinė near te Dabikinė River
Dabikinė River
Dabikinė is a river of Akmenė district municipality, Šiauliai County, northern Lithuania. It flows for 37.2 kilometres and has a basin area of 387.6 km²....
. It was built in Wallach reform
Wallach reform
Wallach reform was a land reform in parts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . Main goal of the reform was to increase revenue to the state treasury, and to distribute feodal services to the peasants...
style. The town grew fast, and by the time there were 3 street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s, 82 households and 28 inns in 1561. In 1596 Grand Duchess of Lithuania Anna Jagiellon
Anna Jagiellon
Anna Jagiellon was queen of Poland from 1575 to 1586. She was the daughter of Poland's King Sigismund I the Old, and the wife of Stephen Báthory. She was elected, along with her then fiance, Báthory, as co-ruler in the second election of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
founded a wooden church.
City rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
were granted to Akmenė in 1592.
The city was devastated and burned down in 1705 during the Swedish occupation
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
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
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
was granted.
After the Partitions of Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
the neighborhoods were donated to the wife of Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
General Fitinhof.
The Jewish community
According to the records JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
arrived in Akmenė in the eighteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century the majority of the population in the town was Jewish. The first mass migration of Jews followed the notorious May Laws
May Laws
Temporary regulations regarding the Jews were proposed by minister of internal affairs Nikolai Ignatyev and enacted on May 15 , 1882, by Tsar Alexander III of Russia...
of 1881. Many of the Jews who left in the face of increasing Tsarist persecution settled in Cork, Ireland
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, where Jews today still refer to themselves as Akmianers.
In 1915, some of the Jews were expelled into the Russian interior.
By 1939 the Jewish community had fallen in number to around 30 families. At the end of June 1941, following the Nazi occupation of Lithuania, Jewish people were arrested. The Rollkommando Hamann
Rollkommando Hamann
Rollkommando Hamann was a small mobile unit that committed mass murders of Lithuanian Jews in the countryside in July–October 1941. The unit was also responsible for a large number of murders in Latvia from July through August, 1941...
with the help of local collaborators, shot and killed three Jews, and on August 4, 1941 all the remaining prisoners were transferred to three silos on the bank of the river Venta
Venta River
Venta River is a river in north-western Lithuania and western Latvia. Its source is near Kuršėnai in the Lithuanian Šiauliai County. It flows into the Baltic Sea at Ventspils in Latvia....
, near Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai is a city in the north-western Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 45,300, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of Mažeikiai district municipality in Telšiai County. It is the largest city that does not have its...
. The men were taken immediately to dig pits and the women were imprisoned in Mažeikiai together with other Jewish women prisoners. All of them were murdered together with the Jews of Mažeikiai and the surroundings on August 9, 1941. In 1958, one of the nationalists who escorted the Jews from Akmenė to Mažeikiai was tried for his involvement in the murder of the Jewish population.