Venta
Encyclopedia
Venta is a small city in Lithuania
in the Akmenė district municipality
. According to 2005 data there are 3,221 people living in Venta. It is situated along the Venta River
, Kuršėnai
-Mažeikiai
highway, and a railroad connecting Mažeikiai with Šiauliai
(the train station is called Akmenė
). This makes Venta better situated than Naujoji Akmenė
, the capital of the district.
The town grew after World War II
together with a lime
factory which later produced brick
s. At its peak the factory employed about 1,000 people. The city was formed when Bauskas and Purviai villages were joined in 1966. After the 1990 declaration of independence, the factory faced severe financial difficulties while shifting from planned economy
to free market. The factory's departments were made into separate companies. Some went bankrupt and their buildings were destroyed; others were privatized
. In 1999 a public company, "Naujasis kalcitas" (English: The New Calcite
; the only manufacturer of quicklime
in Lithuania, supplying 50-55% of the domestic market) purchased and reconstructed a remaining lime burning technology line with rotary kiln. Recently a new heating facility using natural gas
was built to provide heat for the city.
The city has a high school (established 1907), which started with about 20 students. Studies lasted 4 years and commenced in November when all field jobs have finished. Classes were held in Russian
. In 1940, as the number of students grew to 40, the school moved to a new building and was renamed Dabikinė Elementary School. The building belonged to a railroad company and was not fitted for school, but the war prevented the reconstruction. In 1949 the number of students reached 120 and the school was reorganized into a 7-year school. The railroad building was too small and the school was forced to rent two other buildings more than 1 kilometer apart. In 1953-54 the school was reorganized again as a high school. In 1960 a spacious new building was opened. At that time the school had 330 students and about 20 teachers. In 1972 a new expansion was built with a gym
and 14 new classrooms. The school currently employs about 50 teachers. It is known for being active in various projects and for students who do well on various national science Olympics
.
In 1961 a public library was established in Venta. It started with 6,150 books and grew to 18,000 in 2000. In 1996 it won the second place in "Biblioteka - kultūros centras" (English: Library - cultural center) contest organized by the Open Society Fund Lithuania. A club, "Ventos mūzų malūnas", was established by the library and gathers people interested in art and poetry. Juozas Miltinis
(1907–1994) was born in what is now Venta.
Venta music school has a traditional Lithuanian music assemble "Ventukai". Its members are mostly local youth ranging from 9 to 20 years old. In 2004 it became famous after appearing in a popular song contest Nacionalinė Muzikos Lyga (commonly abbreviated as NML; English: National Music League) on LNK
, one of the biggest TV stations in Lithuania. Critics expected that they would be voted off in the first round, but they successfully reached the finals and won the contest on May 29. It received the first prize of 275,000 litas
. Later that year they released a CD, Keliaujam su daina (We Are Travelling With Songs), with 16 fast, upbeat songs. They have made appearances across Lithuania and in other countries including Latvia
, Germany
and Italy
. In 2004 they made their one-thousandth concert in Venta.
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...
in the Akmenė district municipality
Akmene district municipality
Akmenė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It lies in the northwest of the country, with administrative centre in Naujoji Akmene and borders Latvia in the north, Joniškis district municipality in the east, Šiauliai district municipality in the southeast, Telšiai...
. According to 2005 data there are 3,221 people living in Venta. It is situated along the Venta River
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....
, Kuršėnai
Kuršenai
Kuršėnai is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, it had 14,197 residents.-Famous people:* Stasys Raštikis, Lithuanian army general* Donald Kagan, Yale Classics professor-References:...
-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...
highway, and a railroad connecting Mažeikiai with Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
(the train station is called Akmenė
Akmene
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...
). This makes Venta better situated than 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...
, the capital of the district.
The town grew after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
together with a lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
factory which later produced brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s. At its peak the factory employed about 1,000 people. The city was formed when Bauskas and Purviai villages were joined in 1966. After the 1990 declaration of independence, the factory faced severe financial difficulties while shifting from planned economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
to free market. The factory's departments were made into separate companies. Some went bankrupt and their buildings were destroyed; others were privatized
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
. In 1999 a public company, "Naujasis kalcitas" (English: The New Calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
; the only manufacturer of quicklime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
in Lithuania, supplying 50-55% of the domestic market) purchased and reconstructed a remaining lime burning technology line with rotary kiln. Recently a new heating facility using natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
was built to provide heat for the city.
Culture
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...
. In 1940, as the number of students grew to 40, the school moved to a new building and was renamed Dabikinė Elementary School. The building belonged to a railroad company and was not fitted for school, but the war prevented the reconstruction. In 1949 the number of students reached 120 and the school was reorganized into a 7-year school. The railroad building was too small and the school was forced to rent two other buildings more than 1 kilometer apart. In 1953-54 the school was reorganized again as a high school. In 1960 a spacious new building was opened. At that time the school had 330 students and about 20 teachers. In 1972 a new expansion was built with a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and 14 new classrooms. The school currently employs about 50 teachers. It is known for being active in various projects and for students who do well on various national science Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
In 1961 a public library was established in Venta. It started with 6,150 books and grew to 18,000 in 2000. In 1996 it won the second place in "Biblioteka - kultūros centras" (English: Library - cultural center) contest organized by the Open Society Fund Lithuania. A club, "Ventos mūzų malūnas", was established by the library and gathers people interested in art and poetry. Juozas Miltinis
Juozas Miltinis
Juozas Miltinis was a Lithuanian theatre director and founder of the Panevėžys Drama Theatre. Miltinis has brought up a number of actors.-Biography:...
(1907–1994) was born in what is now Venta.
Music traditions
LNK (television station)
LNK TV, also known as Laisvas ir Nepriklausomas Kanalas , is one of the major commercial TV channels in Lithuania. It was founded in 1995. It has a sister channels TV1, Info TV and Liuks!.- External links :**...
, one of the biggest TV stations in Lithuania. Critics expected that they would be voted off in the first round, but they successfully reached the finals and won the contest on May 29. It received the first prize of 275,000 litas
Lithuanian litas
The Lithuanian litas is the currency of Lithuania. It is divided into 100 centų...
. Later that year they released a CD, Keliaujam su daina (We Are Travelling With Songs), with 16 fast, upbeat songs. They have made appearances across Lithuania and in other countries including Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 2004 they made their one-thousandth concert in Venta.