Minaičiai

Minaičiai
Village
Minaičiai Location of Minaičiai
Coordinates: 55°37′52″N 23°33′11″E / 55.63111°N 23.55306°ECoordinates: 55°37′52″N 23°33′11″E / 55.63111°N 23.55306°E
Country	Lithuania
County	Šiauliai County
Municipality	Radviliškis district municipality
Eldership	Ginkiškis eldership
Population (2001)
• Total	205
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Minaičiai or Mėnaičiai is a village in Lithuania, located on the Šušvė River. It has a primary school. According to the 2001 census, it had 205 residents.^[1]

After World War II, the homestead of Stanislovas Miknius hid a bunker of Leonardas Grigonis (codename Užpalis), commander of the Lithuanian partisans of the Resurrection District (Prisikėlimo apygarda).^[2] In February 1949, the village was a meeting place of the commanders of the Lithuanian partisans, who established the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters. In spring 1949, the partisans left the village and the bunker was destroyed by Miknius.^[3] In 2004, during a construction work, Miknius family found a hidden milk can with more than 2000 pages of various partisan documents.^[4] In November 2010, the partisan bunker was reconstructed; it displays a small exhibit of partisan documents and other items. The opening ceremony was attended by President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė.^[2]

References

1. Šiaulių apskrities kaimo gyvenamosios vietovės ir jų gyventojai (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. 2003. p. 82. ISBN 9986-589-94-0.
2. ELTA (2010-11-19). "Mėnaičiuose bus atidarytas Lietuvos laisvės kovos sąjūdžio memorialas" (in Lithuanian). Balsas.lt.
3. Gaškaitė-Žemaitienė, Nijolė (1999). "Prisikėlimo apygarda". Laisvės kovos Prisikėlimo apygardoje (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos gyventojų genocido ir rezistencijos tyrimo centras. ISBN 9986-757-26-6.
4. Čekutis, Ričardas; Dalius Žygelis (2010-10-18). "Laisvės kryžkelės. Atrastas reikšmingiausias Lietuvos partizanų archyvas" (in Lithuanian). Bernardinai.lt.