Seda, Lithuania

For other uses, see Seda (disambiguation).
Seda
City

Church of St. John of Nepomuk

Coat of arms
Seda

Location of Seda

Coordinates: 56°10′0″N 22°5′0″E / 56.16667°N 22.08333°E / 56.16667; 22.08333Coordinates: 56°10′0″N 22°5′0″E / 56.16667°N 22.08333°E / 56.16667; 22.08333
Country  Lithuania
Ethnographic region Samogitia
County Telšiai County
Municipality Mažeikiai district municipality
Eldership Seda eldership
Capital of Seda eldership
First mentioned 13th century
Granted city rights 1780
Population (2005)
 • Total 1,260
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Seda ( pronunciation ) is a city in Mažeikiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located 24 km (15 mi) south-west of Mažeikiai on the Varduva River. There are two churches in the town.

History

According to Kazimieras Būga, the name of Seda is of hydronymic origin and was derived from the name of nearby Lake Seda also known as Sedula. Seda was first mentioned in written sources in the 13th century. From the 15th century Seda was famous as a busy trade settlement with Livonia. The town of Seda was established in 1500 and in 1508 the parish was founded. In the middle of 17th century, Seda suffered great losses during the Second Northern War, but recovered in the 18th century. In 1770, ciwun Vaclovas Bartoškevičius and his wife Elžbieta Juškaitėthe sponsored construction of the Catholic Church of the Assumption. The town belonged to the Sapieha family, but their possessions were confiscated by the authorities of the Russian Empire for their participation the Uprising of 1831. Town residents also were active in Uprising of 1863 and book smuggling during the Lithuanian press ban. Poet and bishop Antanas Baranauskas worked in the town in 1855. The central town square is named in his honor and the monument was erected in 2000. In 1886, the western part of the town burnt down. During World War II, from June to July 1941, from 10 to 150 Jews of the village were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by an Einsatzgruppen of local Lithuanians[1]. A stele is erected on the site of the massacre. On October 6–7, 1944, a battle took place between the Lithuanian Homeland Defense Detachment (Tevynės apsaugos rinktinė) and the Russian Red Army. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the battle, a monument was erected to the fallen soldiers in the square near the Church of the Assumption. In 1950 Seda was granted city rights. On July 16, 2004, the coat of arms of Seda town was approved by the presidential decree.

Religion

Seda, like almost all Lithuania, is a Catholic village. There are two wooden churches in Seda. One of them is the Church of the Assumption which was first built in 1508. The Baroque church has several objects included in the Lithuanian heritage list – two bells, four ornamented crosses, fourteen stations of the cross, five altars, double-sided paintings Christ between instruments of torture and Pietà, three other paintings. The second church is the church of Saint John of Nepomuk which was consecrated in 1793. Before the Holocaust, the town also had a Jewish synagogue, first mentioned in 1657. The wooden building survived World War II and was re-purposed as living quarters and school gym before collapsing in 2005.[2]

Education

Seda has a secondary school (gymnasium), which has approximately 500 students and 40 teachers. The gymnasium's students have two kinds of uniforms. One for holidays and special occasions, which consists of a white blouse, a black jacket with the emblem of their school, and a plaited skirt. On regular days, the students wear a white shirt and a black jacket with the emblem.

History of the school in Seda:

References

  1. ↑ http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search//page/1/item/81/
  2. ↑ Rytų Europos žydų kulturos ir istorijos tyrimų centras - Mažeikių regiono žydų bendruomenės
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