Panevezys

The name of the city is derived from the Lithuanian language hydronym Nevėžis marking the river. The city is referred to by various names in different languages, including Latin: Panevezen; Polish: Poniewież; Yiddish: פּאָנעװעזש, Ponevezh; see also other names.

Legend has it that Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great, returning from Samogitia to Vilnius in 1414, found a temple (alka) of the old Lithuanian religion in the present-day surroundings of Panevėžys, but this has not been documented. Panevėžys was first mentioned evidently on 7 September 1503 in documents signed by the Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon, who granted the town building rights to construct a church and other structures. Alexander Jagiellon is considered as the founder of the city, which celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2003; two renowned monuments were built in the city for this anniversary, one of which, by Stanislovas Kuzma, is dedicated to Alexander Jagiellon. The city lies on the old plain of the river Nevėžis and the city name means "along the Nevėžis." Panevėžys Mound with a flat top and 1. …

Panevėžys is situated in the middle of Lithuania; it is halfway between two Baltic capitals – Lithuania's Vilnius and Latvia's Riga. The territory of Panevėžys takes 90 km2 (34.75 sq mi) and it is situated on the banks of the river Nevėžis. Moreover, in the territory of Panevėžys there are a few tributaries of river Nevėžis: Žagienis, Šermutas, Molaina, Juosta, and Sanžilė. The good geographical location with good road infrastructure, and the international highway Via Baltica provides opportunities for business. The city is connected by railway to Šiauliai (Lithuania) and Daugavpils (Latvia), as well as with Rubikiai/Anykščiai by the Aukštaitijos narrow gauge railway which is preserved as a historical monument and serves as a tourist attraction. The land in Panevėžys is fertile, therefore it was historically intensively used for agriculture. …

In Panevėžys, cultural heritage is closely related to the visual arts – painters and sculptors who not only created locally, but also contributed to the formation of national Lithuanian artistic identity and helped Panevėžys turn into not only an industrial but also a creative city. One of the most prominent is sculptor, designer Juozas Zikaras, who was born in Paliūkai village near Panevėžys, graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg and upon returning to Lithuania in 1918 lived, created in Panevėžys and worked as a teacher at the Panevėžys State Gymnasium for a decade until 1928. Zikaras is known for creating the interwar period state symbols of Lithuania, Lithuanian litas coins, sculptures (e.g. Freedom Monument in Kaunas), medals (e.g. Independence Medal), busts and bas-reliefs of famous Lithuanians (e.g. …

During the interwar period, Panevėžys was one of the leading Lithuanian cities in streets management: there were only two first-tier cities in Lithuania with more paved streets than unpaved ones – Panevėžys and Vilkaviškis. However, Panevėžys, being larger, had significantly more paved streets. Sidewalks were also being built along the streets. Initially, the streets were paved with plain stones, but in the 1930s the central streets were already paved with hewn stones. In 1935 out of 40 kilometers of city's streets in total of 26 kilometers were paved. Country roads were also being paved: to Berčiūnai (5.4 km; 1933–1934) and Velžys, towards Ukmergė (3.6 km; 1935). Unfortunately, none of these pavements in Panevėžys has survived to this day as during the Soviet era, all paved streets were covered with asphalt. "Panevėžio autobusų parkas" Ltd. …