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43-523: The population was listed as 21,421 in the 2006 census. It is the 6th largest town in the ethnographic region of Samogitia and the 17th largest town in Lithuania. Kretinga is one of the oldest known towns in Lithuania. It was first mentioned in 1253 as castle of Cretyn under the charter of Bishop Heinrich of Courland . In 1602, Jan Karol Chodkiewicz built the first wooden church in Kretinga and established

86-474: A Benedictine monastery, which became a great success. After about ten years a new brick church with an impressive organ was built. In 1610 a church school was opened. In 1609, Jan Karol Chodkiewicz announced that he would establish a new settlement next to the old village and would grant the new borough Magdeburg rights . The new borough adopted a coat of arms depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with

129-572: A university preparatory school in 1774. The town lost its municipal rights after the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The town prospered during the 19th century as part of the Russian Empire . In 1882 the first telephone line in Lithuania connected Kretinga with Plungė and Rietavas . In 1875, Count Tiškevičius decided to establish his family estate in Kretinga; he purchased and rebuilt an old palace. Following

172-555: A broken intonation ("laužtinė priegaidė", a variant of a start-firm accent ) similar to that of the Latvian language . In 2010, the Samogitian language was assigned with an ISO 639-3 standard language code ("sgs"), as some languages, that were considered by ISO 639-2 to be dialects of one language, are now in ISO 639-3 in certain contexts considered to be individual languages themselves. Žemaitija

215-720: A central role in Lithuania's wars against the crusading order of the Teutonic Knights (Knights of the Cross and Knights of the Sword). Invasions started in Lithuania in 1229. Combined military forces undertook numerous campaigns against Samogitians and Lithuanians. Saule (1236), Skuodas (1259), Durbe (1260), Lievarde (1261) are just a few of the battles that took place. Since Žemaitija was the last pagan region in Europe left to be invaded and christened,

258-588: A distinct Samogitian language . Famous landmarks include Tauragė Castle , Plungė Manor and Hill of Crosses . Ruthenian sources mentioned the region as жемотьская земля, Žemot'skaja zemlja ; this gave rise to its Polish form, Żmudź , and probably to the Middle High German Sameiten, Samaythen . In Latin texts, the name is usually written as Samogitia, Samogetia , etc. The area has long been known to its residents and to other Lithuanians exclusively as Žemaitija (the name Samogitia

301-450: A higher land. Also, the people of Samogitia have long called themselves as Lithuanians and never as Samogitians, and because of such identity ( sic ) we do not write about Samogitia in our letter, because everything is one: one country and the same inhabitants." — Vytautas the Great , excerpt from his 11 March 1420 Latin letter sent to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor , in which he described

344-500: A private estate , it was converted to a museum in 1992, and now contains a number of archeological finds, fine and applied art collections, folk art , and ethnographic exhibits, as well as a restored orangery . Nearby is a sculpture garden featuring a reconstruction of a Lithuanian solar calendar . The museum is operated by the Kretinga district municipality . The manor's location had always provided shelter from maritime winds in

387-514: A restaurant in the adjacent greenhouse, called "The Winter Garden". A Cambrian geothermal reservoir underlies the area, and the Vydmantai powerplant exploiting this resource is being built nearby. Its Kretinga Jurgis Pabrėža gymnasium was founded in 1980. Kretinga is twinned with: Samogitia Samogitia , often known by its Lithuanian name Žemaitija ( Samogitian : Žemaitėjė ; see below for alternative and historical names)

430-509: Is no longer in use within Lithuania and has not been used for at least two centuries); Žemaitija means "lowlands" in Lithuanian. The region is also known in English as Lower Lithuania or, in reference to its Yiddish names, זאַמעט Zamet or זאַמוט Zamut . The largest city is Šiauliai ( Šiaulē ). Telšiai ( Telšē ) is the capital , although Medininkai (now Varniai ; Varnē )

473-554: Is now considered Aukštaitija and Suvalkija as well. The Duchy of Samogitia was an autonomous administrative unit in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with some similarities to a voivodeship . In contrast to some other aristocrats of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Lithuanian language was intensively used in the Duchy of Samogitia and its nobility throughout the early modern period . This

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516-490: Is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania alongside Lithuania proper . Žemaitija is located in northwestern Lithuania . Its capital city is Telšiai and the largest city is Šiauliai (located on the border between Samogitia and Aukštaitija ). Throughout centuries, Samogitia developed a separate culture featuring diverse architecture, folk costumes, dances, songs, traditions, and

559-420: Is one of the most ethnically homogeneous regions of the country, with an ethnic Lithuanian population exceeding 99.5% in some districts . During the first part of the 19th century, Žemaitija was a major center of Lithuanian culture (Žemaičiai traditionally tended to oppose any anti-Lithuanian restrictions). The local religion is predominantly Roman Catholic , although there are significant Lutheran minorities in

602-571: Is one of two dialects, the other being the Aukštaitian dialect and that both of these dialects have subdialects each). Samogitian has northern and southern dialects, which are further subdivided. A western dialect once existed in the Klaipėda region , but it became extinct after World War II after its inhabitants fled the region as a result of being expelled or persecuted by the Soviet authorities. During

645-458: Is proven by the letter of Stanisław Radziwiłł to his brother Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł immediately after becoming the Elder of Samogitia that: "While learning various languages, I forgot Lithuanian , and now I see, I have to go to school again, because that language, as I see, God willing, will be needed." After the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century, Samogitia

688-458: Is represented by the Samogitian cultural society , a group interested in preserving Samogitian culture and language. The coat of arms depicts a black bear with silver claws and a collar on a red shield topped with a crown. The greater arms are supported by a knight with a sword and a woman with an anchor and has the motto Patria Una ( Latin : One Fatherland). The current emblazonment of the arms

731-493: The Duchy of Samogitia . These are the oldest symbols of the Lithuanian ethnographic regions. On 21 July 1994, these symbols were recognized by the government of Lithuania. Because Žemaitija (Samogitia) does not correspond to any current administrative division of Lithuania, these symbols are not officially used anymore. However, the Samogitian bear was used in the coats of arms of Šiauliai County and Telšiai County . It also appears on

774-532: The United Kingdom , Germany and Russia . Žemaičių Kalvarija (or New Jerusalem as it used to be called) is visited by pilgrims from all around the world, due to its annual The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Church Festival (usually in June or July). Samogitia historically was an autonomous region in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , although it lost this status once Lithuania was annexed by the Russian Empire following

817-622: The 15th and 16th centuries, the Samogitians of the Klaipėda region called themselves " Lietuvininkai ", whereas at the end of the 19th century when the area, known in German as the Memelland , was part of Prussia (Germany), they were known as "Prūsai". After World War II , the territory of the western subdialect was resettled mainly by northern and southern Žemaičiai and by other Lithuanians. Samogitian has

860-776: The Great War Museum ). In 1987 the greenhouse was rebuilt; since 1998 the Kretinga Estate Park Friends Club has been a co-sponsor. The exhibits portraying the life of the Tyszkiewicz family occupy seven halls, and contain family portraits, furniture, photographs, household objects, and paintings. The folk art exhibits contain textile art and works of Lithuanian cross crafters . Household articles include tools and furniture used during various eras. Recent exhibitions have featured jewelry, ceramics , printed matter of historic interest, and folk costumes. The gardens and

903-648: The Infant Jesus in her arms. Kretinga's patron saint remains the Blessed Virgin. In 1621, the Sapieha family gained control of the city; they changed its coat of arms to represent Saint Casimir . In 1659 and 1710 the church and monastery were destroyed by Swedish armies. The Sapieha family helped to rebuild and improve it. In 1720, the town came under the jurisdiction of the Massalski family. Ignacy Jakub Massalski opened

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946-505: The Kretinga Jewish cemetery. As in neighbouring Palanga , local Lithuanian nationalists volunteered to assist in the killing of Jewish citizens as soon as the German army and police units had arrived. The Soviet occupation in 1945, led to further reductions in the population as refugees fled to the west and many of those trapped were deported to Siberia . The local economy stagnated under Soviet occupation, which forcibly collectivized

989-799: The Samogitians (Lithuanians) ). After World War I , Samogitia became a part of the newly re-established Lithuanian state. The Žemaičiai resisted the Bolsheviks and the Bermontians . During World War II, Lithuania was first occupied by the Stalinist Soviet Union in 1940, then in 1941 by Nazi Germany, and in 1944 again by the USSR. The Soviet Union recognized the independence of Lithuania on 6 September 1991. The last Soviet troops withdrew in August 1993. In 1945,

1032-589: The Soviets denied the existence of the Lithuania Minor ethnographic region, out of political advantage, and declared the Klaipėda region a part of Samogitia. Tourist destinations in Samogitia include Palanga , Kretinga and Žemaičių Kalvarija . The majority of tourists come from Latvia , Poland , Belarus , Russia , Germany , Spain , Finland and Sweden . Palanga is a tourist destination among tourists from

1075-473: The Teutonic Order and ended their crusading era. "We do not know on whose merits or guilt such a decision was made, or with what we have offended Your Lordship so much that Your Lordship has deservedly been directed against us, creating hardship for us everywhere. First of all, you made and announced a decision about the land of Samogitia, which is our inheritance and our homeland from the legal succession of

1118-661: The Teutonic Order set their sights on this last mission. Between 1345 and 1382, the Knights of the Cross attacked from Prussia some 70 times, while the Livonian Knights of the Sword made 30 military forays. Year after year, fortresses were attacked, farms and crops were put to the torch, women and children enslaved and men killed. Despite all their effort, the Žemaičiai managed to defend their lands until 1410 decisive Battle of Grunwald or Žalgiris, where united Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated

1161-774: The Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795 as a part of the Vilnius Governorate . In 1843, Samogitia was incorporated into the Kaunas Governorate , with a minor part attached to the Courland Governorate . Since then, Samogitia has not had a separate political status, but there were attempts to create a separate state during the uprising in February 1831 . Currently, Samogitia

1204-480: The ancestors and elders. We still own it, it is and has always been the same Lithuanian land, because there is one language and the same inhabitants . But since the land of Samogitia is located lower than the land of Lithuania , it is called as Samogitia, because in Lithuanian it is called lower land [ Žemaitija ]. And the Samogitians call Lithuania as Aukštaitija , that is, from the Samogitian point of view,

1247-479: The area. Its modern history is said to have begun when the bishop of Vilnius , Ignacy Jakub Massalski , planted fruit trees there in the late 18th century. In 1874 the land was purchased in an auction by Count Tyszkiewicz . In the course of creating a family manor, he converted the existing residence into a palace, built the orangery, now known as the Winter Garden ( Lithuanian : Žiemos sodas ), and re-landscaped

1290-585: The arms of the city of Šiauliai . The emblem of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Motorized Infantry Brigade Žemaitija (Samogitia) is the griffin with a sword in his right hand and a shield, which features the Samogitian bear, in his left hand. Kretinga Museum The Kretinga Museum ( Lithuanian : Kretingos muziejus ), also known as Kretinga Manor , is located near the Baltic Sea in Kretinga , Lithuania . Originally

1333-459: The core of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , composed from Žemaitija (lowlands) and Aukštaitija (highlands). Term Aukštaitija has been known since the 13th century. In the 15th century, Samogitia was the last region in Core Europe to be converted to Christianity . During the 15–18th centuries, it was known as the Duchy or Eldership of Samogitia , which included some territories of what

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1376-538: The expense of Žemaitija. Because during the 13th through 16th centuries the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order bordered Žemaitija, it was long threatened by their expansionist aims. As such, the Samogitian territory was offered to these orders, or exchanged in peace treaties, a number of times. Lithuania would then regain Žemaitija during subsequent conflicts. For more than two hundred years, old Samogitia played

1419-499: The farms in the area; it became an economic backwater. Since Lithuania's independence in 1990, the town has made a recovery; it has much to offer by way of history and art. Kretinga hosts folk music festivals, theatricals, the Kretinga Festival, celebrations on Midsummer Night's Eve ( Joninės ) and Mardi Gras ( Užgavėnės ), and a Manorial Feast. The Manor House is now a museum housing artistic and archeological collections and

1462-608: The fashions of the Victorian era, the family landscaped it lavishly and built a greenhouse featuring exotic flowering plants and tropical fruits. In 1890 they installed electricity in the Manor House. During World War I , the Germans built a railway line connecting Bajorai, Kretinga, and the Latvian city of Priekule . In 1924 Kretinga regained its municipal rights. During the interwar period ,

1505-582: The grounds. The landscaping included cascading ponds, a waterfall, arbors , fountains, sculptures, and parterres . The idea of turning the manor into a museum is credited to Juozas Žilvitis (1903–1975); the Kretinga Museum Committee was established in 1935. The garden was completely destroyed during World War II . In 1940 the museum became a branch of the Kaunas State Museum (now the Vytautas

1548-484: The south. The use of the Samogitian language is decreasing as more people tend to use Lithuanian, although there have been some minor attempts by local councils, especially in Telšiai , to write certain roadside information in Samogitian as well some schools teach children Samogitian in schools. The modern concept of " dialectological " Žemaitija appeared only by the end of the 19th century. The territory of ancient Samogitia

1591-580: The village of Kretingsodis, on the other side of the Akmena River, was incorporated into the borough. Kretinga gained greater importance after another railway line was built in 1932 that connected it to Šiauliai . During the first Soviet occupation , under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , a reign of terror resulted in local residents being arrested and, in some cases, executed without trial or deported to Siberia . A local lawyer, Vladas Petronaitis ,

1634-675: Was arrested and ultimately tortured to death by the Soviet intelligence agency. During World War II , the Nazi occupation saw the elimination of Kretinga's Jewish population. In June 1941, German forces and Lithuanian collaborators took about 200 Jewish men and some Lithuanian communist activists to a forest outside the town and shot them in pits that some of the Jewish men had been forced to dig. Several more mass shootings including women and children took place in July at

1677-438: Was created by artist Algis Kliševičius. The flag of Samogitia depicts the coat of arms on a white background. It is a swallowtail flag . A variant of the flag charged with the greater coat of arms additionally has a red border around the flag. Both symbols are assumed to have been used for centuries, especially the coat of arms (differing claims assert it was first used in the 14th or 16th centuries). The symbols were used by

1720-446: Was incorporated into the Russian Empire along with the rest of Lithuania. Samogitia was the main source of the Lithuanian cultural revival during the 19th century and was a focal point for the smuggling of books printed in the Lithuanian language, which was banned by the occupying Russians. In 1883, Edmund Veckenstedt published a book Die Mythen, Sagen und Legenden der Zamaiten (Litauer) (English: The myths, sagas and legends of

1763-578: Was inhabited by southern Semigallians and southern Curonians ) became ethnically Lithuanian between the 13th and 16th centuries. The primal eastern boundary of historical Samogitia was the Šventoji River (a tributary of the Neris River ); in 1387, the Lithuanian ruler (regent of Lithuania for Jogaila) Skirgaila had expanded the territory of Grand Duke's domain in Aukštaitija along the Nevėžis River at

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1806-544: Was much larger than current ethnographic or "dialectological" Žemaitija and embraced all of central and western Lithuania. The very term "Samogitians" is a Latinized form of the ancient Lithuanian name for the region's lowlanders, who dwelt in Central Lithuania's lowlands. The original subethnic Samogitia, i.e. Central Lithuania's flat burial grounds culture, was formed as early as the 5th-6th centuries. The western part of historical Žemaitija (before 12th–13th centuries it

1849-409: Was once the capital of the Duchy of Samogitia . The major cities are: Samogitia is bordered by Lithuania Minor in the south-west, Suvalkija in the south-east, Aukštaitija in the east, and Semigallia and Courland in the north. The people of Žemaitija speak Samogitian, a variety of Lithuanian that was previously considered one of three main dialects (modern linguists have determined that it

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