Kruonis ( pl, Kronie, yi, קראָן, ''Kron'') is a small town, located east of Kaunas, in

Kaunas County Kaunas County ( lt, Kauno apskritis) is one of ten counties of Lithuania The territory of Lithuania is divided into 10 counties ( Lithuanian: singular ''apskritis'', plural ''apskritys''), all named after their capitals. The counties are ...

, central Lithuania. The name of Kruonis comes from a small creek ''Kruonė''. In 2011 it had a population of 661. The center of Kruonis is a state-protected urbanistic monument. The only in the Baltic States Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant (the KPSP) is situated north of Kruonis. Each year a music festival ''Renesanso naktys Kruonyje'' (''The Nights of Renaissance in Kruonis'') takes place in the church where the classical music of the composers of 16th-17th centuries being performed.

History

In the 15th century, a small settlement started to establish itself around the Kruonis' manor of the

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...

. The first church was built in Kruonis by Kazimieras Jogailaitis in 1472. It was built in the Catholic cemetery, using wood. Current Catholic church is located in the building which was built as a

Uniate The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...

church in 1626 by the colonel of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

, distinguished in the battles with the Muscovy, Cossacks and Livonia, ''subcamerarius'' of

Trakai Trakai (; see names section for alternative and historic names) is a historic town and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. ...

Teodoras Bohdanas Oginskis (1568–1640). It was a first Uniate church in Lithuania – its architecture is a rare blend of the styles of Lithuanian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

and Byzantine architecture. In 1628–1629, by the church a monastery of

Basilian monks Basilian monks are Roman Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catholic monks from other forms of monastic li ...

was established. In the beginning of the 17th century, the palatial Renaissance manor was built, but did not survive up to this day, except some ruins – it was badly damaged in 1812 during

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The people of Kruonis were active participants of the January Uprising. Many of them after deported to the remote territories in Russia and were replaced by the colonists from Russia which were transferred to Kruonis. The Catholic church was closed in 1866 and demolished by Russian authority as a reaction to January Uprising. In the beginning of the 20th century cultural and social life revived – a branch of the Lithuanian Catholic Women Society (''Lietuvių katalikių moterų draugija'') was established in 1913, Lithuanian spectacles were shown, Kruonis had a choir. On 18 July 1920, near Kruonis, during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence Lithuanian army disarmed the Polish brigade, took 400 soldiers into captivity, confiscated 6 cannons and 254 horses. In July 1941, 19 Kruonis Jews were murdered in a mass execution. On August 15, 1941, some Kruonis Jews, mostly men, were taken in the direction of Kaunas and murdered, together with Jews from Darsūniškis, in the Gojus Forest, by Lithuanian nazis from Kruonis. At the end of summer 1941,

Rollkommando Hamann ''Rollkommando'' Hamann ( lt, skrajojantis būrys) was a small mobile unit that committed mass murders of Lithuanian Jews in the countryside in July–October 1941, with an estimated death toll of at least 60,000 Jews. The unit was also responsible ...

and policemen from Pakuonis shot 99 Jewish women, children, and old people from Darsūniškis, Kruonis, and Pakuonis in Darsūniškis. After the

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

in the surroundings of Kruonis

Lithuanian partisans The Lithuanian partisans () were partisans who waged a guerrilla warfare in Lithuania against the Soviet Union in 1944–1953. Similar anti-Soviet resistance groups, also known as Forest Brothers and cursed soldiers, fought against Soviet rule ...

of ''The Great Fight'' (''Didžiosios Kovos'') military district were active. It is estimated that in the Gojus Forest there are 40–60 partisans murdered and buried by the MGB-NKVD. Soviet occupants deported 25 people of Kruonis.

Industry

Kruonis PSP Industrial Park and Kruonis Technology Park were created as the location, infrastructure, and low energy costs fit quite well for establishing data centers.

References

{{Kaunas County Towns in Lithuania Towns in Kaunas County Troksky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Lithuania