ZEIMELIS.
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     A small town in Pakruojis region, 24 kilometers to the east of Joniskis,
4 kilometers from the Latvian border, a center of a country-side district, 
the central settlement of the kolkhoz "Komunaras"[Communard]. 
1302 residents (in 1987). Berztalis (a left tributary of the Yslykis) flows 
through Zeimelis. Roads to Kriukai, Bauske (Latvia), Salociai, Linkuva. 
A mill, a repairs workshop of agricultural machinery, a forestry, a center 
of everyday services, a post-office, an out-patients department (since 1947);
in 1947-62 there were also a hospital and maternity home), a chemist's shop 
(since 1860), a secondary school (since 1945), a secondary vocational 
technical school (since 1951), a zone cultural center (founded in 1956), a 
library (since 1944). Monuments of culture: 2 historical (a burial-ground of 
Soviet soldiers grave of a local ethnographer Juozas Sliavas),10 
archaeological (the Zeimelis burial-ground and a mound, 8 stones with 
hollows), 1 monument of architecture and one urbanistic monument,
3 monuments of art (in the church). An archaeological find was a stone 
grinded axe with a tapered butt (in the public museum).

ARCHITECTURE.
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       The old part of Zeimelis is one of the most original urbanistic 
monuments of Lithuania; it is protected by the state; a network of 
streets plan of the square and volumetric spatial composition, a 
narrow crossing of streets at the north-eastern corner of the 
square, the way of building the town fragments of the building and a 
view. The plan of the town is rectangular (it became such after the 
reconstruction in the middle of the 17th century; till then the plan 
of the central part was radial; elements of that plan are 
left). Volumetric spatial composition formed virtually till the end of 
the 19th century. At the crossroad of 4 main streets there is a 
rectangular square. To the South from it there are Catholic (1828) 
and Evangelical-Lutheran (built in 1786-93,broadened in 1889-90) 
churches. There are buildings of regional architecture that are 
characteristic to the north-western Lithuania. Prospects of the 
streets converging to the center are closed; there are many trees in 
the square and streets. A monument of architecture an ensemble of two 
former taverns: the classical Big tavern and the Little tavern, built 
in folk architecture style (both were built in the 2nd half of the 
18th century-beginning of the 19th century, restored in 1985).

HISTORY.
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     Zeimelis was mentioned in 1500 (there was an estate). It originated 
at the Ziemgaliai [a Baltic tribe] mound. In 1540 there was built an 
Evangelical-Lutheran church and about 1595-an Evangelical-Reformist 
church; in 1592-1674 there was an Evangelical-Reformist school (reha-
bilitated in 1866). In 1542 a borough was mentioned, in 1586-a small 
rural district. About 1600 a department of Kaunas custom-house was 
established; in 1613 a privilege of 2 [yearly] fairs was granted. In 
1828 a Catholic church was built. In 1866 or 1867 a governmental 
primary school was founded (since 1907 there were 2 classes). In 1888
Zeimelis was on fire. From the end of the 19th century to 1915 
Zeimelis was a center of Nociunai rural district, from 1919 to 1950 
a center of Zeimelis rural district. In 1905 Vincas Kapsukas [a 
Lithuanian communist leader] lived here and organized strikes of 
agricultural workers in the district. At the end of 1918 a rural 
district revolutionary committee of Lithuanian Communist Party was 
organized and a rural district council was elected. in 1917 a narrow-
gauge railway was built (disjoined after the World War II). In 1920-
29,1931-35 (and later on till 1945) there was a Progymnasium [not full 
gymnasium,4-6 classes]. In 1937 there was established a winter 
agricultural school. In 1931-37 there was a Latvian secondary school. 
In 1941-42 Hitlerites (Lithuanian Collaborators) killed many inhabitants 
of Zeimelis. In 1754 there were 52 families; in 1780 there were 258, 
in 1897 there were 1266, in 1923 [there were] in the town 1209 in the 
estate 95, in 1959 in the town 1098, in 1970-1325, in 1979-1679 residents.

Literature: Zeimelis//Tarybu Lietuvos Enciklopedija,1988