showed LRT.lt the entire production process – from the component warehouse to the packaging unit Teltonika’s Molėtai Technology Centre is located on a nearly 2-hectare plot of land at the entrance to the town of around 6,000 people The modern building not only houses production facilities but also offices A solar power plant is installed on the roof The ground floor houses five production departments: an electronics warehouse you need to have a “recipe” before you can start production “The Teltonika team is designing and thinking up new products the cake won’t taste as good and the electronics product just won’t work,” he explains What Teltonika makes could fill an entire bakery shop in Molėtai we manufacture network equipment (Teltonika Networks) We also produce charging stations for electric cars (Teltonika Energy) and smart bracelets that detect atrial fibrillation (Teltonika Telemedic) we produce contract manufacturing products where customers from all over the world who do not have the production capacity come to us and we manufacture their products,” Rutkauskas explains Production at Teltonika’s Molėtai Technology Centre starts with the component warehouse “We were the first in the Baltics to install automated warehousing systems for efficient warehouse operations but we plan to double the size of the warehouse We are using height instead of floor space and working more efficiently we are going to automate to bring those components to the assembly lines where they are needed,” says Rutkauskas The Molėtai Technology Centre was built very quickly and on May 2 the skeleton of the building was there we celebrated the grand opening and after the weekend Teltonika currently has two production sites Our goal is to increase our workforce by 30 percent each year We started with 125 people and today we have 270,” he says Production started in 2022 with two lines and has since expanded to four A fifth SMT (surface mount technology) line is due to come in September followed by the sixth and final line a little later we will have around 500 employees in Molėtai and produce around 0.5 million products we are producing close to 200,000 units per month “The way Teltonika produces in Molėtai is basically the same as all over the world but here we have the latest German and Japanese equipment,” says Rutkauskas Teltonika engineers have to do this from the ground up The PCB (printed circuit board) plays the role of connecting all the components “We design the maximum number of products that can fit on a single PCB board Then we produce six instead of one at a time to make production efficient and competitive in the market,” says Rutkauskas They are then soldered in a nitrogen environment under high-temperature conditions Connections are made and the product can then be programmed we can cut the necessary stencils ourselves but deliveries take time,” explains Rutkauskas Special equipment checks that the lead-free paste is applied accurately and to a high standard then cools and the solder points and contacts appear Another step is automatic visual inspection where precise cameras take pictures of the entire product and compare tolerances according to the IPC (Institute of Printed Circuits) standard All the rooms are temperature and humidity-controlled The soldered PCB is only placed in the product body after testing we check the product functionally – so that customers get a working product ask a lot of questions through the test nodes (what is the voltage it is considered to have passed the testing Teltonika’s Molėtai Technology Centre is equipped with robotic systems that slice PCBs into parts the robotic system joins them together and places them on a pallet to be further assembled “The electronic semi-finished products are then delivered for assembly A robot takes the plastic parts of the mechanics and assembles them by autumn 2025 we will have a dedicated factory in Vilnius where we will be able to mould most of the components ourselves,” Rutkauskas says Once electronics are assembled into the casing The product is completed with power supply options – be they American Australian or any other – two or three antennas an instruction manual and the box is closed “From both manual workstations and robotic systems it goes down a conveyor to a packaging robot that packs it into a logistics box.” Teltonika does not sell to private customers “So everyone who buys knows that they are buying Teltonika products,” Rutkauskas stresses Only about 1 percent of Teltonika’s production remains in Lithuania the rest goes abroad where the company has over 30 offices our products are integrated into traffic monitoring systems Cameras and the internet are being integrated into 5G ATMs – all these systems need internet connectivity One of Teltonika’s products is a medical device to charge hearing aids Teltonika EMS (electronics manufacturing services) developed it “We call this original design manufacturing When a customer has a vision but does not have the engineering resources agrees on the technical requirements and then we manufacture it The client is left to enjoy the profits,” says Rutkauskas The Teltonika Group consists of Teltonika Telematics The Molėtai Technology Centre is part of Teltonika EMS Telematics products – transport monitoring systems – are manufactured in the Vilnius plant Teltonika Networks develops network equipment which is manufactured in Molėtai (3G Teltonika Energy offers EVCs (electric vehicle chargers) The wristbands are used by people who have heart rhythm problems If the device detects a heart rhythm disturbance it notifies the user that it is time for a cardiogram It is then sent to the user’s doctor or hospital Teltonika EMS is the largest company in the group in terms of staff although Telematics and Networks are the main powerhouses in terms of revenue Teltonika was founded in 1998 and today has 2,600 employees worldwide There is a head office in Lithuania and products are manufactured only in Lithuania Foreign branches have sales and technical support teams Teltonika Telemedic and Teltonika Energy are still relative startups set up three years ago “Teltonika has produced almost 30 million products over its history Teltonika EMS had a production of 6 million products The total production area is 19,000 square metres when we will open another plant in Liepkalnis we will have twice as much production space as we have now,” says Rutkauskas He notes that the Teltonika Group is striving for consistent growth had 2,550 employees and operations in 21 countries The target for 2024 is a profit of around 70 million euros 3,200 employees and a presence in 30 countries Consolidated turnover last year was 294 million euros and is expected to reach around 400 million this year growth targets for the next 10 years are around 8,000 employees in Lithuania (6,000 in Vilnius 1,000 in Kaunas) and around 15,000 employees abroad Product development and manufacturing should stay in Lithuania while sales and servicing would largely move abroad The target for annual turnover is 4 billion euros Rutkauskas notes that Europe currently accounts for about 60 percent of sales and the rest of the world 40 percent there is a desire to reverse that proportion to grow in Asia and other markets outside Europe,” he says Teltonika has planned investments of around 3.7 billion euros in ten projects over the next 10 years “The largest investment is a technology park in Vilnius Teltonika High Tech Hill already hosts an EMS plant in operation There are plans for a chip manufacturing complex Teltonika started its operations in Molėtai a town surrounded by a multitude of lakes some 60 kilometres to the north of Vilnius “There have been no new businesses here for years the founder and president of our group of companies comes from the Molėtai region and he decided to invest here there are people from neighbouring regions When the company built the technology centre in Molėtai everyone knew that there would not be enough workers with the right skills “That’s why we set up the Teltonika Academy and started training people We conducted interviews according to a recruitment plan Now the new recruits are trained in Molėtai It is easier for them not to have to travel to Vilnius the time they spent on the road was counted as working hours with pay,” notes Rutkauskas workers with the same skills and responsibilities earn the same salary in Vilnius and Molėtai It is up to them to choose where they want to live Production in Molėtai is also a form of risk management as it is safer to spread production in different locations “But the main reason was to help the region The head of the Molėtai Technology Centre is himself from Vilnius but will soon move to the town where he works “I’m already designing a house in Molėtai and my wife and I are looking forward to building a home The new solar park in Moletai will consist of more than 150,000 solar panels and will power around 28,000 households Denmark-based energy company Nordic Solar will build Lithuania’s largest solar park in Moletai located 60km north of the country’s capital Vilnius which translates to powering around 28,000 households Nordic Solar has solar parks in nine European countries with a combined production capacity of around 390MWp “Lithuania is an important market for us to enter as it is an EU and Euro country and we see beneficial synergy between the demand for more renewable energy the focus on strengthening the local energy supply and our approach,” said Nikolaj Holtet Hoff “We are excited about contributing to the local transition to renewable energy in Lithuania where solar energy can make a difference.” In the green energy sector, the International Energy Agency expects the country to get 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2050 Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis said Nordic Solar will “cooperate with local biologists on implementing various initiatives in the solar park.” “We want to contribute with initiatives which will help promote biodiversity so this has been included in the design of the solar park in Moletai from the very beginning,” he continued The solar park is set to be opened in the first half of 2024 Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Here we are to serve you with news right now quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis you can have full digital access to all news Proces du 13-November : ce que ces hommes opaques ont dans la tete Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit Blanditiis optio incidunt eum omnis ratione error temporibus iure porro esse Integer consectetur quam eget ipsum dictum accumsan Donec non lectus id risus rutrum ullamcorper sit amet vel nulla 2016 has become a truly important day for the Lithuanian people and for all who do not know much about the Holocaust and for all of us who do not know the past term for the Holocaust the small Lithuanian town of Moletai became a scene of tangible and penetrating lessons on the Shoah determined and devoted; the real thing. Yet a couple of months ago the people who were organising the March in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Moletai massacre were thinking that there would be 200 to 300 people in attendance and the other countries where the relatives of the victims of Moletai are living today “Observe that day in our memory...” Moletai — which was Malat before all its Jewish residents had been annihilated — is the place where all its Jews were locked up for several days without food and drink in the one of the town’s several synagogues in the end of summer of 1941 before they were marched two kilometres to the specifically prepared pit had been dug by 40 arrested Jewish men the day before All the people forced to the death march were methodically killed next to the pit by over 20 members of the Lithuanian white-band local police under the supervision of one Nazi officer and the head of the Moletai District police The decision of the massacre was made by the Nazi headquarters in Utena The massacre was photographed by the Nazis The general figure of victims could be substantially higher: according to the official records of the Lithuanian Jewish Cemeteries register 3,782 Jews from Malat and Utena together were murdered at the pit It is also believed that none of the 5,443 Jewish individuals registered as residents of the Utena District as of Jan 1941 survived. History does have miraculous threads for us in its arsenal A couple of letters of the people from the doomed Malat had reached their relatives outside Lithuania later on with help from local Christians The letters are preserved at Yad-Vashem now So we could read the rows nervously scribbled in a rush by the victims themselves just prior to their annihilation: “For two days now we have not eaten and soon we are going to be murdered .. Everyone is dressed (and ready) with their beloved children and everyone is waiting We are all (imprisoned) in the study house Enough time remains so that sometimes we wish death would come already .. Observe this day in our memory: it will be the 19th of August … Tsipora” ( YVA O.75/158).   Three generations of oblivion that the commemorative march for the 75th anniversary of the massacre has become the first such event for the victims of this terrible crime. For several previous years the efforts of Israel-based relatives of the brutally murdered Moletai Jews to commemorate their memory at the place of their annihilation were fruitless and frustrating as well-known Lithuanian director Marius Ivaskevicius has shown so well in his exceptionally powerful writings on the issue of facing the truth about the Holocaust in Lithuania by modern Lithuanian society it was Ivaskevicius’ personal stand that has triggered the awakening of the public conscience on the matter — and this is both healthy and timely The issue started to be discussed in Lithuania much more intensely than ever before have been publicly challenging the very concept of the Lithuanian attitude toward the Holocaust and the way of remembrance of the unparalleled tragedy and mega-crime in which 94.6 per cent of the country’s Jewish population had been exterminated in world record proportions The heart of the matter is that the crime has been committed largely and enthusiastically by the local police under the supervision and command of the Nazis it is just impossible for the descendants of the Lithuanian Jewry to accept any kind of glorification of the Lithuanians who were participating in any way in such hideous crimes. Ruta Vanagaite’s recent book “Ours The Journey with the Enemy” had also been quite a bitter settling of the account between Lithuanians on the matter of the Holocaust and the active participation of many local people Neither Ivaskevicius nor Vanagaite are Jewish Just one month prior to the March in Moletai has erupted on the scandal around the previously privatised 7th Forth in Kaunas This was the place where 5,000 Jews and 3,000 POWs had been murdered about the same time as the massacre in Moletai in the summer of 1941 we shall not — and never will — forget those many heroic Lithuanian people who did save Jews or who were trying to do so In his deep and emotional letter on the eve of the Moletai March had asked his friend and colleague Marius Ivaskevicius to put stones from him and his ten grandchildren who were saved by several brave Lithuanians exceeded the expectations of many people who were familiar with the project joined the visiting relatives of the massacred Jews of Malat high ranking Lithuanian military and soldiers in the human river that flooded the streets of the small resort town The President of Lithuania Dalia Gribauskaite attended the ceremony along with Amir Maimon the Lithuanian Ambassador to Israel Edwinas Bagdonas was also present The Lithuanian Minister of Defence was there on behalf of the Lithuanian government and the Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Army with a beautiful arrangement of white flowers represented the country’s military force In the first row of the March’s column the first president of the post-Soviet Lithuania legendary Vytautas Landsbergis was marching with his wife in a physically demanding effort There are rare moments in life when one is deeply proud of one’s friend and seeing 83-year old Landsbergis and his wife marching in Moletai on Aug was the one such fundamentally important moments Our other dear friend Emanuelis Zingeris was there and many well-known members of the public as well The other people were marching with oversized yellow Stars of David pinned to their clothes Those were not Jewish people. A black marble monument had been unveiled by the Ambassador of Israel at the location of that horrific ditch with so many people queuing quietly and patiently in order to put a stone on the memorial and to light a candle there “We are walking this road for them...” The idea of how the 75th commemoration of the massacre in Moletai had been conducted the participation of so many different people the role of the state in the commemoration — all this has created important precedent for decency of our life today and tomorrow asked her mother: “Why do we have to go so far mummy?” And her young mother told her were forced to go all the way on this road too we are walking the path for them.” And the girl did continue to march bravely despite being quite tired Not one of the many young children in that column will forget that experience not to speak of the very many teenagers and older youth in attendance And this is the essential part of the March in Moletai. It has become a memorable crucially important lesson on the Shoah in real time among whom the prevailing majority were non-Jews The majority of attendants were Lithuanians to join the hands with relatives of the victims who did fly in from Israel The fact that it has happened 75 years after the massacre and amidst the complicated context of the attitude towards the Holocaust in Lithuania currently indicates that it is not “Never Again” which seems to be rather wishful thinking but it is “Never Too Late” to learn and to admit And to put that absolute pain and horror into one’s own heart “It is not ‘us’ and ‘them’ any longer...” I cannot help but compare the March in Moletai with another recent commemoration of the 75th anniversary of another awful crime of the Shoah Despite many efforts to run a representative event of commemoration by those who care mostly the foreign relatives of the survivors of that absolutely black page of Polish Holocaust history Present there was just one low ranking official from the administration of the president of Poland who did not say a word at the small On the very same day of that utterly shameful episode the minister of education of Poland made herself internationally infamous calling a very well-known and documented factual side of that pogrom in Kielce “a matter of opinion” on Polish TV the acting Polish authorities very persistently neglect the core element in the current perception of the Holocaust and post-Holocaust legacy: that the truth about that terrible relatively recent past is badly needed for societies in which both the war crimes and moral atrocities were committed. Back in Lithuania the March of Living in Moletai has been true to its name Among the comments on my first reaction to the March there has been one from a young Lithuanian journalist who is interested in history and its lessons: “This is a historic day and not anymore ‘us’ against ‘them.’” I personally find this kind of development precious co-founder and president of The Rogatchi Foundation — www.rogatchi.org She is the author of internationally acclaimed The Lessons of Survival film on Simon Wiesenthal — www.rogatchifilms.org/lessons-of-survival — a series of historical analyses on Raoul Wallenberg and of the forthcoming book on the Post-Holocaust Legacy and its Challenges A subscription to The Baltic Times is a cost-effective way of staying in touch with the latest Baltic news and views enabling you full access from anywhere with an Internet connection. Subscribe Now! 2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy Text description provided by the architects. Villa the Lake is a relaxing place to enjoy quite, peace and beauty of the crystal-clear waters of the lake surrounded by the ancient forests in Moletai region, Lithuania. The villa consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an open-concept dining area/kitchen/living room with lake view. The bedrooms face out onto the lake too, from where you can access the concrete terrace with a fire pit.  and transparency are organized to bring natural light into the house and interact with the natural context You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email intensive road maintenance works took place from m mid-March: the concrete slabs were dismantled and the new road was built in just 9 months During the capital repair of 30 km of highway These and the new road construction works were carried out with the help of 280 vehicles (trucks two traffic lanes were improved during the overhaul pedestrian paths and modern lighting were installed the installation of net fences and horizontal barriers to protect against animal migration is also being completed which will help reduce the number of traffic accidents during animal migration Taking into account the vehicle flows recorded on the road additional left-turn lanes have been installed at the intersections in the section under major repair after the simulation of the traffic flows "We started the work on the Utena highway from Molėtai to Utena in the spring and just 9 months later this road has changed beyond recognition The Vilnius-Utena road is a strategic connection between the capital Utena and other cities in the north-eastern region of the country Understanding the strategic significance of this project and hearing the public's expectations for the implementation of the project we paid individual attention from the moment it was initiated," says Marius Švaikauskas Although the reconstruction of this 30 km Molėtai-Utena section is planned to be completed in 2025 according to the signed contract and by the middle of December all final works will be completed (road markings the maximum permitted speed on the road will be limited to 50 km/h A total of 20 km of barriers have been installed on the reconstructed road from Molėtai to Utena which will ensure the safety of road users in different sections of the road a road safety audit was additionally conducted all aspects related to ensuring safe traffic were evaluated The value of works on the 30 km section from Molėtai to Utena is 61 million Capital repair work was carried out by the joint-stock company HISK which won the public tender announced by "Via Lietuva" not yet renewed Vilnius-Utena road is 42,8 km The renovation project of this part consists of 5 separate sections almost 18 km long sections from the Nemenčinė-Maišiagala intersection to the Pociūnai settlement the contracts with AB HISK and UAB "Fegda" were signed on m in November The total amount of renovation works of the 18 km long road amounts to 43 million public tenders for the renovation of the remaining 25 km long sections of the road are also being held the road from Vilnius to Molėtai will be reconstructed into 2+1 traffic lanes Work on the 18 km long section should start already in the spring and will be completed within 12 months After successful procurement of the last remaining 25 km of contract work the renovation of this part should also start already in the spring The first stage of Utena highway reconstruction - works in Utena city - finished today The Vilnius–Utena road was built in 1979-1985 and is the only road made of concrete slabs in Lithuania This main road is one of the main transport arteries of Lithuania leading from the country's capital to the surrounding municipalities A total of nearly 9 people pass this road per day reproduction and distribution are permitted only with the written consent of UAB "Naujosios medijos grupė" Jon Ossoff speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta in March 2024 The ad appears on the bottom of Page 3 of the Feb a single sentence in Yiddish among a hundred similar ones that day alone Hinde and Chana of Boston or Peabody,” it reads “greetings from Ethel Shochet’s son from Molėtai and one of only two of the family’s 70 members to survive the Holocaust He had broken away from a concentration camp in Estonia while on a forced march and hidden in a forest until the end of the war Nochim wrote to the Forward from a displaced persons camp having married and changed her first name after leaving Europe in 1913 — saw the ad and sponsored his visa to the United States Nochim was called Nathan and living in Annie’s home in Peabody and working at a nearby chemical plant “Nathan realized he had no family left in Europe and he had no future in Europe,” Ossoff said at a ceremony at the Memorial to the Six Million in Atlanta “The Forward remains an influential Jewish publication,” he added “I can only infer that it was universally read at the time because Nathan’s cousin Annie saw the ad.” Nathan Krugman and Annie Ossoff were among thousands of Jews who reconnected through “Seeking Relatives,” a column of classified ads that ran in the Forward for decades, and whose critical role in saving and changing lives I wrote about last fall So when I heard Ossoff mention Nathan’s ad I reopened the archives to see what more I could learn about his story is not the only famous person connected to Seeking Relatives Jared Kushner’s grandparents also found a relative to sponsor their immigration to the U.S Franklin and Josh — are all accomplished writers and thinkers My own great-grandfather’s cousin — the journalist and exiled Russian Social-Democrat Jeffim Israel — escaped Vichy France with the help of the newspaper “The determined effort to exterminate us is not some ancient mythology; it’s not some lesson from deep in the history books,” Ossoff said in his Sunday speech “It’s an experience of our families within whose living memory we were raised and which we still live.” Nathan’s mother was Annie Ossoff’s sister, which means he was a first cousin of the future senator’s grandfather (and a first cousin twice removed from the senator himself). He was born in 1923 in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to testimony Nathan gave to the USC Shoah Foundation in 1997 The family was forced into a ghetto in 1941; two years later Nathan and his father were sent to the camp “Nathan and 18 others broke away while on a forced march,” Ossoff said as he told the story Russian forces pushed the Germans out of this part of modern-day Estonia After being liberated by the Red Army in 1944 Nathan worked in a Soviet cotton mill for the duration of the war before returning to Communist Lithuania A Jewish organization later smuggled him into Germany “that we were Germans and were going back to Germany.” Nathan placed the Forward ad with the help of the Jewish Labor Committee a New York-based organization that helped Jewish refugees and European labor leaders during and after the Holocaust The group regularly placed ads for survivors using their Forward Building office address Annie had help from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in securing a visa for him and his wife The Forward was the prime vehicle helping survivors find relatives in the United States It was the largest Yiddish daily newspaper and had bureaus and editions in every major Jewish community In addition to running hundreds of ads per week the Forward also read them aloud on its radio station I was going to go to Israel,” Nathan said in his testimony “She and her sister were the only family I had left.” Ossoff also spoke about Nathan last summer in response to an antisemitic rally in Macon “I also tell you that story because Nathan’s only choice was to come to America,” he said came to America seeking a place that promised tolerance and opportunity If Nathan’s story is ultimately an American immigration success story it also shows the legal challenges refugees faced More than three years passed between when Nathan’s ad appeared in the Forward and his arrival in the U.S The same year Nathan and Annie first made contact Truman pushed for Congress to allow in more Jewish and other European refugees But conservative groups like the American Legion opposed the legislation fearing a change to the country’s “racial composition,” according to the historian David Nasaw’s 2020 book The Last Million A Gallup poll at the time showed 72% of Americans also opposed it whose 2020 book chronicles the plight of displaced persons like Nathan said the opponents traded “in time-worn Judeo-Bolshevik conspiracy theories,” suggesting that those who had lived under Soviet rule or were liberated by the Red Army “were more than likely to be Communist sympathizers or clandestine operatives.” Nathan nonetheless had to conceal his time in the Soviet Union on his visa application and that he illegally crossed into the U.S “She picked me up at the train station from New York to Boston,” Nathan said of his aunt Annie Ossoff where Annie and Israel’s eight children — Jon Ossoff’s grandfather and great-aunts and great-uncles — attended a welcome dinner “I’m a very lucky man,” Nathan said nearly 50 years later But I’m accepted to my second family.” Andrew Silverstein is a New York-based freelance writer and the co-founder of Streetwise New York Tours he was named “Best Freelancer of the Year” by the American Jewish Press Association I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association When Israeli soccer agent Tzvi Kritzer decided to build a monument in the Lithuanian town of Molėtai (Malat in Yiddish) where most of his family was murdered during the Holocaust and to bring the relatives of the victims to the town for a memorial march arrived in Molėtai for the largest memorial ceremony in the country’s history to honor Jews murdered during the Holocaust and elsewhere walked about two kilometers from the local synagogue where Jews were kept during the Holocaust for three days without food and water At the memorial ceremony marking the opening of the new monument Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė placed a stone on the monument and said that the “Holocaust is the tragedy of all of Lithuania because hundreds of thousands of its citizens were killed.” which constituted 80 percent of the population of the town of Molėtai Any reminder of the catastrophe has remained virtually absent other than the abandoned mass grave found at the outskirts of the town until a serious effort to change the situation was made by an Israeli descendant of the Jews of Molėtai and several prominent Lithuanians Tzvi Kritzer’s father was the only member of his large family to escape Molėtai to Soviet Russia before World War II and to thus be saved from annihilation Kritzer told TPS that he decided to commemorate the Jews killed in the town when he understood that “if I do nothing their memory will just fade away.” He hired Israeli film director Eli Gershenzon to make a documentary about the Jews of Molėtai and began negotiating with the town to put up a monument at the location of the mass grave He was ready to fund the monument on his own The town was not willing to help Kritzer until three months ago when prominent Lithuanian writer Marius Ivaškevičius “Imagine: Several dozens of Molėtai’s Jews will walk the same way their relatives walked 75 years ago and 6,000 Molėtaians will watch them from their homes My town cannot or does not want to understand the importance of this event but the question is will the Jews go alone again or shall we go with them May the 29th of August become the day of our reconciliation,” Ivaškevičius wrote the Molėtai municipality willingly turned itself into the organizational headquarters of the event Municipal workers helped clean the gravesite and put up road signs to help guide visitors “I think my letter really helped people understand the importance of what is going on I’m sure many people simply did not know about what happened in Lithuania during the war just like I myself knew nothing about the tragedy of Molėtai’s Jews until several years ago And those who knew the truth—that Jews here were killed not by the Germans but by the Lithuanians themselves—found it too difficult to accept,” Ivaškevičius told TPS during a visit to Israel last week together with actors from a Moscow theater who brought a stage adaptation of his play “Lithuania is still trying to find its own way of dealing with its tragic past 2016 will become a milestone along the way.” Only some 20,000 survived of the 220,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania before World War II As in other countries of the former Soviet Union where the local population played an active part in the murder of Jews during the war official propaganda often relates that the locals were victims of the Soviets and not in fact torturers themselves “The problem is not with the Lithuanians—they are open The problem is with the small but powerful circles of ultra-nationalists in government who are determined to rewrite and falsify history,” said Dovid Katz an American-born historian of Lithuanian Jewry who served as a professor of Yiddish at Vilnius University from 1999 to 2010 and who has documented the country’s obfuscation of the Holocaust Katz also told TPS in an interview that he would visit the town next week to examine whether it has dealt honestly with the history of its Jews which he believes should mean in practice that it place the information prominently on display He stressed that this information should include mentioning those responsible for the murder of the Jews and that memorial signs should also be written in Yiddish the language of the entirety of the victims Teltonika High-Tech Hill PHOTO: Bendrovės nuotr. Teltonika Technology Centre in Molėtai announces it has been recognised as the best project in the commercial real estate category in an event dedicated to honour achievements in sustainable development The best real estate projects in Lithuania for 2023 have been announced and awarded at the ceremony of the For Sustainable Development competition held in Vilnius Teltonika has committed EUR 34 million to this project the largest business investment in Molėtai’s history The Technology Centre started its operations with 2 production lines and will be expanded next year Once all the planned equipment is in place the production capacity will be around 500 000 IoT devices per month The Technology Centre was designed by company 2L architects – Paulius Latakas The assessment by the competition jury highlighted that Teltonika Technology Centre is a very modern high-tech building that meets the standards of sustainable production The Technology Centre houses the Teltonika company group’s production unit The Teltonika Technology Centre will create 500 jobs over several years The building’s location in Molėtai is exceptional It is located at the main entrance to the city in an active location quite close to the city centre a lot of attention has been paid to blending the building into the diverse environment The specific use of the site posed one of the biggest challenges for the designers in terms of compatibility of systems and solutions, which is why Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology and the project management based on it were used for the design The area and volume shape of the building were dictated by the technological task the size of the site and its elongated shape when many different uses are brought together under one roof the functional zones and their interrelationships are very important laboratory and production staff are working to develop the product So we tried to make sure that even spatially separated rooms were visually and functionally connected the clients emphasised the communication between employees from all disciplines and we wanted to highlight this in the design of the building’s spaces,” said the architects The building’s entrance is accentuated by a taller more prominent building volume with a spacious lobby common meeting and conference rooms with a reservation system line the façade Larger offices for 5-7 people have been designed for team work The open-plan offices are grouped into workstations and have ‘islands’ in the middle of the rooms These rooms are separated by acoustic glass partitions from the light corridors which in some places have been widened for communal gatherings The production and administration areas are connected by a shared second-floor 1000 sqm open-plan multi-functional lounge for both production and administration staff to relax This open space includes a coffee bar and a communal kitchen and large display windows allow the production process to be viewed from above The facades of the building consist of a transparent glass and aluminium system with solar control and a blind cladding of sandwich panels The facades of the long building are rhythmically divided by vertically arranged panels and aluminium slats that ‘run’ from the transparent areas onto the blind areas to create a seamless appearance The roofs are designed with a light coloured PVC coating that reflects heat The structures consist of reinforced concrete columns and a covering of metal trusses Composite metal beams are also used to preserve the maximum height of the production areas Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines who lived in Ireland for ten years with her family but alongside her husband is commuting to work about 40 kilometres to Molėtai The town of under 6,000 people is home to a new Teltonika Technology Centre The family is considering moving closer to work although finding a place to live is a challenge buying a house is not so easy anymore either,” says Agnė Perminienė “I don’t know if Teltonika has influenced that or if it is just that Molėtai has become a very attractive place We are waiting for those big constructions to begin I can see that new apartment blocks are rising up.” Teltonika is a Lithuanian high-tech group specialising in internet transport management solutions and network equipment it announced a deal with Taiwan to invest in semiconductor production also plans to move to Molėtai with his family known for its picturesque natural surroundings and a multitude of lakes It employs 150 people and is looking to expand to 500 in the coming years Expatriates are invited to return and are immediately offered a job our goal is not a short-term solution but something long-term If the wife is employed here but the husband is going to stay working abroad we look at possibilities to employ the whole family and we have some examples where both husband and wife are working for us here in Teltonika Teltonika’s entry into Molėtai in late 2022 was a big event for the town something it may have not been entirely prepared for No apartment blocks have been built in Molėtai for more than three decades alongside new blocks of single-family houses The municipality is also chipping in with commitments to provide infrastructure for the new residential areas footpaths and now we have enough plots to offer to those who want to build individual houses,” says Molėtai District Mayor Saulius Jauneika The apartment blocks are being built by Namų Avilys The developer has until now only invested in Vilnius Then we did some analysis of the real estate market in Molėtai and there was a big shortage of residential space and the third thing is that it is not far from Vilnius The town is an easy one-hour-drive from the capital city and has been popular with people from other places seeking holiday homes In addition to new blocks of private homes and apartment buildings Molėtai has recently constructed a new swimming pool Gurtam, a Vilnius-based IoT software developer with a focus on fleet management, marked Earth Day 2025 by planting 2,000 trees in Lithuania’s Molėtai district. Recently named Socially Responsible Company of the Year, Gurtam continues to turn its sustainability and social responsibility values into action strengthening its long-term commitment to both people and the planet The tree planting took place just after Earth Day and brought together over thirty Gurtam employees and partners Over 2,000 young trees were planted — a hands-on contribution to a greener future and a local ecosystem The choice of diverse seedlings was deliberate and aimed at promoting biodiversity the trees were planted to emulate nature’s patterns evoking the look and ecological richness of a wild forest rather than a neat garden The event was organized with environmental partners at Hold Earth whose mission is to help companies of all sizes do their part for the planet This is not the first time the company has celebrated Earth Day with meaningful action. In 2024, the team planted about 1,100 trees in the Trakai district near Vilnius Gurtam is committed to carrying this initiative forward believing that now is the ideal time to plant trees ensuring future generations reap the long-term benefits of today’s actions the company pours its energy into a range of equally meaningful initiatives — from supporting dog shelters and partnering with universities to hosting events that strengthen the local market and nurture tech communities Gurtam was honoured by Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labour as the Socially Responsible Company of the Year “Gurtam is committed to contributing to society and the communities local to our offices,” says Zoya Halkevich “This initiative reflects what we do on an everyday basis — creating software that ensures that technology serves a greater purpose by making the world safer environmental responsibility is deeply embedded not only in values shared by employees but also in Gurtam’s business operations and long-term strategy The company develops solutions for fleet management and digitalization that By enabling businesses to monitor fuel consumption Gurtam’s products make transport more efficient and sustainable Gurtam is a global telematics leader headquartered in Vilnius The company develops innovative solutions for fleet management and digitalization to help companies worldwide manage their resources efficiently On September 10–11, the company will host the Telematics & Connected Mobility Conference in Vilnius Lithuania — a major event focused on the latest advancements in telematics hardware The building would be built on an undeveloped plot there are four pitches with a viewing area for spectators Athletes' locker rooms with sauna and showers are designed in the basement A leisure zone is planned on the mezzanine," the design proposals say about the future building TALLINN - The Latvian national airline Air Baltic the largest airline company in the Baltic countries on Friday announced the conclusion of its special voting contest which invited participants to name 48 aircraft of the company's Airbus A220-300 fleet after cities from Latvia The 16 Estonian cities that received the most votes in the contest are Elva The cities of Latvia chosen by the voters are Aizpute The Lithuanian winners are Anykščiai held in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way attracted significant interest and participation both within the Baltic states and beyond the contest received more than one million votes said: "We are delighted by the overwhelming enthusiasm and engagement this contest generated The 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way is a momentous occasion celebrating unity across the Baltic states By naming our aircraft after cities in Latvia we honor this event and strengthen the connection among nations It is a privilege to have our fleet carry the names of these cities worldwide Participants could vote for any city in Latvia or Lithuania that holds official city status The Baltic Way was a peaceful political demonstration which took place on Aug when an estimated two million people joined their hands to form a 600-kilometer human chain through the Baltic countries to demonstrate their unity in the efforts towards freedom from the Soviet Union Žičkus greets us at the entrance to the grounds Although the museum is only open on weekends the guide gives us the privilege of arriving on a Friday when the 2.5-hectare site is empty and quiet Only a few specially housed birds make noise to give them more to do and to have more fun,” Žičkus explains which houses several dozen Russian-made cars and three Lithuanian cars One of the Lithuanian cars was created in Elektrėnai The latter was named Luodis because it was built right next to the lake of the same name “has been involved with cars since childhood” Mekas bought a few cars with the idea of starting a collection But these cars are not in the current collection another exhibit object was bought – an Audi 100,” Žičkus says Mekas bought it intending to start a museum the Molėtai Technical Museum opened its doors to visitors we have here about 85–90 percent of the cars that used to drive on our streets during the Soviet era,” Žičkus says the idea was that the museum should show what people have actually seen rather than a classical museum showing the evolution of motoring.” a third one was built at the turn of 2021-2022 and other similar vehicles are lined up today “This hangar had a clear purpose in advance The idea was to mark the first year of Lithuania's independence It was a time when we were still selling Zhiguli and Moskvichi cars and when we went to the other side of the market and bought Fords people of different generations can find something close to their hearts at the museum “We can see that the exhibition of older cars There is a natural division: some people feel more sentimental in one place others feel more sentimental in another,” the guide says He recalls watching an elderly man get behind the wheel of an old bus “This is a man who has spent 30-40 years behind the wheel of a car just like this it is a memory of half his life,” smiles Žičkus with one of the main routes for income being the film industry The famous HBO’s Chernobyl mini-series had many of the museum’s cars on set there are cases when not only filmmakers want to rent the museum's exhibits but also ordinary people offer to buy an exhibit “But we don't sell because there is no point If a person wants to buy a particular model it's not difficult to find it by searching on the internet It's all about how much money a person is willing to invest,” he says adding that the museum has not calculated how much the whole collection would cost the museum has received calls to remove its Soviet cars from display following the Russian invasion of Ukraine “They wrote us letters saying that we should drop a bomb on the museum that we were spreading Putin's propaganda and so on,” Žičkus says But we also deliberately made an exhibition of photos from the Baltic Way this year.” and Lithuania form a human-chain stretching from Vilnius to Tallinn people had to drive their Soviet-made cars “And we have clear arguments that there were no Golfs We have chosen the images in which they are visible,” Žičkus explains “This is to contrast the fact that there are [Russian] cars there are people with a banner saying 'Baltic Way to Freedom' And they are driving to freedom in Zhiguli and Moskvich cars.” with temperatures not dropping below 20C degrees," LHMT wrote on Facebook A tropical night is when the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees The service also registered the highest night-time temperature in Molėtai "Lithuania has never had such a warm night in the history of meteorological measurements,” the LHMT said It exceeded the previous highest night-time minimum of 24.4C degrees recorded in Nida on July 8 The contracts signed by the Directorate of Roads of Lithuanian Automobile Roads of VĮ entered into force regarding the preparation of technical work projects and the supervision of the execution of the two sections of the main road A14 Vilnius-Utena (from 64,332 to 79,510 km and from 79,510 to 93,726 km) Projects must be prepared and submitted within 11 months from the date of entry into force of the contracts The total value of the two contracts is almost 320 thousand Contract works will be announced after the design is completed The aim is to repair the concrete road surface in bad condition and thus ensure safe and comfortable traffic conditions It is planned that the contract work on this main road from Molėtai to Utena (including the city of Utena) could be completed in 2024 and the section to Molėtai would be repaired by 2025 The main road A14 Vilnius–Utena is one of the country's main transport roads leading from the capital to the surrounding municipalities This is perhaps the only road with a cement concrete surface deformed and poses a traffic safety hazard two public procurements have also been announced for the preparation of technical work projects for the reconstruction of the sections of the Utena highway to Molėtai (from 21,5 to 39,207 km and from 39,207 to 64,332 km) and the supervision of project implementation The designers of the Vilnius Christmas tree were inspired by the beauty of wintry nature They decorated the capital’s tree with 96 different large snowflakes The butterflies made of laser-cut transparent and multi-coloured glass landed on the Christmas tree in Lithuania’s second city Kaunas The main Christmas tree in Lithuania’s port city Klaipėda is smaller than in most residents’ homes It is only 55 centimetres tall and stands under a glass cover on a pedestal The tiny tree provides a feeling of a winter fairy tale The 18 metres tall candy-decorated Christmas tree was unveiled in Panevėžys The Christmas tree in Marijampolė features innovative lighting solutions the Utena Christmas tree is akin to a Snow White The Kuršėnai Christmas tree is decorated with a shroud of luminous garlands The colours of the polar lights have been chosen for decorating the Christmas tree in Širvintos A colourful Christmas tree was unveiled in Šiauliai during an event accompanied by a musical fairy tale A couple of white bears unveiled the Christmas tree in Birštonas Alytus chose to decorate its Christmas tree with original handmade pinecones The Mažeikiai Christmas tree is 18 metres tall and features a metal frame covered with natural spruce branches and multi-coloured lights Molėtai unveiled the Christmas tree decorated with stars The Kretinga Christmas tree is one of the most ornamental in Lithuania this year Lasers used to illuminate the Druskininkai Christmas tree create installations that constantly change colours and shapes The Kėdainiai Christmas tree was decorated with classic square lamps The Zarasai Christmas tree was praised as one of the most subtle and natural this year The Christmas tree in Elektrėnai shines in gold Lasers surrounding the tree also create a spectacular sight Joniškis is probably the only Lithuanian town that has a naturally growing tree that sparkles in different colours every year before Christmas The Ignalina Christmas tree is decorated with red Lazdijai celebrates the nut-themed Christmas The city’s tree is also decorated with giant hazelnuts The snowy Christmas tree was unveiled in Skuodas The Christmas tree in Plungė is covered with a shroud of lights This project was developed by UAB "Vilniaus projektai 2" a company belonging to the "VPH" group of companies provided by the Estonian Capital Bank "Bigbank" Shopping park "Una" is located in Vilnius at Dangeručio st The location is characterized by higher population density and rapid growth in this part of the city there is an intense flow of events in the direction of Molėtai or Utena says that the client's solid experience and faith in the success of the project led to harmonious cooperation with the project developer Commercial real estate development company groupsHPVRolandas Jurkevičius notes that the offered conditions and flexibility of Bigbank contributed to the smooth development and completion of the project "We have relied on this financial partner more than once but this time the project that brought us together for cooperation was of the largest scope The essential thing that we expected from the financial partner and for which we are satisfied with the cooperation with Bigbank is that its representatives listened to the client listened to the needs and provided the conditions that were sought for the implementation of the shopping park" the shopping park is dominated by independent stores of larger areas with separate entrances from the outside This concept and layout of the stores allows customers to conveniently park their vehicles near each of them and shop There are well over 400 parking spaces and dozens of charging stations for electric cars on the territory of the Una shopping park An important feature of the shopping park is the A++ class energy efficiency certificate Only a few dozen buildings of various purposes have the latter in Lithuania Sustainable and nature-friendly solutions have been implemented and more: old trees that grew on the plot of the shopping park before construction were transplanted a solar power plant was installed on the roof 25 shops and service locations were located in the "Una" shopping park The main and largest of them: Rimi Hypermarket shopping center repair and household goods store chain Senukai the design of the 42,8 km long section of the concrete road between Riešė (Vilnius district) and Molėtų will begin The design work begins after the design contracts of 5 separate sections signed with the designers by the Directorate of AB Lithuanian Automobile Roads come into effect The section of the same road between Molėtai and Utena has already been designed since the fall of last year the section of the A14 Vilnius–Utena road from Riešė to Molėtai (21,5–64,3 km) will be designed – it is planned to prepare technical work projects for the reconstruction of the road the designers will have to provide solutions for the transformation of intersections protective fences and other engineering traffic safety measures Another task for designers is to assess the aspect of military mobility when designing road sections "The main road Vilnius-Utena is perhaps the most important road connecting the capital and the northeastern regions of Lithuania The current cement concrete surface is worn out After the completion of the design of these sections we will drive safely and comfortably from Vilnius to Utena and other northeastern regions," says Marius Švaikauskas The technical work projects for the reconstruction of the sections of the A14 Vilnius–Utena road from 21,5 to 39,2 km will have to be prepared within 11 months and sections from 39,2 to 64,3 km - in 13 months The total value of all contracts is about 768 thousand public procurements will be announced for the performance of the contract works the section of the main road from Molėtai to Utena (from 64,332 to 93,726 km) is being designed and the project expertise is already being carried out in the city of Utena (from 93,65 to 95,60 km) It is planned that the contract work on the section from Molėtai to Utena and the section between Riešė and Molėtai will be completed in 2025 capital repair works of the section from Molėtai to Utena began on the Vilnius-Utena highway "Via Lietuva" (formerly LAKD) plans to complete the reconstruction of the almost 30 km section of the only road made of cement concrete slabs in the country this year The contract for the reconstruction of the road from Molėtai to Utena was signed at the Ministry of Transport at the beginning of February The planned reconstruction works will be carried out by the joint-stock company HISK The Vilnius-Utena road is an important connection between the country's capital and other areas of the North-Eastern region During the reconstruction of the road from Molėtai to Utena it is planned to overhaul two traffic lanes it is also planned to install net fences and horizontal barriers to protect against animal migration which would help reduce the number of traffic accidents during animal migration it is planned to install additional left-turn lanes at the intersections in the section under major repair "There was a lot of talk about "concrete" and the planned "buildings of the century" and they were promised for decades when we started the works on this road near the town of Utena we indicated that we would make every effort to continue the Vilnius-Utena renewal works We are glad that we managed to achieve the goals set by our joint efforts and today real work is finally starting on this path the works started today should be completed and the new road connecting Molėti and Utena will be opened for road users at the end of this year," says Via Lietuva CEO Marius Švaikauskas works were started on the section of this main road near the town of Utena The work here is planned to be completed in the third quarter of this year Technical work projects for the reconstruction of the remaining almost 43 km section of the Vilnius-Utena road from Riešė to Molėtai are also currently being prepared public procurement tenders will be announced for the reconstruction works After the successful completion of these procedures the first works from Riešė to Molėtai would start this year The Vilnius-Utena road has been called the worst road by all Lithuanians and guests of the country since the time of the restoration of independence This highway was built back in 1979-1985 and is the only road in the country with a concrete surface the road was not seriously repaired until 2008-2009 when the road was widened from 10 to 16 kilometers to 4 lanes the same works were carried out from 16 to 21,5 kilometers The maintenance works of the Vilnius-Utena road Joint-stock company "Via Lietuva" takes care of more than 21 thousand kilometers of national road network