Molėtai is a city in north eastern Lithuania surrounded by lakes. One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Vilnius. According to the 2013 census, it had 6,302 inhabitants. The town is located about 60 km north of Vilnius and 30 km south of Utena.

History

It was first mentioned as a private property of the bishop of Vilnius in year 1387. On 29 August 1941, 700 to 1,200 Jews were murdered in a mass execution perpetrated by an Einsatzgruppen of Lithuanian "nationalists". The victims of the massacre were commemorated in a march to the site, and a memorial was unveiled there, on the 75th anniversary, in 2016.

Economy

Molėtai hosts a factory of Teltonika, a Lithuanian semiconductor company, which employed 270 people in 2024. Molėtai Astronomical Observatory, which belongs to Vilnius University, is located near the town. Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology operates next to the observatory.

Gallery