Kelmė (; ; ) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė District Municipality.
Name
Kelmė's name is likely derived from the Lithuanian word kelmynės, literally: the stubby place, because of the forests that were there at the time of its founding. The Yiddish name is Kelm, as in Kelm Talmud Torah.
History
Kelmė was first mentioned in 1416, the year that Kelmė's first church was built. In total, the number of victims is 1,250-1,300 people.
Gallery
<gallery>
Kelme manor.jpg|Kelmė Manor, dates to the 15th century
Kelmes dvaras vartai 2013 IMG 7139.jpg|Kelmė Manor gates and church in the distance
Kelmes evangeliku baznycia.jpg|Evangelical Reformed Church, built in 1615
Kelme.JPG|Roman Catholic Church
Kelmės gimnazija 1.JPG|Kelmė Jonas Graičiūnas Gymnasium
Kelmė, savivaldybė.JPG|Municipality building
</gallery>
People
- Aryeh Leib Frumkin (1845–1916), Rabbi
- Bronius Laucevičius-Vargšas (1884–1916), writer
- Antanas Mackevičius (1828–1863),