Places to visit in Pasval district

The narrow gauge railway line from Joniškėlis to Žeimelis used to run in this place. The bridge over Mūša was built during the Second World War, it was built by Soviet soldiers who were prisoners of the Germans. A camp for prisoners of war was even built in Svobiškis. The length of the bridge is 70 m, width – 2.6 m, height – 9.6 m. It is the only reinforced concrete arch bridge in Lithuania in a narrow gauge railway section. Materials of exceptional quality were used for the structure. In the Soviet era, the railway line was abolished, a road was built in its place, and the bridge was adapted for car traffic.

The brick building of the synagogue was built in 1913 in place of a burnt wooden Jewish sanctuary. The synagogue was not only the center of spiritual, but also cultural and social life of Jews of Pušalotas, community meetings were held here. The funds for the construction were collected by countrymen living in the United States.

A tragic episode is related to the construction of the synagogue. The money that came from across the Atlantic were guarded by Reuvenas Brogas, a pharmacist and a Rabbi at the same time. Killers who broke into the house at night killed the rabbi, his wife, and seriously injured his son. Young Israelis slept in the other room. The grandchildren who survived the family tragedy were raised by their grandmother who lived in Panevėžys. As an adult, Israelis Brogas went to Israel, his son changed his ancestral last name and became Ehud Barak. This name is well known in international politics: Prime Minister of Israel, head of ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and others.

During the Soviet era, a collective farm dairy, a canning factory, an artificial leather workshop, and a mill operated in the synagogue. Pušalotas Synagogue is the only fully preserved Jewish prayer house in Pasvalys District.

The old Toliūnai water mill is mentioned already in 1857. It belonged to Toliūnai Manor, it had only one millstone. The mill burned down in 1905. The fire could have been caused by oil leaking from old equipment. The new owners of the manor built a new field stone masonry mill in 1909 that still stands today.

The mill has three floors. In the upper one there were two millstones. In the lower part – devices for pouring flour and groats into sacks. In the western part there were living quarters – three rooms and a kitchen.

During the First World War, the Toliūnai manor and the mill were under the control of Germans. Later, it was bought by the Jews of Pakruojis region, who did not live here, but hired local workers. The building was purchased in 1927 by Mrs. Agnieška Jasukevičienė, who came from the USA, thanks to whom the wool processing equipment was installed in the mill. The mill was famous throughout the region, customers came here even from Panevėžys. In the Soviet era, the mill was turned by an electric motor. Then the mill stopped operating. Today it is a private property, but it stands abandoned.

The date of its construction is commemorated on the wall of the mill – 1899. The mill was built by Baron Han, the landowner of Plonėnai. The powerful, 4-story, 18-meter-high building is made of local clay bricks. Foundations from field stones. The mill had four wings and a modern drawbar, a device for turning the cap against the wind. Four millstone were turning: two for grinding of feed grains, one for bread, and one for fine grinding and sorting. In the days of independent Lithuania, the mill was rented by the Jew Moderniekas, but he was kicked out due to disagreements. The new owner built a steam engine and set up a sawmill. The Soviets, who occupied Lithuania, nationalized the mill and exiled the owner to Siberia. The mill was restored in the 1980s, adapted for festivals, and an extension was built next to it. However, the work was not completed after the change in the political establishment. The privatized building housed a cafe-bar, later a second-hand clothing store. The mill no longer received the attention it needed, it lost its face, its wings fell off, and its walls began to crumble.