Venta

Venta ( pronunciation) is a small city in Lithuania in the Akmenė district municipality. According to 2005 data there are 3,221 people living in Venta. It is situated along the Venta River, Kuršėnai-Mažeikiai highway, and a railroad connecting Mažeikiai with Šiauliai (the train station is called Akmenė). This makes Venta better situated than Naujoji Akmenė, the capital of the district.

The town grew after World War II together with a lime factory which later produced bricks. At its peak the factory employed about 1,000 people. The city was formed when Bauskas and Purviai villages were joined in 1966. After the 1990 declaration of independence, the factory faced severe financial difficulties while shifting from planned economy to free market. The factory's departments were made into separate companies. Some went bankrupt and their buildings were destroyed; others were privatized. In 1999 a public company, "Naujasis kalcitas" (English: The New Calcite; the only manufacturer of quicklime in Lithuania, supplying 50-55% of the domestic market) purchased and reconstructed a remaining lime burning technology line with rotary kiln. Recently a new heating facility using natural gas was built to provide heat for the city.