Kabeliai is a village in

Varėna district municipality Varėna () is a city in Dzūkija, southern Lithuania. It is the capital of the Varėna district municipality, district of Varėna. Currently, there are 7,794 residents. The Varėna district is the largest and most forested Municipalities of Lithu ...

, in

Alytus County Alytus County () is one of ten counties of Lithuania, counties in Lithuania. It is the southernmost county, and its Capital (political), capital is the city of Alytus. Its territory lies within the Regions of Lithuania, ethnographic region of Dz� ...

, in southeastern

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 168 people. According to the 1921 census, the village was inhabited by 258 people, among whom 240 were Roman Catholic, 4 Orthodox, and 14 Mosaic. At the same time, 8 inhabitants declared Polish nationality, 1 Belarusian, 14 Jewish and 235 Lithuanian. There were 44 residential buildings in the village. In the years 1921-1945 the village was within the borders of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Kabeliai village is located c. from

Druskininkai Druskininkai (; also see other names) is a spa city on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai is known for being a spa resort since the 19th century. Name The exact origi ...

, from

Marcinkonys Marcinkonys (Polish: ''Marcinkańce'') is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania, located 21 km. south-west of Varėna. It is the administrative center of the Marcinkonys Eldership and it houses the administrations of the Dzūkija National ...

, from Ašašninkai (the nearest settlement) and from the

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian border.

Demographics

Etymology

The name ''Kabeliai'' is of unclear origin. It may be from a Lithuanian

personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...

''Kabẽlis'' which is known only from Panevėžys region and possibly comes from a word ('a hang, a crook, a

gaff Gaff may refer to: Ankle-worn devices * Spurs in variations of cockfighting * Climbing spikes used to ascend wood poles, such as utility poles Arts and entertainment * A character in the ''Blade Runner'' film franchise * Penny gaff, a 19th- ...

'). Otherwise, it could be from Slavic personal names , which descent from 'a male wolf, a male dog, a womaniser'. It could be directly from this word as it is said that Kabeliai was a hunting dog breeding place. Finally, , mean 'a basket', so it could mean 'a basket weathers' place'.

References

Villages in Alytus County Villages in Varėna District Municipality {{Varėna-geo-stub