Lazdijai () is a city ('' miestas'') in

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 ...

located about east of the border with

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 ...

History

It was established by

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus (, ; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and t ...

in 1570 and granted Magdeburg Rights by

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

in 1587. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Lazdijai was under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation from 22 June 1941 until 31 July 1944. On November 3, 1941, 1,535 Jews were murdered in Lazdijai, including 485 men, 511 women and 539 children The perpetrators were members of the

Rollkommando Hamann ''Rollkommando'' Hamann () was a small mobile unit that committed mass murders of Lithuanian Jews in the countryside in July–October 1941, with an estimated death toll of at least 60,000 Jews. The unit was also responsible for many murders in L ...

, local policemen and Lithuanian nationalists. In 1990 Lithuania declared independence from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and new check points between the borders Poland and Lithuania were established, and Lazdijai became the center that oversees and continues to regulate these operations.

Climate

Etymology

Lazdijai gets its name from the river Lazdija (also known as Raišupis), which runs through the city. It is, however, unclear where the name for the river comes. One possibility is that the name ''Raišupis'' is likely of Sudovian origin, having a meaning related to nuts, while the lithuanian word for hazels is ''lazdynai'', possibly birthing the river's alternative name ''lazdija'' and the city name ''Lazdijai''. Throughout the history the city belonged to various powers and accordingly was known under various names: , , . Also, the Jewish population of the city called it ''Lazdei'' (). See also Names of Lithuanian places in other languages.

Notable people

* Salomėja Nėris worked here as a teacher of German during 1928-1930 * Motiejus Gustaitis worked as principal of a coed gymnasium in Lazdijai. * Adolfas Ramanauskas graduated from a Lazdijai secondary school

Birthplace

* Joseph Achron * Marijonas Mikutavičius * Virginijus Savukynas, Lithuanian journalist * Avraham Tory, Jewish Lithuanian Holocaust survivor, diarist, and lawyer * Arūnas Valinskas

Gallery

File:Lazdijai.jpg, Independence Square in Lazdijai File:Lazdijai, aikštė prie bažnyčios.JPG, Square near the church File:Lazdijai, meno mokykla.JPG, School of Arts in Lazdijai File:Lazdijai, skveras.JPG, Square near the Cultural Centre of Lazdijai File:Lazdijai, švietimo centras.JPG, Education Centre of Lazdijai File:Lazdijai, policija.JPG, Police station in Lazdijai File:Lazdijai, mokykla Vyturėlis.JPG, School Vyturėlis in Lazdijai

References

External links

The murder of the Jews of Lazdijai
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website. Cities in Lithuania Cities in Alytus County Lithuania–Poland border crossings Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania Holocaust locations in Lithuania {{AlytusCounty-geo-stub