Marcinkonys (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''Marcinkańce'') is a village in

Varėna district Varėna () is a city in Dzūkija, southern Lithuania. It is the capital of the district of Varėna. Currently, there are 7,794 residents. The Varėna district is the largest and most forested municipality of Lithuania as more than 50% of the dis ...

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 21 km. south-west of

Varėna Varėna () is a city in Dzūkija, southern Lithuania. It is the capital of the district of Varėna. Currently, there are 7,794 residents. The Varėna district is the largest and most forested municipality of Lithuania as more than 50% of the di ...

. It is the administrative center of the Marcinkonys Eldership and it houses the administrations of the

Dzūkija National Park __NOTOC__ Dzūkija National Park is a national park in Dzūkija, Lithuania, located 100 kilometers southwest from the capital, Vilnius, and 100 kilometers south from Kaunas. It was established on April 23, 1991 by the Supreme Court of the Republic ...

and Čepkeliai Nature Reserve. According to the 2020 estimate, it had 591 residents. Marcinkonys town 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

History

Throughout the history the place was under Russian, Polish, and Soviet rules and therefore it may be referred to by multiple names and spellings, including Marcinkańce (Polish name), Martsinkantse (phonemic transliteration of the Polish name), Martsinkantsy (transliteration of the Russified Polish name), and Martsinkonis (transliteration of Russian Марцинконис). The settlement was first mentioned in 1637 as a camp of foresters. It began growing after completion of the railway station in its location for the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway in 1864. During

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, the town had the Marcinkonys Ghetto for the

Lithuanian Jews {{Jews and Judaism sidebar , Population Litvaks ({{Langx, yi, ליטװאַקעס) or Lita'im ({{Langx, he, לִיטָאִים) are Jews who historically resided in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuan ...

. Some Jews escaped during the liquidation of the ghetto and managed to survive the war.

Etymology

The name ''Marcinkonys'' comes from a personal name (also '' Marcìnka, Marciñkus'') which originates from Slavic forms for a name ''Martin, Marcin'' (, ).

Demographics

References

Villages in Alytus County Varėna District Municipality Holocaust locations in Lithuania {{Varėna-geo-stub