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Alytus, Lithuania

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Alytus ,is the capital of Alytus County in southern Lithuania. Its population in 2005 was 69,481. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The major highways linking Vilnius, Kaunas, Lazdijai, and Hrodna in Belarus pass through Alytus. The distance from Alytus to Kaunas is ; the distance from Alytus to Vilnius is .
Divided onto two separate entities for centuries, it consists of two parts still frequently referred to as Alytus I and Alytus II, the earlier being a smaller town and the latter forming the city centre with parks, microdistricts and industrial areas.
The city's historical and ethnic names include Latvian: Alīte, , Yiddish: Olita or Alite, and .

History

The first historical record of Alytus dates back to 1377, when it was mentioned in the Chronicles of Wigand of Marburg under the name of Aliten. According to the chronicle the spot was occupied by a small, wooden fortress guarding the Lithuanian frontier with the Teutonic Order. The fort and the surrounding village gradually grew, despite being frequently a target of raids of both the Lithuanians and the Teutons. The Treaty of Lake Melno left the town on the Teutonic side of the border, but it was retaken soon afterwards. On June 15, 1581 Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batory granted the town the city rights based on the Magdeburg Law. The event is celebrated as the Alytus Day.
Until the Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the town was a part of the Trakai Voivodeship of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and a notable centre of commerce on the Nemunas River, serving as the main route for export goods from Lithuania proper. The town was also important as the place where one of the royal economic offices was located. In the third partition of Poland and Lithuania, in 1795, the town was divided between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. During the Napoleonic Wars, following the treaty of Tilsit, the western part was ceded to the Duchy of Warsaw. After the Congress of Vienna it became part of the duchy's successor state, the Kingdom of Poland. Although the state was tied with a personal union with Russia, both parts of the town remained completely separate until the January Uprising of 1863. After that date the autonomy of Poland was liquidated, but both parts of the town remained governed separately.
In late 19th century the town was incorporated into a chain of Russian fortified garrisons along the border with East Prussia. It was tied with the rest of the world by a railway and a new road. In addition, the tsarist authorities constructed several barracks and an Orthodox church (in modern times converted to a Catholic church). However, despite the fortification effort by the Russians, during the World War I the Central Powers managed to capture the town intact, without any major skirmish. In 1915 the town was incorporated into the so-called Ober-Ost and both parts were once again united into a single administrative entity - for the first time since 1795.
Following the end of World War I the area remained contested by newly-independent Poland and Lithuania, with the actual control held by the German army stationed in the area. When the Germans withdrew in early 1919, the town was seized by the Red Army. On February 12, 1919, the town became a battlefield for the first skirmish between the Russians and the Lithuanian forces, which eventually took control over it. Since then the town has been a part of the Republic of Lithuania.
Following the invasion of Poland a large prisoner of war camp for Polish soldiers was established in the city. Following the German occupation of the city in 1941, the camp was converted into a prison camp for Soviet soldiers (Stalag 343). In the nearby forest of Vidzgiris the Nazis murdered approximately 60,000 people, mostly Jews from nearby towns in occupied Poland and Lithuania.