Lazdijai () is a small town in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), 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. Lithuania ...

located about east of the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

History

It was established by

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 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 ...

in 1570 and granted Magdeburg Rights by

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 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 and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...

in 1587. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Lazdijai was under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

occupation from 22 June 1941 until 31 July 1944.Освобождение городов
/ref> 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 ( lt, skrajojantis būrys) 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 ...

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

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, 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. It is the birthplace of Lithuanian politician and producer

Arūnas Valinskas Arūnas Valinskas (born 28 November 1966 in Lazdijai) is a Lithuanian showman, TV producer, TV show host and politician. As the leader of the National Resurrection Party, he was elected to the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament, in the 2008 Lith ...

and of Russian-American composer and violinist

Joseph Achron Joseph Yulyevich Achron, also seen as Akhron (Russian: Иосиф Юльевич Ахрон, Hebrew: יוסף אחרון) (May 1, 1886April 29, 1943) was a Russian-born Jewish composer and violinist, who settled in the United States. His preoccu ...

Gallery

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

References

External links

The murder of the Jews of Lazdijai
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

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