The Lithuania–Poland border is the state border between the Republic of Lithuania and the

Republic of 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 ...

. The length of the border is .. Page gives Polish PWN Encyklopedia as reference. It runs from the Lithuania–Poland–Russia

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

southeast to the Belarus–Lithuania–Poland tripoint. It is an internal border of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

and the Schengen Zone. It is the only land border that one of the

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

(which are members of the EU and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

) shares with a country that is not a member of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010 ...

History

In medieval times, the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

and the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...

had a vast and often changing border.Stephen R. Burant and Voytek Zubek, ''Eastern Europe's Old Memories and New Realities: Resurrecting the Polish–Lithuanian Union'', East European Politics and Societies 1993; 7; 370
online
/ref> From the

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the per ...

(1569) to the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

, there was no Polish-Lithuanian border, as both countries were a part of a single federated entity, the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

. During the

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

era, there were borders between the

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. I ...

(

Augustów Voivodeship Augustów Voivodeship was created in 1816 from the Łomża Department. Its capital was in Łomża until 1818, when it was transferred to Suwałki. In 1837 it was transformed into Augustów Governorate. Administrative divisions It was divided into ...

) and territory seized by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

(

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was form ...

and

Vilna Governorate The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...

). A different border existed between the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

and Lithuania in the period of 1918–1939. Following the

Polish–Lithuanian War The Polish–Lithuanian War (in Polish historiography, Polish–Lithuanian Conflict) was an undeclared war between newly-independent Lithuania and Poland following World War I, which happened mainly, but not only, in the Vilnius and Suwałki ...

, from 1922 onward it was stable and had a length of 521 km. tp://mapy.ziomal.org/mapy/mapy_inne/atlasy/1928_Romer%20-%20Atlas%20Polski%20wspolczesnej,/02.Okladka_przod_b.jpg ''Polska w cyfrach'' n: tp://mapy.ziomal.org/mapy/mapy_inne/atlasy/1928_Romer%20-%20Atlas%20Polski%20wspolczesnej,/ E. Romer ''Atlas Polski współczesnej'', 1928

Suwałki Agreement The Suwałki Agreement, Treaty of Suvalkai, or Suwalki Treaty ( pl, Umowa suwalska, lt, Suvalkų sutartis) was an agreement signed in the town of Suwałki between Poland and Lithuania on October 7, 1920. It was registered in the '' League of N ...

(1920) established the

demarcation line {{Refimprove, date=January 2008 A political demarcation line is a geopolitical border, often agreed upon as part of an armistice or ceasefire. Africa * Moroccan Wall, delimiting the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara from the Sahrawi ...

through the

Suwałki Region Suwałki Region ( pl, Suwalszczyzna ; lt, Suvalkų kraštas, Suvalkija, russian: cувалкщина, german: Sudauen) is a small region around the city of Suwałki (known in Lithuanian as ''Suvalkai'') in northeastern Poland near the border wit ...

and for the most part it remains the border between Poland and Lithuania in modern times. The current border was established in the

aftermath of World War II The aftermath of World War II was the beginning of a new era started in late 1945 (when World War II ended) for all countries involved, defined by the decline of all colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers; the Soviet Union ( ...

and it remained identical during the Soviet

occupation of the Baltic states The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded and occupied in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin and auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet ...

as well as after the restoration of the independence of Lithuania on 11 March 1990. On 5 March 1996, two countries signed a treaty on the common border, confirming its status and demarcation, as well as agreeing on the technical cooperation. Lithuania and Poland joined the

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and ...

in 2007. This meant that all border checkpoints were removed along the border in December 2007, allowing unrestricted border crossing.

Military significance

To the military planners of NATO, the border area is known as the

Suwałki Gap The Suwałki Gap, also known as the Suwałki corridor or ; lt, Suvalkų koridorius or ''Suvalkų tarpas''; be, сувалкскі калідор, suvalkskі kalidor and russian: сувалкский коридор, suvalkskiy koridor (), ...

(named after the nearby town of

Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...

) because it represents a military difficulty. It is a flat narrow piece of land, a gap, that is between

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

and Russia's

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

exclave and that connects the three NATO-member

Baltic States The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

to Poland and the rest of

. In the event of a Russian attack, the Suwałki Gap would for Russia be important both for connecting Kaliningrad to the rest of Russia, and to prevent military assistance from the other NATO countries to reach the Baltic countries. In July 2016, two years after the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv t ...

and the beginning of the

War in Donbass War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, NATO's member states agreed at the

2016 Warsaw summit The 2016 Warsaw Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the 27th formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, on 8 an ...

to what would become known as the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence. A July 2017 NATO exercise was for the first time focused on defense of the gap from a possible

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n attack, and used troops and

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the spec ...

from US, British, Polish, Lithuanian and Croatian sources. In September 2017, Russia and

produced the

Zapad 2017 exercise WEST 2017 ( rus, «Запад-2017», ) was a joint strategic military exercise of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and Belarus (the Union State) that formally began on 14 September 2017 and ended on 20 September 2017, in Belarus as wel ...

Former border crossings

Ogrodniki-Lazdijai - view from Lithuania

In the period 1991–2007, there were three road and one rail border crossing between Poland and Lithuania. On 1 May 2004, when both Poland and Lithuania joined the

, this border became an internal border of the European Union. On 21 December 2007, Poland and Lithuania acceded to the Schengen Agreement. After this, crossing the border became easier, as EU internal borders are open to all traffic with little need for control. There are still, however, occasional customs and police controls against smuggling of restricted goods; these affect only about 1% of travelers. Road * Budzisko– Kalvarija * Ogrodniki– Lazdijai *

Berżniki Berżniki , ( lt, Beržininkai) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sejny, within Sejny County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Lithuania. It lies approximately south-east of Sejny and nor ...

–

Kapčiamiestis Kapčiamiestis is a town in Lithuania located near the confluence of Baltoji Ančia and Nieda Rivers. History Kapčiamiestis traces its history dating back in the early 16th century, then a manor was built. In 1777 a parish-school was opened ...

Rail * Trakiszki–

Šeštokai Šeštokai is a small town in southern Lithuania. Infrastructure The town is a transport hub as it hosts Šeštokai Intermodal Terminal and has dual gauge track as well as break-of-gauge for the 1435 mm standard gauge and 1520 mm broad gauge. ...

Gallery

File:Polska1020-c.png, Map of Poland from the early 11th century shows Polish and Lithuanian lands separated by Old Prussian and

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...

territories File:Mon Henrykow Slaskich (1201-1241).png, Map of Poland in the first half of the 13th century, shows a border between

Duchy of Masovia Duchy of Masovia was a district principality and a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland, existing during the Middle Ages. The state was centered in Mazovia in the northeastern Kingdom of Poland, and during its existence, its capital was located i ...

and Lithuania File:Polska WladLokietka (1275-1300).png, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1275–1300, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:Polska 1333 - 1370.png, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1333–1370, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:Polska 1370 - 1382.png, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1370–1382, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:Polska 1386 - 1434.png, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1386–1434, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:IRP 1466.PNG, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1466, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:Poland and Lithuania in 1526.PNG, Map of Poland and Lithuania around 1526, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border File:Irp1569.jpg, Map of Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth after its formation in 1569, with visible Polish–Lithuanian border. Ukrainian territories were transferred under the administrative control of the

Crown of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includi ...

. File:Lithuania-1867-1914-EN.svg, Map of Lithuania around 1867–1914, with visible Polish–Russian border (Lithuania did not exist at that time) File:Border-Lithuania-Poland-1919-1939.svg, Selected lines of demarcation between Lithuania and Poland, 1919–1939. Light orange line denotes the line drawn by the Suwałki Agreement.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lithuania-Poland border 1990 establishments in Lithuania 1990 establishments in Poland 1990 in international relations European Union internal borders Borders of Lithuania Borders of Poland International borders