Lekėčiai is a small town in the

Šakiai District Municipality Šakiai () is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located west of Kaunas. History It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from ''Šakaičai'' village, which was first mentioned in 1599. In 1719 Šakaičiai was renamed to Šaki ...

Marijampolė County Marijampolė County () is one of the ten counties of Lithuania, counties in Lithuania. It is in the southwest of the country and roughly corresponds to the historical region of Suvalkija, Sudovia. Its Capital (political), capital and the largest ...

, in southwestern

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 ...

Location and geography

Lekėčiai is located in the

, in southwestern

. It's in the center of

forests A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

, with the Rūdšilis forests to the north and the Paryžinė and Vincentavas forests to the south. The Liekė River, a tributary of the Nemunas, flows through the town.

History

Lekėčiai was first mentioned in 1506, when

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

Alexander Jagiellon Alexander Jagiellon (; ; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492 and King of Poland from 1501 until his death in 1506. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV and a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Alexander was el ...

granted the local grove to Jonas Sapiega as a reward for his service in wars against

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. In 1863, Lekėčiai witnessed battles between Aleksandras Andruškevičius' rebel group and between Russian Cossacks, in which 15 rebels were killed. After

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 ...

, local partisans established

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s in the nearby Rūdšilis forest, and resistance leader Julijonas Būtėnas was killed there in 1951.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 848 people. By the 2021 census, this number had declined slightly to 751 residents, representing a modest decrease of 1.2% over the decade. The town covers an area of 1.864 square kilometers, resulting in a population density of approximately 403 people per square kilometer. The gender distribution in 2021 showed a slight female majority, with women accounting for 52.9% (397) of the population and men making up 47.1% (354).

Culinary heritage

Lekėčiai is renowned for its

culinary Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

tradition, particularly the baking of

baumkuchen Baumkuchen () is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, ''Baumkuchen'', which literally translat ...

, known as "branchie", a delicacy introduced by monks and preserved by the women of the Zanavykai region. The town's Culinary Heritage House, run by the local women's community club, offers educational programs on traditional

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

herbalism Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

, and ancient crafts. Only a few local women still practice the traditional method of baking "branchies", passing their skills to visitors and younger generations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lekeciai Towns in Lithuania Towns in Marijampolė County Šakiai District Municipality