VilijampolÄ— is a neighborhood in the city of
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
,
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 on the right bank of the
Neris
The river Neris () or Vilija (, ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman) from the right bank, at Kaunas, as its ma ...
River and the
Nemunas River, near their confluence. Part of a larger which consists of VilijampolÄ—, , , and neighorhoods, and covers 1438
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s with population of 23,687 people.
[https://www.kaunas.lt/administracija/struktura-ir-kontaktine-informacija/seniunijos/vilijampoles-seniunija/]
In the past, it was a separate town from Kaunas. The
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
are known to have settled here since the fourteenth century. Due to this the place was referred to as ''Judenstadt'', 'Jewtown'.
The popular nickname ''SlabotkÄ—'' is still in use, derived from the
Polish name of the place, ''Słobódka Wiliampolska''. The word ''Wiliampolska'' is an adjective from "Wiliampol" ("Wilia town"), derived from the Slavic name of the nearby
Neris
The river Neris () or Vilija (, ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman) from the right bank, at Kaunas, as its ma ...
river - ''Wilia''; and "słobódka" means "little ''
sloboda
A sloboda was a type of settlement in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for 'freedom' and may be loosely translated as 'free settlement'. ''", i.e. 'little free settlement'. Later this name was Lithuanised into "VilijampolÄ—". Historically, it was the home of the Slabodka
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
, or
Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael, and the main site of the Nazi-imposed
Kaunas Ghetto
The Kovno Ghetto was a ghetto established by Nazi Germany to hold the Lithuanian Jews of Kaunas, Kaunas (Kovno) during the Holocaust. At its peak, the ghetto held 29,000 people, most of whom were later sent to Concentration camps, concentratio ...
, from 1943 the Kaunas
concentration camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
(KZ Kauen).
The
Lithuanian Veterinary Academy campus is located in the neighbourhood. Two bridges across the Neris connect VilijampolÄ— with the main part of the city.
Petras Vileišis Bridge connects the district with the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
and
Varniai Bridge with the neighbourhood of
Žaliakalnis
Žaliakalnis (literally, "the green hill") is a neighbourhood and Elderships of Lithuania, eldership () in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Žaliakalnis is located north of the old town and the city center area, between the Neris and Girstu ...
.
References
City of Kaunas - Elderate of VilijampolÄ—
External links
Website of Kaunas city*
Neighbourhoods of Kaunas
{{KaunasCounty-geo-stub