Alytus

Encyclopedia : A : AL : ALY : Alytus

Alytus ([pronunciation] ([Media helphelp]·[info]); Polish: Olita) is the capital of Alytus County, southern Lithuania, with 69,481 inhabitants (2005). Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Neman River. The main roads linking Kaunas with Grodno (Belarus) and Vilnius with Lazdijai go through Alytus. Travelling along the Via Baltica from Alytus to Kaunas is 70 km, whereas from Alytus to Vilnius is 105 km.

The first written mention of Alytus dates back to 1377 in the Chronicles of Vygandas Marburgietis. On June 15, 1581 Alytus was granted the Magdeburg rights, which allow an area to incorporate as a city. This day is now known as Alytus city day. The life of Alytus, an important economic and culture center, was inseparable from all the events of Lithuania. Historical events divided Alytus into two parts: Alytus I and Alytus II. The east-side was transferred to the Russian Empire, the west to Prussia. After its victory against Napoleon, Russia occupied all of Alytus but the differences in administration remained until 1863. During the World War I in 1915, when the German military administration consolidated its position in Lithuania and the Suwalki province, Alytus I and Alytus II were united into one - Alytus town. But even now the smaller town is called Alytus I and the town with the parks, microdistricts and industry - Alytus II.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.