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Sejny | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Monastery and Church of St. Mary in Sejny | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Sejny  Sejny | |
| Coordinates:54°7′N23°22′E / 54.117°N 23.367°E /54.117; 23.367 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Podlaskie Voivodeship |
| County | Sejny County |
| Gmina | Sejny(urban gmina) |
| Established | 16th century |
| Town rights | ~1600 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Arkadiusz Nowalski |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.49 km2 (1.73 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 5,024[1] |
| • Density | 1,120/km2 (2,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 16–500 |
| Car plates | BSE |
| Website | http://www.sejny.home.pl |
Sejny ([ˈsɛi̯nɨ];Lithuanian:Seinai[2]) is a town in north-easternPoland and the capital ofSejny County, inPodlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border withLithuania andBelarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (Polish:Pojezierze Suwalskie), on theMarycha river (Seina inLithuanian for which the town was named),[3] being a tributary of theCzarna Hańcza. As of 1999 it had almost 6,500 permanent inhabitants, with a strong seasonal increase during the tourist season.
According to a legend, the town of Sejny was started by three of the old knights of the King of Poland andGrand Duke of LithuaniaWładysław II Jagiełło, who after theBattle of Grunwald granted them a land parcel in what is now Sejny. The three were very old and named the settlementSeni, which is a Lithuanian word forOld Men. The name was purportedly given to the city of Sejny. However, no archaeological findings or documents support this legend.
The name isYotvingian in origin. The linguist Jerzy Nalepa has proposed that the nearby river named Sejna (nowMarycha) and the city name are Yotvingian. This conclusion is based on two features:
Cognates include Pol.siano and Lith.šienas, both meaning "hay".[3]
Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1520s–1569
GDL, part ofPLC 1569–1795
Kingdom of Prussia 1795–1807
Duchy of Warsaw 1807–1815
Congress Poland 1815–1867
Vistula Land 1867–1915
Ober Ost 1915–1919
Republic of Lithuania 1919 May 8 – 1919 Aug. 22
Second Polish Republic 1919 Aug. – 1920 July
Soviet Union 1939 Sept. 24 – Oct. 13
Nazi Germany 1939 Oct. – 1944 Aug. 31
In theearly Middle Ages the area comprising modern Sejny was inhabited by theYotvingians, one of theBaltic tribes closely related toLithuanians that had arrived in the area in the first millennium. There was ongoing strife for the area since the 13th century between theTeutonic Order and Lithuania. This resulted in the area being almost completely depopulated, with only a few of the indigenous Yotvingians surviving.[4] The first written record of the area where the town now lies dates to 1385, noting an armed raid of the German knights fromCastrum Leicze (Giżycko) toMerkinė.
After theTreaty of Melno in 1422, Teutonic-Lithuanian border was determined, people began to return to the forests in the area. The territory formed part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania within thePolish–Lithuanian union under theJagiellonian dynasty, since 1569 transformed into thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. New roads were paved, with one of them, the road leading fromBerżniki (Beržininkai) through Sejny to Merkinė, becoming a notabletrade route.
In 1510Michał Pac became the governor of the area, founding the settlement of Beržininkai (Polish:Berżniki). This started a period of the rapid development of the former Yotvingian lands. On December 22, 1522,Sigismund I the Old ordered thevoivode ofPodlaskieJanusz Kostewicz to grant 1.5 km2 (1⁄2 sq mi) of land at the shores of the river Sejna (now called Marycha) tohetmanIwan Wiśniowiecki. On May 21 of the following year, Kostewicz described the parcel in a letter to the king and soon afterwards Wiśniowiecki became the owner of the area. A new wooden manor was built in the place where the Sejna river reached Sejny lake and soon settlement started. Wiśniowiecki, a mighty magnate fromVolhynia, never came there personally and instead appointed his governor to rule the hamlet.
In 1593 the town was sold by his great-granddaughter Anna, wife of voivode ofWitebskMikołaj Sapieha, to a local nobleJerzy Grodziński forsixty times the amount of 10.000grosz in silver. Until 1602 he transferred the unnamed village (sometimes referred to asSejna) into a town calledJuriewo, after its founder. However, the name did not stick and instead it was named Sejny.
The town's market was located on a small hill overlooking the right bank of the river, near the original wooden manor. It was located right on the earlier trade route. South of the town, a new road leading toGrodno was created and the new settlement received significant income from trading. The founder of the town financed a Catholic St George's church and established a newparochy.
Jerzy Grodziński died without heirs. On May 16, 1602, he had bequeathed all of his properties to theDominican monastery inVilnius. He died on 12 January 1603 and on 4 June 1603 kingSigismund III Vasa accepted the testament. In 1610 the monks started the construction of a largemonastery there. The construction of the monastery was finished in 1619 and by 1632 a new church was built nearby, devoted toHoly Mary,Saint George andSaint Hyacinth. The town developed slowly, mostly due to low traffic on the old trade routes to Grodno. In the 17th century, another church was built, consecrated to theHoly Spirit. Aprinting press was started and most probably a hospital. The monastery was being constantly expanded, becoming one of the most notable examples of a fortified monastery in Central Europe.
War withSwedish Empire, known asThe Deluge, was disastrous for the town. In 1656, after a major battle took place nearby, the town was captured by the Swedes, looted and burnt to the ground. The monastery survived and after the war ended, the monks returned to the town and started its reconstruction. On November 8, 1670, the kingMichael I granted the town the privilege of organizing a market and fair once a week. This helped the monks to repopulate the town with new Polish settlers, mostly from over-populatedMasovia.
In the early 18th century theGreat Northern War put an end to the prosperity, as the town was pillaged by several armies in a row. The soldiers also carried two consecutiveplagues to the town.
At the same time, the area was being populated, and numerous settlements were founded not far from Sejny. In 1715 theCamedulian monks founded a village and a monastery, which developed into what is now the town ofSuwałki. Other towns founded in that period werePuńsk,Augustów,Jeleniewo andKrasnopol. With increased prosperity in the town, the Dominicans started the reconstruction of Sejny, leading to the construction of notable examples ofbaroque architecture. The church received a new façade, in 1770 a newtown hall was built, and in 1778 a new marketplace and a newWooden synagogue were opened.
During theThird Partition of Poland, Sejny was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia in 1795 and was made part of the newly established province ofNew East Prussia. Initially neglected, in 1807 the town became part of the short-lived PolishDuchy of Warsaw and a major administrative centre within theŁomża Department. After the defeat ofNapoleon Bonaparte in 1815, the town became part of newly formedCongress Poland in theRussian Partition of Poland, retaining its status as a seat of apowiat within theAugustów Voivodeship. In 1818 thebishopric was moved to Sejny fromWigry andSejny Priest Seminary was established in 1826. The town continued to prosper, despite a major fire that had struck the city earlier that year. The population also grew rapidly. Prosperity declined in the latter part of the 19th century.
During theNovember Uprising and theJanuary Uprising the town's inhabitants took part in the struggles againstImperial Russia. After the massacres of Polish protesters committed by the Russians inWarsaw in 1861, Polish processions and clashes with Russian soldiers took place in Sejny.[5] The Sejny County was one of the counties in which the insurgent unit ofJózef Konstanty Ramotowski [pl] operated during theJanuary Uprising in 1863.[6] Sejny was one of the sites of Russian executions of Polish insurgents during the January Uprising.[7] There is a memorial at the place of the executions.[8]
After the uprisings the town was deprived of its privileges and neglected by Russia. The lack of railway development by the Russian Empire prevented the town from developing industry. Sejny continued as a small provincial town and a local centre of trade and commerce. Nonetheless, theNeo-baroqueSejny Synagogue was built in the 1860s, now used as a cultural center after the deportation and murder of the Jews byNazi Germany in theHolocaust duringWorld War II.
DuringWorld War I, in 1915 the town was captured and then occupied byGermany. Initially their forces made it part of theOber Ost military administration, but Germany planned this area to be one of the puppet states in Central Europe in accordance with theirMitteleuropa plan. Following Germany's defeat in the war, the German garrisons started to withdraw from the area.
On May 8, 1919 Germany handed over the administration toLithuania whichrecently declared its independence. This led to tensions between Lithuania and Poland (which alsodeclared independence around the same time), as both claimed the area. Under pressure from theConference of Ambassadors (later to become theLeague of Nations), Poland initially backed down on the issue, but, on August 22, 1919, on the day German troops withdrew from the area,Polish Military Organization organized a military action against the Lithuanian rule in what became known as theSejny Uprising (or "Seinai Revolt"). Sejny changed hands several times. During these battles, both sides used repressive measures - the Lithuanians had deported a lot of Polish families, while the Polish had closed all Lithuanian schools.[9] On August 28, the uprising ended with a Polish success, and the town became a part of Poland. After Poles acquired the town and its surroundings, the Lithuanian population of the region was subject to various repressions, which included evictions; banning the use of Lithuanian language in public; closures of Lithuanian organizations, schools and press; and confiscation of property.[9][10][11][12][13] The Polish historianPiotr Łossowski has suggested that both sides exaggerated repressions they suffered during the uprising and its aftermath in order to elicit internal and external support.[14] Sejny town at the time had approximately 2500 inhabitants.[15]
Only a year later, the town was captured by theSoviet Russia in the course of thePolish–Soviet War. To ensure the right of passage through Lithuanian territory, on 12 July 1920 the Soviet authorities signed theSoviet-Lithuanian Treaty of 1920, in which it ceded the area to Lithuania. On July 19 the Lithuanians recaptured the town. Then the Lithuanians closed Polish schools and offices, and began harassing Poles. After theBattle of Warsaw the Bolshevik forces were defeated and thePolish Army attacked the Lithuanian forces. As theParis Peace Conference established the Polish-Lithuanian border roughly correspondent to thestatus quo ante bellum, the Lithuanian forces were forced to withdraw from the town and on 31 August 1920 the town once again passed to Polish hands. However, the Lithuanian authorities still claimed the area and Lithuanian successfully counterattacked on September 2.[10] However, the Polish Army recaptured the town on September 9. The following day the last of the Lithuanian units retreated to the other side of the border and on October 7 acease fire agreement was signed, leaving Sejny on the Polish side of the border, so Sejny and the vicinity became part of rebornPolish state. In theinterbellum, the town was still desired by Lithuania.
In 1925 the bishopric and thepowiat status were removed, but the town remained a notable centre of not only trade and commerce but also wood and furniture production, gaining profits from the nearby forests. In 1925, Sejny became part of theSuwałki County (powiat) and it was only in 1956 that theSejny County (powiat) was restored (during thePolish People's Republic).
The 1930s saw the development of the town and the construction of new residential buildings and workplaces. Sejny was part of Poland "B", that is, it was located in a poorer part of Poland.
During theinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II, in 1939 the town was first captured by theSoviet Union on September 24, 1939. Sejny was severely pillaged and then on 13 October 1939 transferred toNazi Germany. It remainedoccupied by the Germans until August 1944.
Poles were subjected to mass arrests, executions and deportations toNazi concentration camps, and the local Jewish community was almost completely destroyed. The Germans carried out a massacre of 10 Poles at the local cemetery in 1939.[16] The Germans closed down both Polish and Lithuanian schools and thenlooted and destroyed school libraries.[17] Poles managed to organize secret teaching, but soon the Germans carried out mass arrests of Polish teachers, who were then imprisoned in aGestapo jail in Suwałki.[17] Nevertheless, secret Polish education continued until the end of the occupation.[17] In April 1940 the Germans carried out mass arrests of 150 Poles, 10 of whom were publicly executed at the market square on April 24, 1940, and thewójt of Gmina Sejny was murdered inPrudziszki on April 26, 1940.[18] Several Polish priests were arrested and deported to theSachsenhausen,Soldau andDachau concentration camps, where most of them died.[19] Two priests survived the concentration camps and the war: one, who also heldAmerican citizenship, eventually settled in theUnited States, where he received medical treatment in the following years, and the other returned to Poland after survivingNazi human experimentation in Dachau.[20] Poles wereexpelled from church properties, which were then handed over to Germans as part of theLebensraum policy.[21] Works of art andvital records were robbed by the Germans from the local church and taken toKönigsberg.[22]
On 31 July 1944 the town was captured a first time by theRed Army, then a second time on 18 August 944. Soon afterwards, it was delivered to the newSoviet-controlled communist authorities of Poland.
After the war, the local population, largely depleted during the war, started to recuperate. A notable influx of Poles resettled from thePolish areas annexed by the Soviet Union allowed for fast reconstruction of the town. In 1956, after the administrative reform of that year, Sejny once again became a seat of apowiat. Although it was cancelled in 1975, the new administrative division of Poland passed in 1999 reinstituted it. Depopulation may ultimately again threaten the present local and regional administrative organisation.
In 1980, Lithuanian priests, including priestPranas Gavėnas [lt], visited Sejny and were forbidden to celebrate Mass in Lithuanian in the Sejny Basilica. The priests wrote a letter of protest to thePope John Paul II that the Polish Lithuanians could not pray in Lithuanian. From 16 October 1983, the services in the Sejny St. Basilica of the Virgin Mary began to be held in Lithuanian.[23]
Currently, Sejny is a notable centre of trade, production and tourism, with thousands of tourists visiting the town every year. A dairy and a cheese factory are located in the town, as well as numerous hotels.
Sejny is also a notable centre of the cultural life of theLithuanian minority in Poland. It is the main seat of the Lithuanian Society of Poland and theAušra bi-weekly.Lithuanians constituted 7.9% (474) of the city's inhabitants in 2002[24] and 20.2% (4,271) of the population in theSejny County (powiat) in 2011.[25] Due to that, there is a Lithuanian consulate there, as well as a Lithuanian schooling complex (kindergarten, elementary school,gymnasium).
Owing to a lost dispute about payment for the town's sewage treatment works, the town is financially crippled by debt. Mayor Arkadiusz Nowalski is fighting to rescue the town, which lacks sufficient collateral for necessary investment or to seek European development funding. Although mayor, with his 2014 shock win against the incumbent, he does not have the majority support of the council.
2002 – 6,010 inhabitants, by nationality:[24]
| 1921 – 2,254 inhabitants, by nationality:[26]
| 1897 – 3,778 inhabitants, by language:[27]
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The localfootball club is Pomorzanka Sejny.[28] It competes in the lower leagues.
Sejny istwinned with:
Anykščiai, Lithuania{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Seat:Sejny (urban gmina) | ||
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