Marijampolė County (Lithuanian:Marijampolės apskritis) is one of the tencounties inLithuania. It is in the southwest of the country and roughly corresponds to the historical region ofSudovia. Itscapital and the largest town isMarijampolė. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished,[3] and since that date, Marijampolė County remains as a territorial and statistical unit.
The county includes part of the ancient Sudovian lands. After the long fights with theTeutonic Order in the late 13th - 14th centuries, most of the old inhabitants of Sudovia were decimated and the land was ravaged. Sudovia began to recover in the late 15th century, when settlers from various parts ofGrand Duchy of Lithuania began to occupy former Sudovian lands. The close proximity toPoland andPrussia allowed the new settlers to establish close trade links.[4]
During the years ofLithuanian press ban, Sudovia was an important route forKnygnešiai (Lithuanian book smugglers) due to the region's proximity to the border ofLithuania Minor, where Lithuanian press was still legal at the time. From here, the banned press spread throughoutLithuania proper. In 1894, the Sudovian book smugglers, in an effort to mobilize their forces, to obtain and distribute the Lithuanian press on a regular basis, founded the secretSociety of the Sietynas [lt] in Marijampolė.[7]
After 123 years, Sudovia returned toLithuanian administration afterWorld War I, the collapse of theRussian Empire and the withdrawal of the occupying German army. In 1918–1919, the southern outskirts withVištytis,Liubavas,Klinavas andReketija were disputed by newly reestablished Poland, with localPoles forming Polish communes, which, however, were forcibly dissolved by Lithuanian forces.[8]
Marijampolė County was reconstituted in 1994 as an administrative-territorial unit comprising several municipalities. The coat of arms of Marijampolė County was adopted in 2004. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished and its functions were transferred to municipalities and ministries, while the county itself remained a territorial unit.[9]
Marijampolė County has aWarm Summer Continental orHemiboreal climate (Dfb) according to theKöppen climate classification system, which is characterized by warm to hot (and often humid) summers and long and frosty winters. The region is one of the warmest in Lithuania, with the average temperature in July being 18.5 °C (65 °F). The average temperature in a year is 7.5 °C (46 °F).
Marijampolė County is divided into 5 municipalities which are further divided into 42elderships (seniūnija). The largest municipality is Šakiai District Municipality, while the most populous is Marijampolė Municipality.
The municipalities are listed in the following table (in alphabetical order).
^Povilaitis, Vitas."Marijampolės apskritis".lietuvai.lt. Enciklopedija Lietuvai ir pasauliui (ELIP). Retrieved14 July 2024.
^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XIV (in Polish). Warszawa. 1895. pp. 94–95.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Zieliński, Stanisław (1913).Bitwy i potyczki 1863-1864. Na podstawie materyałów drukowanych i rękopiśmiennych Muzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu (in Polish). Rapperswil: Fundusz WydawniczyMuzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu. pp. 254–273.
^Sajauskas, Justinas."Knygnešiai Suvalkijoje".mle.lt. LNB Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. Retrieved20 July 2024.
^Radziwonowicz, Tadeusz (2009). "Droga do Niepodległej (Suwalszczyzna listopad 1918 – sierpień 1919)".Zeszyt Naukowy Muzeum Wojska (in Polish) (22):99–100.
^"Marijampolės apskritis".vle.lt. LNB Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. Retrieved14 July 2024.
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