Smalininkai | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Piers on the Nemunas River in Smalininkai | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Smolnis | |
  Smalininkai Location of Smalininkai | |
| Coordinates:55°5′0″N22°34′0″E / 55.08333°N 22.56667°E /55.08333; 22.56667 | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Ethnographic region | Lithuania Minor |
| County | Tauragė County |
| Municipality | Jurbarkas District Municipality |
| Eldership | Smalininkai eldership |
| Capital of | Smalininkai eldership |
| First mentioned | 15th century |
| Granted city rights | 1945 |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 862 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Smalininkai (pronunciationⓘ;German:Schmalleningken) is a small city inLithuania. It is located on the right bank of theNeman River, 12 km (7.5 mi) west fromJurbarkas, in the region ofLithuania Minor.
The name describes a place of tar and pitch burners ("smala": tar, pitch; -ingken: village).
According to theUniversal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, Smalininkai was most likely settled in the late 15th century as an importantborder crossing point.[1] The border was established by theTreaty of Melno in 1422 between theGrand Duchy of Lithuania and theState of the Teutonic Order, which became theDuchy of Prussia after 1525 and then theKingdom of Prussia after 1701.[1] After theThird Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, it became the border betweenEast Prussia and theRussian Empire.[1] During 1871–1914, the border was between theGerman and the Russian Empires.[1]
The route for trade, and later post, fromKönigsberg toKaunas passed through Smalininkai.[1] Smalinkai was marked on the map of the Kingdom of Prussia published in 1701.[1]
In 1792 it was appointed to a market town. In 1845 the village became a parish and 1878 a church was built there. In the late 19th century, the village had a population of 709, which was mostly employed in agriculture, shipping and timber trade.[2] Large quantities of spirit were sold to Russia, while Lithuanian rafters bought woodenpipes here.[2] In 1902 a light railway was built from Pogegen (Pagėgiai) to Schmalleningken (Smalininkai).
FollowingWorld War I, in 1918, Lithuania regained independence, and in 1923 eventually obtained the region. In 1925, the village had 1,741 inhabitants. After the1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania when Germany occupied theKlaipėda Region, the border was betweenNazi Germany and Lithuania. In 1939, it was annexed byNazi Germany and incorporated into theLandkreis Tilsit-Ragnit (district). TheGerman occupation lasted until the end ofWorld War II in 1945. Then after theSoviet occupation of Lithuania in summer 1940, the border became the border between theSoviet Union and Nazi Germany.
