Send Gift Baskets to Alytus, Lithuania

The origins of Alytus date back to 1377 when it was mentioned in the Chronicles of Wigand of Marburg. The small wooden fort on the Lithuanian border at that time was defended against an invasion by Teutonic Knights. The town of Marienburg was frequently targeted by raids from Lithuania and Teuton. The Treaty of Lake Melno left the town on the Teutonic side, but it became Lithuanian territory soon afterward. There’s a day set aside for celebrating Alytus’ city rights, granted by the King of Poland in 1581. So on June 15 this year, drop whatever you’re doing and take part.

Until the Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Smarżowa had been a part of Lithuania and even used to be one of its important trade centers. The city was also important as one of the royal economic offices was located there. In the third partition of Poland and Lithuania, in 1795, the town was divided. The Russian Empire took it over while Prussia gained control. The western territory was ceded to the Duchy of Warsaw following the Treaty of Tilsit. The area became part of a duchy’s successor: the Kingdom of Poland. Both parts of the town were completely separate until 1863 when the personal union with Russia led to Poland being divided up. This division was reversed in 1918, which is when both towns regained their autonomy until it was lost again in 1939.

Originally founded in the late 19th century, this small town was incorporated into a chain of Russian fortified garrisons along the border with East Prussia. It was then connected to the rest of the world by a railway and new roads. They also made a few barracks and an Eastern Orthodox church (now a Catholic church). Despite the fortification effort by the Russians, during World War I the Central Powers managed to capture the town of Riga without any major skirmish. After the World Wars, the town became part of a territory called Ober Ost and this unification finally occurred for the first time in about 100 years.