Smalininkai

Smalininkai
City
Piers on the Nemunas River in Smalininkai
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Smolnis
Smalininkai Location of Smalininkai
Coordinates: 55°5′0″N 22°34′0″E / 55.08333°N 22.56667°E / 55.08333; 22.56667Coordinates: 55°5′0″N 22°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  (2007)
• Total	621
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Smalininkai (pronunciation (help·info)) is a small city in Lithuania. It is located on the right bank of the Neman River, 12 km (7.5 mi) west from Jurbarkas. It was part of German East Prussia and was called Schmalleningken from 1422 to 1945. Between 1923–1939 and since World War II, it has been part of Lithuania.

Name[]

The name describes a place of tar and pitch burners ("smala": tar, pitch; -ingken: village).

History[]

Since 1422 Treaty of Melno, Schmalleningken was a border village at the Lithuanian-German customs frontier. In 1792 it was appointed to a market town. In 1845 the village became a parish and 1878 a church was built there. In 1902 a light railway was built from Pogegen to Schmalleningken. In 1925, the village had 1,741 inhabitants and was incorporated into the Landkreis Tilsit-Ragnit in 1939.

Literature[]

• Kurschat, Heinrich A.: Das Buch vom Memelland, Siebert Oldenburg 1968

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