Aleksotas district

Aleksotas
Eldership
Vytautas the Great Bridge with view of Aleksotas hill
Aleksotas Location of Aleksotas
Coordinates: 54°53′N 23°54′E / 54.883°N 23.900°E / 54.883; 23.900Coordinates: 54°53′N 23°54′E / 54.883°N 23.900°E / 54.883; 23.900
Country	Lithuania
County	Kaunas County
Municipality	Kaunas city municipality
Area
• Total	24 km2 (9 sq mi)
Population
• Total	24,270
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Aleksotas is an elderate in the southern section of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, bordering the left bank of the Nemunas River. Its population in 2006 was 21,694. The borough borders Vilijampolė and Centras in the north, Šančiai and Panemunė in the east, Garliava in the south as well as Akademija in the west.

There is evidence that during pre-Christian times a pagan shrine was located here. The suburb was founded in 1408, when Vytautas the Great granted the woods that stood here to the city of Kaunas. Until the 16th century it was called Svirbigala, derived from the rivulet Svirbė. The name Aleksotas was used from the 16th century on, and is thought to be derived from the word aleksotai (shipyards) since many Nemunas River transport operations were located there. After the final Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Aleksotas, unlike most of Lithuania, became part of Prussia, until 1807 when Napoleon incorporated it into the Duchy of Warsaw. The village became part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815. During November Uprising (1830–1831) the insurgent forces used Aleksota hill as artillery post to attack Kaunas, and eventually took the city. In December 1863, large January Uprising forces gathered here, hoping to be able to free Antanas Mackevičius, one of the uprising leaders in Lithuania, who was held imprisoned in Kaunas Old Town, although the attack never happened.