Sejny
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Church of St. Mary in Sejny
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 Sejny
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| Coordinates: 54°7′N 23°22′E / 54.117°N 23.367°E | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Podlaskie | ||
| County | Sejny County | ||
| Gmina | Sejny (urban gmina) | ||
| Town rights | ~1600 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Arkadiusz Nowalski | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4.49 km2 (1.73 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 5,934 | ||
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 16–500 | ||
| Car plates | BSE | ||
| Website | http://www.sejny.home.pl | ||
Sejny [ˈsɛi̯nɨ] (Lithuanian: Seinai) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (Polish: Pojezierze Suwalskie), on the Marycha river (Seina in Lithuanian for which the town was named), being a tributary of the Czarna Hańcza. As of 1999 it had almost 6,500 permanent inhabitants, with a strong seasonal increase during the tourist season.
In the early Middle Ages the area comprising modern Sejny was inhabited by the Yotvingian, one of the Baltic tribes that had arrived in the area in the first millennium. After internal struggles of the 13th century, the area was subject to expansion from both Masovia and Lithuania. As a result of the armed incursions of the Teutonic Order, the area was almost entirely depopulated. Only a few descendants of the Yotvingians survived. In the 14th century the area was the scene of constant struggles between the Lithuanians and the Teutons. The first written record of the area where the town now lies dates to 1385, noting an armed raid of the German knights from Merkinė to Giżycko.
After the Teutonic-Lithuanian border was established in 1422, people began to return to the forests in the area. New roads were paved. The road leading from Berżniki through what is now Sejny to Merkinė, became a notable trade route. In 1510 Michał Pac became the governor of the area, founding the settlement of Berżniki. This started a period of rapid development of the former Yotvingian lands.
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Wikipedia