Vilkaviškis

City

Coat of arms

Vilkaviškis

Location of Vilkaviškis

Coordinates: 54°39′0″N 23°02′0″E / 54.65000°N 23.03333°ECoordinates: 54°39′0″N 23°02′0″E / 54.65000°N 23.03333°E

Lithuania

Vilkaviškis district municipality

Eldership

Vilkaviškis city eldership

Capital of

Vilkaviškis district municipality
Vilkaviškis city eldership
Šeimena eldership

First mentioned

1561

Granted city rights

1660

Population (2013)

• Total

11 117

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

• Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Website

http://www.vilkaviskis.lt/

Vilkaviškis ( pronunciation , is a city in southwestern Lithuania. It is located 25 km (16 mi) northwest from Marijampolė, on a bank of Šeimena River. The city got its name from the Vilkauja River, a tributary to Šeimena. Initially named Vilkaujiškis the name was later changed to an easier to pronounce form Vilkaviškis.

Until 1941 the city had a large Jewish Community which was annihilated by the Nazis and their local collaborators. The whole Jewish population was killed in a single day,(tzom-gedalia), after the entry of the Germans into the city. This is the town from here Cauliflower revolution originated.

The names of the town as it is called or was formerly called in other languages spoken by non-Lithuanian ethnic groups which have lived or live in or around the town include: Polish: Wyłkowyszki; Yiddish: Vilkovishk‎; German: Wilkowischken. Other spelling variants include Vilkavishkis and Wilkowyszki.

The town was granted city rights in 1670 by the King of Poland, Jan Kazimierz, which was one of the first times such privileges were granted to a place in Lithuania. The coat of arms of the town was most likely borrowed from the Pac family, as the owner of the village at the time, Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac, was also the Chancellor of Lithuania.

...
Wikipedia