- This article discusses the Polish part of the region. For the Lithuania one see Suvalkija
Suvalkija or Sudovia is the smallest of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Its unofficial capital is Marijampolė. People from Suvalkija are called suvalkiečiai or suvalkietis . It is located south of the Neman River, in the former territory of Vilkaviškis bishopric...
.
Suwałki Region is a small region around the city of Suwałki in northeastern
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
near the border with
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
. The territory was disputed between Poland and Lithuania after
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. This dispute was the main cause of the brief
Polish-Lithuanian WarThe Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
and the
Sejny UprisingThe Sejny Uprising or Seinai Revolt refers to a Polish uprising in the ethnically-mixed area surrounding Sejny against the Lithuanian authorities in August 1919. When German forces, which occupied the territory during World War I, retreated from the area, the administration was handed to the...
. The conflict was later overshadowed by a much larger and more serious Polish-Lithuanian dispute over the
Vilnius RegionVilnius Region generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus, that was inhabited by the ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time, and became disputed between Poland and Lithuania in the...
.
- This article discusses the Polish part of the region. For the Lithuania one see Suvalkija
Suvalkija or Sudovia is the smallest of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Its unofficial capital is Marijampolė. People from Suvalkija are called suvalkiečiai or suvalkietis . It is located south of the Neman River, in the former territory of Vilkaviškis bishopric...
.
Suwałki Region is a small region around the city of Suwałki in northeastern
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
near the border with
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
. The territory was disputed between Poland and Lithuania after
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. This dispute was the main cause of the brief
Polish-Lithuanian WarThe Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
and the
Sejny UprisingThe Sejny Uprising or Seinai Revolt refers to a Polish uprising in the ethnically-mixed area surrounding Sejny against the Lithuanian authorities in August 1919. When German forces, which occupied the territory during World War I, retreated from the area, the administration was handed to the...
. The conflict was later overshadowed by a much larger and more serious Polish-Lithuanian dispute over the
Vilnius RegionVilnius Region generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus, that was inhabited by the ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time, and became disputed between Poland and Lithuania in the...
. The Suwałki Region, despite many years of
Polonization Polonization is the acquisition or imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular, Polish language, as experienced in some historic periods by non-Polish populations of territories controlled or substantially influenced by Poland.-Piast Poland:...
, no Lithuanian schools and even ban on public speaking in
Lithuanian languageLithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
(until 1950) remains a major center of the
Lithuanian minority in PolandLithuanian minority in Poland consists of 5,639 people living chiefly in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the north-eastern part of Poland...
.
History
Originally the territory named Suvalkai Region was inhabited Yotvingian Prussian tribes. After 1815 the Suvalkai Region was part of
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
, in turn a part of the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The Suwałki Governorate was, according to a Russian census conducted during the 1880s, about 58% Lithuanian..
In the wake of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, both countries were established as independent states, but their borders were contested. In 1918 the Suvalkai Region was claimed by
re-establishedThe Act of Independence of Lithuania or Act of February 16 was signed by the Council of Lithuania on February 16, 1918, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The Act was signed by all twenty...
independent Lithuania based on cultural heritage and later 1920 peace treaty with
Soviet Russia, but Poland officially insisted on dividing the area along the ethnic lines. In the aftermath the Suvalkai Region was left on the Polish side of the border, with a Lithuanian majority in the countryside around the Polish-dominated cities of
SejnySejny is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area , on the Marycha river, being a tributary of Czarna Hańcza...
and
PuńskPuńsk is a village with 1,050 inhabitants in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. Over 80% of the population of Puńsk is Lithuanian. It lies in the northeastern part of Poland, only 5 km from the border with Lithuania....
in the northeastern part of the region.
Most of the area was briefly controlled by the Lithuanian forces in 1919, and again in 1920 during the Polish-Bolshevik War. In 1920, however, Marshal
Ferdinand FochFerdinand Foch . OM GCB was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its final year: 1918...
proposed that the Suvalkai Region be granted to Poland. The proposal was accepted by the
Paris Peace ConferenceThe Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors in World War I to set the peace terms for Germany and other defeated nations, and to deal with the empires of the defeated powers following the Armistice of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than...
and after the
Polish-Lithuanian WarThe Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
), the Lithuanian forces withdrew from the Suvalkai Region and it became a part of Poland.
| Period | State |
|---|
| until 14th century |
Sudovians/Yotvingians Yotvingians or Sudovians were a Baltic people with close cultural ties to the Lithuanians and Prussians...
|
| 14th century – 1795 |
Grand Duchy of LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until 1795. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the pagan Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija...
|
| 1795–1807 |
Kingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918, until the defeat of Germany in World War I, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire...
|
| 1807–1815 |
Duchy of WarsawThe Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
|
| 1815–1915 |
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
|
| 1915–1918 |
Ober OstOber Ost is short for Oberbefehlshaber der gesamten Deutschen Streitkräfte im Osten, which is a German term meaning "Supreme Commander of All German Forces in the East" during World War I. In practice it refers not only to said commander, but also to his governing military staff and the district...
(German occupation) |
| 1918–1920 |
Disputed between Poland and Lithuania |
| 1920–1939 |
Poland |
| 1939–1944 |
Nazi Germany |
| 1944–present |
Poland |
Despite the fact that a part of the disputed area was never under Lithuanian control, the Lithuanian authorities claimed that it consisted of three counties (see
administrative divisions of Lithuania-Grand Duchy of Lithuania :In the earliest stages of the formation of the Lithuanian state, there had been several lands , such as Nalšia, Deltuva and Lietuva, as well as others. They were ruled by regional dukes. When King Mindaugas unified the state, he killed, expelled, or subjugated most of...
), that were illegally occupied by Poland. These included the
Augustavo Apskritis based in the town of
AugustówAugustów is a town in north-eastern Poland with 29,600 inhabitants . It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal.It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , having previously been in Suwałki Voivodeship...
,
Suvalkų Apskritis formed around the city of Suwałki and
Seinų Apskritis centered around the town of
SejnySejny is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area , on the Marycha river, being a tributary of Czarna Hańcza...
. The aforementioned units were roughly correspondent to the actual administrative division of the area into
powiatA powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
s of Augustów, Suwałki and Sejny of the
Białystok VoivodeshipBiałystok Voivodeship can refer to:*Białystok Voivodeship *Białystok Voivodeship *Białystok Voivodeship...
of Poland, respectively. The region was the least economically developed part of Poland in the interwar period.
The Suvalkai Region was annexed by
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
in 1939 and adjoined
East PrussiaEast Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia...
. After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Suvalkai Region was returned to Poland. Currently there are no territorial disputes over the region.
According to the
Polish census of 2002Polish census of 2002 was a census in Poland taken from 21 May to 8 June 2002.- Significant ethnic minorities :In addition to Poles, ethnic groups of more than 25,000 people compose the following:-References:...
there were 5,846 Lithuanians living in Poland, with a large part of them inhabitating Suwałki Region. There are Lithuanian schools and cultural societies present in the area and the Lithuanian language is spoken in the offices in the
communeThe gmina is the principal unit of territorial division in Poland. It is usually translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2004 there were 2,478 gminas...
of
PuńskPuńsk is a village with 1,050 inhabitants in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. Over 80% of the population of Puńsk is Lithuanian. It lies in the northeastern part of Poland, only 5 km from the border with Lithuania....
.
Countryside
Suwałki Region has many lakes and forests, and is considered a relatively undeveloped region in Poland.
Major towns:
- Augustów
Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland with 29,600 inhabitants . It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal.It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , having previously been in Suwałki Voivodeship...
- Suwałki
- Sejny
Sejny is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area , on the Marycha river, being a tributary of Czarna Hańcza...
Forests:
- Augustów Primeval Forest
Augustów Primeval Forest is a large virgin forest complex located in Poland as well as in northern Belarus and southeastern Lithuania. The forest covers about 1,600 km², of which 1,140 km² is in Poland....
- Romincka Forest
Romincka Forest or Krasny Les is a forest complex in the east of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, and the southeast of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The total area of the forest is about 360 km². It includes the protected area known as Puszcza Romincka Landscape Park...
Lakes:
- Hańcza
Hańcza is a lake in Suwałki Region, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. It is 311.4 ha large, 4.5 km long and 1.2 km wide. It is the deepest lake in Poland with maximum depth of 108.5 m....
- Wigry Lake
Wigry is a lake located in north-eastern part of Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship.Wigry lake is situated in the forests of the Augustów Wilderness – trees grow on about 80% of its shoreline. There are 19 smaller and bigger islands on the lake, in its waters thrive as many as 26 species of...
Parks:
- Biebrza National Park
Biebrza National Park is a national park in Podlaskie Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, situated along the Biebrza River.The largest of Poland’s 23 National Parks, the Biebrza National Park was created on September 9, 1993...
- Romincka Forest Landscape Park
- Suwałki Landscape Park
- Wigry National Park
Wigry National Park is a National Park in Podlaskie Voivodeship in north-eastern Poland. It covers parts of the Masurian Lake District and Augustów Primeval Forest . It is named after lake Wigry, the largest of the Park's many lakes...
External links
See also
- Demographics of Poland
The Demographics of Poland is about the demographic features of the population of Poland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- Polish-Lithuanian War
The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
- Suwałki County
- Vilnius Region
Vilnius Region generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus, that was inhabited by the ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time, and became disputed between Poland and Lithuania in the...