Marijampolė (; previously known by several other names) is the capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood at approximately 48,700 in 2003. Marijampolė is the seventh-largest city in Lithuania and the sixteenth-largest city in the Baltic States. It is the cultural centre and largest settlement of the historical region of Suvalkija (Sudovia).

Marijampolė has been a regional center since 1994. The city covers an area equal to . The Šešupė River divides the city into two parts, which are connected by six bridges.

The city is known for the international art and architecture symposium Malonny, an event which focuses on street art, murals, and public installations, transforming Marijampolė's urban spaces into an open-air art gallery.

Etymology

The earliest recorded name of the present-day city of Marijampolė was Stara Būda, this name is attested from 1706. In the first half of the 18th century, it was renamed Starapolė. This place name derives from common nouns (stara “old” + pole “field”) and appears in sources from 1736 as Starepol.

The arrival of the Marian Fathers in 1751 accelerated the town's growth, and the settlement was named Marijanpolė in their honour. In Lithuanian phonology, "n" regularly becomes "m" before "p", thus evolving into Marijampolė. The suffix -polė cannot be interpreted with absolute certainty: it may derive from Greek polis (“city, fortress”), since forming place names based on Ancient Greece was considered elegant in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time (especially for manors and estates). Conversely, in Slavic languages pole means “field.” The former explanation is considered more likely because Marijampolė functions as a eponymous place name, while the Slavic suffix -pole is more typical of toponyms derived from common nouns, although the earlier name Starapolė was indeed formed from common nouns.

On 9 April 1955, by decree of the Soviet authorities, Marijampolė was renamed Kapsukas in honour of the Lithuanian communist activist Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas. On 21 March 1989, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR and according to the results of a referendum, the city’s historical name Marijampolė was restored.

In the 18th century, the village, at that time belonging to the Catholic Church, grew to become a market town and its name was known Starpol or Staropolė, after a new village built for Prienai starost's guards in the vicinity in 1739. The settlement was destroyed by a fire in 1765.

After the disaster, Pranciška Butlerienė (née Ščiuka), the wife of the starosta of Prienai, financed a new church and a monastery for the Congregation of Marian Fathers.

thumb|left|Parade of [[dragoons of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union in Marijampolė in 1930]]

Following the January Uprising and the Russian suppression of the former Commonwealth lands, the powiat of Maryampol was seriously diminished. As the surroundings of the town were primarily inhabited by Lithuanians, Their bodies were placed in mass graves near the Šešupė River. During the war, the town was heavily damaged and almost emptied.

On July 31, 1944 Soviet army once again entered the city. The following year, the Soviet counter-intelligence agency SMERSH repressed about 500 people from Marijampolė. During the first years of Soviet occupation in 1944–1953, Soviet deportations from Lithuania to Siberian gulags included somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 Lithuanians from Marijampolė county. In late postwar years, the city was rebuilt and repopulated with inhabitants from other parts of Lithuania. About 98% of Marijampolė's inhabitants are ethnic Lithuanians.

On 9 April 1955, Communist authorities of the Lithuanian SSR renamed the town "Kapsukas" after a Lithuanian Communist politician, Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas. The old name was restored in 1989, the year before Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

Marijampolė has been the administrative centre of the county since 1994. In 2018, on the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the independence of Lithuania, the city of Marijampolė became the cultural capital of Lithuania.

The Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel synagogue in Chicago was founded by immigrants from Marijampolė. Other Jewish migrants from Marijampolė settled in Manchester and Leeds, United Kingdom.

Transport

Marijampolė is accessible by railway via the Kaunas-Šeštokai-Alytus line. The town is located at the crossroads of two major highways: The Via Baltica connects Helsinki with Central and Southern Europe, and the European route E28 runs between Berlin, Germany, and Minsk, Belarus.

Industry and economy

thumb|Marijampolė drama theater

Marijampolė is connected to its partners by business, sport, education, tourism, and other ties. Marijampolė's local means of mass media include a local television station, a local radio station, the newspapers "Marijampolės laikraštis", "Suvalkietis", "TV savaitė", "Sugrįžimai", and magazine "Suvalkija". Culturally, Marijampolė enjoys one cinema and a municipal drama theater.

Marijampolė is a regional centre of light industry enterprises, construction, transport and trade. It has also become home to one of the largest second-hand car markets in Europe.

Education

thumb|[[Marijampolė University of Applied Sciences]]

thumb|Marijampolė Palace of Culture

Marijampolė has a strong educational system with state education institutions. The city is the seat of Marijampolė University of Applied Sciences, as well as nine pre-school institutions, six nursery schools, one primary school, 12 lower secondary schools, nine secondary schools, four gymnasiums, a youth school, an adult education center, five additional training establishments, three non-state education institutions, a music school of Christian Culture, the Gymnasium of Marijonai, and the R. Vosylienė languages school.

Marijampolė Municipality

Marijampolė has a City Council with 27 members. The members of the City Council represent different Lithuanian political parties.

The Marijampolė Municipality is adjacent to the Vilkaviškis District Municipality in the west, Kazlų Rūda Municipality in the north, Kalvarija Municipality in the south, and the Prienai District Municipality and Alytus District Municipality in the east.

The town of Marijampolė and its six surrounding communities make up the territory of Marijampolė Municipality. They are: Gudeliai, Igliauka, Liudvinavas, Marijampolė, Sasnava, and Šunskai communities. Marijampolė Municipality covers of land; 72% of which is agricultural land; 12.3% is covered by forests; 4.2% is towns and villages, 2% is industrial enterprises and roads, and 6.9% is areas used for other purposes.

Twin towns – sister cities

Marijampolė is twinned with:

  • Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
  • Kokkola, Finland
  • Kvam, Norway
  • Lesja, Norway
  • Mayo County, Ireland
  • Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland
  • Reșița, Romania
  • Rogozno, Poland
  • Suwałki, Poland
  • Valga, Estonia
  • Valka, Latvia
  • Viborg, Denmark

Notable people

  • Ovidijus Vyšniauskas, a Lithuanian musician. The first Lithuania representer at Eurovision Song Contest in 1994.
  • Violeta Urmana, opera singer, an honorary citizen of the city.
  • Moshe Rosenthalis (1922–2008), Lithuanian-Israeli painter.
  • Darius Songaila, basketball player.
  • Saulius Brusokas, male weightlifter and strongman competitor.
  • Sue Perkins, British comedienne; great grandmother from Mariampolė.
  • Vytautas Kašuba, Lithuanian-American sculptor.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="130">

File:Marijampolė - panoramio (1).jpg|Old Town

File:Marijampolė, Jono Pauliaus II koplyčia.JPG|Pope John Paul II Parish Chapel

File:Vytautas of Marijampolė.jpg|Monument for Vytautas the Great

File:Marijampolė Šv arkangelo Mykolo mažoji bazilika (Large).jpg|St. Michael's Small Basilica

File:Marijampolės Šv. Vincento Pauliečio bažnyčia.JPG|Church of Saint Vincent de Paul

File:Mariampol-synagoga.JPG|Marijampolė Synagogue

File:Marijampolės ev. liuteronų bažnyčia.JPG|Marijampolė Evangelical Lutheran Church

File:MariampoleNádraží.JPG|Marijampolė Railway Station

File:Parkas Marijampolėje 3.JPG|Marijampolė park of "Poetry"

File:Miesto dienos 2013 - panoramio.jpg|City days 2013

File:Piligrimų namai "Domus Beati" - panoramio.jpg|The House of Pilgrims Domus Beati

File:Marijampolės Rygiškių Jono gimnazija.JPG|Marijampolė Rygiškių Jonas Gymnasium

File:Marijampolės Sūduvos gimnazija, stadionas.JPG|Marijampolė Gymnasium stadium

File:Paminklas J. Jablonskiui - panoramio.jpg|Monument for Jonas Jablonskis

File:Paminklas Tautai ir kalbai, Lietuvos 1000-mečiui paminėti - panoramio.jpg|Monument for the millennia of Lithuania

</gallery>

Notes and references

  • Homepage of the city
  • History of the Jewish shtetl in Marijampolė
  • Organ at Basilica of Marijampolė