Aleksotas Eldership
Aleksotas | |
|---|---|
 Vytautas the Great Bridgewith view of Aleksotas hill | |
  Aleksotas Location of Aleksotas | |
| Coordinates:54°53′N23°54′E/ 54.883°N 23.900°E | |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| County | Kaunas County |
| Municipality | Kaunas city municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24 km2(9 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Total | 21,390 |
| • Density | 890/km2(2,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
TheAleksotas Eldership(Lithuanian:Aleksoto Seniunija) is aneldershipin the southern section of the city ofKaunas,Lithuania,bordering the left bank of theNemunas River.Its population in 2006 was 21,694. The elderate bordersVilijampolėandCentrasin the north,ŠančiaiandPanemunėin the east,Garliavain the south as well asAkademijain the west.
History[edit]
There is evidence that during pre-Christian times a pagan shrine was located here. The suburb was founded in 1408, whenVytautas the Greatgranted the woods that stood here to the city of Kaunas. Until the 16th century it was calledSvirbigala,derived from the rivulet Svirbė. The name Aleksotas was used from the 16th century on, and is thought to be derived from the wordaleksotai(shipyards) since manyNemunas Rivertransport operations were located there. After the finalPartition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealthin 1795, Aleksotas, unlike most of Lithuania, became part ofPrussia,until 1807 whenNapoleonincorporated it into theDuchy of Warsaw.The village became part of theKingdom of Polandin 1815. DuringNovember Uprising(1830–1831) the insurgent forces used Aleksota hill as artillery post to attack Kaunas, and eventually took the city. In December 1863, largeJanuary Uprisingforces gathered here, hoping to be able to freeAntanas Mackevičius,one of the uprising leaders in Lithuania, who was held imprisoned inKaunas Old Town,although the attack never happened.
In 1864, it became part of theRussian Empire.However, it retained its old laws (theNapoleonic code) and persisted in using theGregorian calendar.A popular joke at the time had it that the Aleksotas bridge was the longest in the world, because it took twelve days to cross (i.e. the difference between theGregorianandJulian calendars). It was a centre ofMarijampolė Uyezd.
In 1918, independent Lithuania wasre-establishedand Aleksotas became an integral part of it. The suburb grew rapidly in the 1920s, after Kaunas became thetemporary capital of Lithuania.In 1931 it officially became a part of the City of Kaunas. From 1920 to 1940 many houses, shops, sawmills, and flour mills were built in Aleksotas. Its commercial and industrial facilities included grain storage houses, a glass factory, anAleksotas Funicular Railway,the first bridge across the Nemunas, and the internationalS. Darius and S. Girėnas airport.The Physics and Chemistry Institute ofVytautas Magnus Universitywas located here before being destroyed duringWorld War II.The area suffered much damage duringWorld War II.Kaunas Botanical Gardenis located in the elderate.
TheM. K. Čiurlionis BridgeandVytautas the Great Bridgelink the district to thecentre and the old town.
Notable residents[edit]
- Oskar Minkowski,diabetesresearch pioneer
- Hermann Minkowski,mathematician, creator ofMinkowski space
- Ona Juodytė-Chadaravičienė, actress
- Wiktor Sukiennicki, Polish lawyer and historian.
- Yente Serdatzky(1877–1962), Yiddish-language writer
References[edit]
- Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Aleksotas".Encyclopedia Lituanica.Vol. I. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. p. 57.LCCN74-114275.
- (in Lithuanian)City of Kaunas - Elderate of Aleksotas
External links[edit]
- Website of Kaunas city
Kaunastravel guide from Wikivoyage- (in Polish)Aleksotain theGeographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland(1880)
