Kudirkos Naumiestis
| Kudirkos Naumiestis | |||
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| State : |
 Lithuania
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| District : | Marijampolė | ||
| Rajong municipality : | Šakiai | ||
| Coordinates : | 54 ° 57 ′ N , 22 ° 52 ′ E | ||
| Inhabitants (place) : | 1,732 (2011) | ||
| Time zone : | EET (UTC + 2) | ||
| Postal code : | LT-71049 | ||
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Kudirkos Naumiestis (German Schirwindt-Neustadt ) is a small town in Lithuania . It is the official seat of the Rajongemeinde Šakiai in the Suvalkija region .
Location and importance
The city is located at the confluence of the Šešupė and Širvinta rivers, 25 kilometers southwest of Šakiai. For over 400 years it was a border town to the Duchy of Prussia , the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia . Since 1946 it has bordered the Kaliningrad Oblast . It was the Catholic-Jewish counterpart to the Protestant Schirwindt .
The settlement was first mentioned in 1561 as Duoliebaičiai . From 1639 to 1917 the place was called Vladislavovas ( Polish Władysławów ) after Władysław IV. Wasa , who in 1643 gave it Magdeburg town charter. The German name Neustadt-Schirwindt comes from the river Širvinta ( Schirwindt ). From 1900 the Lithuanian Naumiestis ( New Town ) was used more and more instead of Vladislavovas . In 1934 the city received its current name in memory of the poet and publicist Vincas Kudirka , the author of the Lithuanian national anthem , who lived here from 1895 until his death in 1899. The Vincas Kudirka Museum , opened in 1998, is dedicated to his life and work. His manuscripts, documents and publications are shown. The history of the castle and town as well as personalities from the region are also the subject of the exhibition.
From 1740 Vladislavovas housed a well organized Jewish community. Many well-known rabbis and scribes came from the city. Before the Second World War , about 3,000 Jews lived in Kudirkos Naumiestis.
