Browse / Lithuania / Alytus / Simnas
Simnas
Alytustown
Simnas
Total population
1,514
Demographic figures from Statistics Lithuania. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
City facts
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Simnas is small town on the river Dovinė between Simnas and Giluitis lakes, in Alytus district, Alytus county, in the south of Lithuania. It lies on the 131 a national primary road from Alytus to Kalvarija. Simnas is located within the ethnographical region Dzūkija. According to the 2022 data, 1209 people live in the town with 3148 in Simnas eldership. It is most populous settlement in Alytus district.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
Simnas started as a hunting hut for the Grand Duke of Lithuania in a strategic place where a river flows into a lake. Gradually, the living place around the hut turned to an estate. Wigand of Marburg, a German chronicler, describes Lithuanians victory under the leadership of Grand Duke Vytautas against Crusades in Simnas (Samenike in chronicle) near the lake in 1382. In Lithuanian chronicle, Simnas' name was mentioned in the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon writings in 1494 as a manor with peasants for the first time. The origin of Simnas' name is unclear and remains a mystery. There is no other similar or analogic name in the Baltic language. Some local lore says that two giants - Simas and Sinas - lived around the place and after their death half the name of each was added together to create the current town name. Another version of the name is the corruption of the human name Simonas. But most historians believe that the name origin is hydronym, taken from a lake's name where the hunting hut stood. In 1506, Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon donated Simnas manor to nobleman Jonas Zaberezinskas. As a good statesman and organizer, he built a brick church in 1520-1526. This is another mystery about Simnas because neither wooden nor old churches have ever been mentioned before in any written sources. Around the church began to develop settlements. The Simnas coat of arms was created in 1536, depicting St. Peter and Paul. In a letter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1549, Simnas mentioned the town. 10 years later a new road was laid from Simnas to Königsberg, showing the importance of the town and its location. More ever, in 1613, Simnas was marked on the map for the first time. In 1603, Simnas went into the hands of Paweł Stefan Sapieha, the…
Geography
Simnas town is surrounded by 3 lakes: Simnas lake in the north, Giluitis lake in the west and Kalesninkai lakes in the south which contains 12 large and small fish breeding ponds. Throughout town runs the river Dovinė, formerly Spernia, which flows into Simnas lake. January is the coldest month and July is warmest with average -3'C and 16'C respectively. Thunder occurs more frequently, up to 45 times a year, compared to the rest of the country due to a combination of sandy soil and woodlands in the southside of the town.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
Air quality
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Earthquake history
Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here
Nearby places in Alytus
- Pryga4.9 mi away · pop. 55
- Merkinė26.5 mi away · pop. 1,228
- Varena39 mi away · pop. 9,240
- Pétchinga3117.3 mi away
- Goumbitchigoura3118 mi away
- Dangazori3119.2 mi away
- Bogo-Bogo3128.4 mi away · pop. 10,888
- Mamassi-Gourma3131.7 mi away
- Birni-Lafia3134.5 mi away · pop. 17,332
- Tanda Tadji3136.2 mi away
- Malanville3139 mi away · pop. 168,000
- Bania Fari3139.3 mi away
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.
Books about this place
Recent natural events nearby
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species
Events
Gallery
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • Wikidata
- • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
- • Wikipedia Pageviews API