Country Lithuania County Tauragė County Capital of Smalininkai eldership Area 177 ha Local time Friday 1:32 PM | Ethnographic region Lithuania Minor Eldership Smalininkai eldership First mentioned 15th century Population 621 (2007) | |
 | ||
Weather 9°C, Wind NW at 19 km/h, 40% Humidity Municipality Jurbarkas District Municipality | ||
Smalininkai ( pronunciation ) is a small city in Lithuania. It is situated in the former samogitian part of Memelland on the right-hand shore of the Neman River, 12 km (7.5 mi) west from Jurbarkas. It was part of German East Prussia and was called Schmalleningken. Between 1923 - 1939 and since the World War II it has been part of Lithuania.
Contents
Map of Smalininkai, Lithuania
Name
The name describes a place of tar and pitch burners ("smala": tar, pitch; -ingken: village).
History
Since 1422 (Treaty of Melno) Schmalleningken was a border-village at the Lithuanian-German customs frontier. 1792 it was appointed to a market town. 1845 the village became a parish and 1878 a church was built. 1902 a light railway was built from Pogegen to Schmalleningken. The village had in 1925 1,741 inhabitants and was incorporated into the Landkreis Tilsit-Ragnit in 1939.