Lazdijai

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Lazdijai
Location Coat of Arms
Location
Ethnographic region Dzūkija
County Alytus County
Municipality Lazdijai district municipality
Coordinates 54°14′N 23°31′E
General Information
Capital of Lazdijai district municipality
Lazdijai elderate
Population 5,140 in 2001 (59th)
First mentioned 1570
Granted city rights 1597

Lazdijai (pronunciation ) is a city in Lithuania located about 7km East of the border with Poland. It became important when in 1990 Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union. A new border control had to be established and several villages along the Poland-Lithuania border became entry/exit ports. However, Lazdijai became a center that oversees those small towns.