Mateikonys

Mateikonys
—  Village  —
Mateikonys
Location of Mateikonys
Coordinates:
Country  Lithuania
Ethnographic region Aukštaitija
County Vilnius County
Municipality Šalčininkai district municipality
Eldership Eišiškės eldership
Population (2001)
 • Total 177
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Mateikonys (Polish: Matejkany or Motejkany[1]) is a village in the Šalčininkai district municipality, Lithuania near the border with Belarus. According to the 2001 census it had population of 177.[2]

From 1923 to 1939 the village was located in Wilno Voivodeship, north-east Second Polish Republic. After the Nazi German and Soviet invasions of Poland in September 1939 the village was transferred to Lithuania according to the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty.

During the Nazi occupation of Matejkany, one of its Polish defenders, Captain Stanisław Truszkowski adopted Estera Bielicka, a Jewish girl, passing her off as his own child. She was of the same age as his daughter and lived "in plain sight of all of the residents of this village. Not only did the villagers know about her, but she was also seen at church services in town and no one from among the parishioners betrayed her."[3]

References

  1. ^ Mapy Wojskowego Instytutu Geograficznego "EJSZYSZKI P32 S40", Warszawa, 1926
  2. ^ (Lithuanian) Vilniaus apskrities kaimo gyvenamosios vietovės ir jų gyventojai. Vilnius: Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. 2003. p. 42. ISBN 9955-588-04-7. Archived from the original on 2010-11-07. http://www.webcitation.org/5u4dYKhby. 
  3. ^ Mark Paul, "Polish-Jewish Relations in Wartime Northeastern Poland and the Aftermath" PEFINA Press, Toronto 2008