Wiżajny

Wiżajny
Village
Wiżajny
Coordinates: 54°23′23″N 22°51′54″E / 54.38972°N 22.86500°E / 54.38972; 22.86500
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Podlaskie
County	Suwałki County
Gmina	Wiżajny
Population	1,000

Wiżajny [viˈʐai̯nɨ] (Lithuanian: Vižainis) is a village in Suwałki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Lithuania.^[1] It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Wiżajny. It lies approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Suwałki and 143 km (89 mi) north of the regional capital Białystok.

The village has a population of 1,000.

History

In the 6th-9th centuries this area has been inhabited by the Baltic tribe of Yotvingians. The first mention of the settlement comes from 1253 when it was recorded as "Weyze", which was most likely taken from the name of a nearby lake, which in turn was derived from the Lithuanian word vėžės, or crawfish. In the 14th century there was an inn next to the road from Vilkaviškis to Sejny. According to legend, in 1409 Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Władysław Jagiełło hunted aurochs here and hence called the place Stumbrinė.^[2][3]

In 1570 the place was granted town status, in 1606 it had 4 streets: Stara, Wierzbołowska, Siemiańska i Sejweńsk. Around 1800 the town was granted the coat of arms and right to build the town hall.^[4]

References

Coordinates: 54°23′23″N 22°51′54″E / 54.38972°N 22.86500°E / 54.38972; 22.86500